Where is Sherri Papini now?
In November 2016, a stay-at-home mom named Sherri Papini went missing from her hometown in Redding, California. Three weeks after her disappearance, she reappeared and told police she had been kidnapped. As it turned out, the story she gave wasn’t entirely true.
A three-part series about Papini is airing on Hulu from June 20, 2024.
The official synopsis reads:
“Keith and Sherri Papini’s seemingly idyllic family life is shattered when Sherri vanishes from their northern California neighborhood, triggering a frenzied search that becomes news around the world.”
In this article, we take a look at this bizarre case and ask the question: Where is Sherri Papini now?
What happened to Sherri Papini?
On November 2, 2016, Sherri Papini went missing. Her husband Keith discovered her disappearance after returning home from work. When he realized she hadn’t picked up her two children from daycare, he used the ‘Find My’ app to locate his wife’s phone and found the discarded device on a road close to their home.
22 days later, Papini reappeared on Thanksgiving Day. She told law enforcement she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women and held in captivity during the weeks in which she was reported missing.
Papini had injuries to her body which suggested she had been badly treated by her kidnappers. But as it turned out, she hadn’t been abducted at all. After investigating her case, the detectives discovered her ‘kidnapping’ was a hoax.
Why did Sherri Papini fake her kidnapping?
According to NBC News, the investigating detectives found male DNA on her clothing. This led them to her former boyfriend, James Reyes, with whom she had been staying while pretending to be missing. When she told him she wanted to return home, he dropped her off on Interstate 150.
It’s reported that Papini asked her ex-boyfriend to hit her but he refused. Instead, he pelted her with hockey pucks, held the hockey stick for her to run into, and branded her at her request. This was how she received the injuries she claimed were a result of the abuse meted out to her by her ‘abductors.’
After Papini returned home, she continued to live with her husband and children for several years. The circumstances behind her supposed kidnapping remained a mystery until law enforcement discovered she had been staying with Reyes.
In April 2022, Papini pleaded guilty to two charges – mail fraud (she had received over $30,000 from the California Victim Compensation Board) and lying to a police officer. The court ordered her to pay $300,000 in restitution and sentenced her to 18 months in prison.
Where is Sherri Papini now?
Papini ended up serving less than a year in prison and is reportedly now living in Shingletown, California, which is less than 30 miles from Redding, from where she reported being kidnapped in 2016.
Her marriage to Keith dissolved in May 2023. According to an article in Record Searchlight, the Papinis are now involved in court battle for money, vehicles, family property, personal possessions, and their children.
Papini is alllowed to visit her children under controlled circumstances. During a visit with her daugher, she told her child about her new career as an author. Papini said:
“Mommy is an author now. She’s writing two books. I work lots of hours to write chapter books. So, when I tell you I’m working remotely, that means I’m at home writing chapters on my laptop.” (source)
It’s believed that Papini is currently living in her Shingleton home with her auto dealer boyfriend, Shawn Hibdon. Here’s hoping he doesn’t come home one day to discover his girlfriend missing!
For more on Sherri Papini’s case, check out the Hulu documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini on June 20, 2024.
Read More: Where is James Reyes now?
What do you think about this case? Have you seen the documentary? Let us know in the comments below.