According to her Former husband Keith Papini, Sherri Papini started with little white lies. She told him she went to college in Orange County and he believed her. She had told him about a hip injury she had suffered while dancing ballet, and he believed her. Nothing could have prepared Keith Papini for Sherri’s next act: a fake staged kidnapping.
“It wasn’t until later that I found out these things weren’t true,” says Keith Papini. Rolling stone.
Developments surrounding the kidnapping and three-week disappearance of mother Sherri Papini of Redding, California, on November 2, 2016, made national headlines, sparking a search frenzy in California and neighboring states . Twenty-two days later, in what was considered a “Thanksgiving miracle,” Sherri Papini was discovered wrapped in chains with bruises, a fractured nose, several rashes and a mark on her shoulder. After making false claims that she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women, authorities determined that she had lied and was instead staying at the home of her ex-boyfriend James Reyes, injuring herself (with the help of Reyes) to encourage his story.
A missing sign for Sherri Papini from November 10, 2016.
Andrew Seng/The Sacramento Bee/AP, file
Perfect Wife: The mysterious disappearance of Sherri Papini, a three-part docuseries now streaming on Hulu, picks up where the Gone Girl-esque The story ends, revealing investigative video recordings, photos and conversations with friends and family about the plan to kidnap Sherri Papini. The documentary series also sheds light on Papini’s discriminatory past. In high school, she reportedly wrote a blog post about fighting Latina girls, saying, “Being white is my family, my roots, my way of life” and later as authorities searched for her Hispanic captors playing mariachi, many Latinx women were afraid to leave their homes in pairs.
In April 2022, Sherri pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making false statements, and Keith filed for divorce shortly after. In September of that year, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was released in early October 2023 for good behavior. rolling stone spoke with Keith, who also appears in the docuseries, about the beginning of Sherri Papini’s cheating, how he explains the kidnapping to his children and whether he is still in contact with his ex-wife.
With everything you’ve been through, how are you doing?
What I’m going through now, what I’ve been going through recently, it’s hard. However, all of this pales in comparison to how I felt in 2016, when she was missing. I’m looking for the love of my life, my fiancée, the mother of my children, thinking she’s being tortured or that I’m going to find her dead in a ditch somewhere – I mean, the depressions I’ve been through, the anger, the questioning of life at that time was so hurtful. The things I’m experiencing now, I’m not saying I’m happy with them, but they pale in comparison.
For a long time you avoided the media. What made you finally want to share your side of the story?
The first six years, I was just trying to help Sherri heal. I never sought media attention. We were just trying to help the family. After his arrest, it was obviously a difficult time for my family and me. I met (filmmaker) Allison Berkley, and when we talked about everything, I felt really comfortable with her. I really wanted the truth to come out. So many people helped during the 20 days and then over the years, such an amazing community, family and friends. I also wanted to say thank you to all these people but for the truth to come out and everyone to know that it wasn’t just a big lie and that she came home. This went on for five, six years during which she continually lied to make us all believe that her hoax was real.
How does it feel now to watch this docuseries?
It’s very difficult to do because at that time I’m not eating, I’m not sleeping. All I can think about is trying to help and save my wife as best I can. Going back and watching the footage to see all the people who were affected, and knowing that she’s lying – not just lying; she watches videos of everyone looking for her. All the signs, and knowing your kids are home, and being okay with that? It’s painful, and it’s definitely separating, it’s not just a lie. It was expected. It was something where she obviously had to sit there and make that choice like, “Okay, I’m going to do this.” “It’s just hard to think about it that way because I’m here trying to look for (her) and I don’t even know if she’s alive or not. So it’s very painful, and it really shows the level of manipulation and deception that she put us through.
Sherri Papini during her April 2022 arraignment in Sacramento, California.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
She was released from prison after 10 months and 21 days, in October 2023, and now lives in a halfway house. Do you think her sentence is long enough and what do you think about the fact that she was released?
Based on what she’s done, in my opinion, I don’t think there’s a long enough sentence. Anyway, I thought she would be out well before 18 months due to good behavior. If that’s all she has to do, she can act. She is an actress. I still felt like she was getting out early and I was happy to have such a long break without her constantly coming after us and the kids over some legal issues.
Have you been in contact with Sherri?
I didn’t talk to him, that’s the answer. I really don’t want to hear what she has to say right now. It was a good decision that I made to break off communication, so to answer your question, we don’t interact.
Have you learned to trust again?
I like to assume that people make honest and truthful statements when you talk to them, that’s who I am by nature. Obviously, there is now a second level where I will listen to someone, but I might want to ask questions a little later. When it comes to love life, I haven’t really gotten into the dating business yet. My main focus, 100%, was the kids and making sure we all came out okay.
Have your children been in contact with her?
They get phone calls every month if they want, and then they also get a monthly professionally supervised visit if they want.
How do you explain the kidnapping hoax and arrest to your 9 and 11 year old?
It’s very PG. It’s very limited. I don’t go into much detail. She hasn’t been in their lives for so long now, two years basically, that it’s not something they really ask for.
If someone at school said something, we had this discussion where they would just politely say, “I don’t feel comfortable talking about our family.” They just move on. So they know that it’s possible for someone to say something, whether it’s out of excitement, like, “I saw you on TV,” or the opposite, like, “Oh, I heard talk about your mother. But they are such resilient kids.
In the docuseries, you enter the home of Sherri’s ex-boyfriend James Reyes, where she claimed she was abused. How was it ?
It shocked me even more when I stopped by the house because I had seen this house from the outside before in 2016 when our guys there were guarding this house. We knew that was where James lived. So the fact that we were right there and I saw these photos, it was actually more shocking, seeing the outside.
Have you met James?
No.
So the house was empty when you arrived?
I want to be clear about something. People asked me, “Do you think he was manipulated?” And I’m like, “Of course he was manipulated.” I mean, that’s what Sherri does. She used him for a specific purpose and was done with him. I can’t say I feel bad for this guy. As it turns out, he did some pretty horrible things to a woman, whether she asked him to or not. In my opinion, he knows everyone is looking for this girl and he does some pretty horrible things to a woman. (Editor’s note: James Reyes has not been charged with any crime.)
Something I couldn’t understand was why Sherri would go this far. Did you understand why?
No, I definitely didn’t understand. I have a few theories, but there’s nothing concrete and I’ve spent a lot of time on it. Many friends have given me their version and some things are close to what may have happened. But in the end, I accepted that I will never know the answer. I feel like even if she ever came forward and gave her version of events, to be honest, I wouldn’t even believe her. I just got to a point where I realized I’ll never know the truth, and I’m okay with that.