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HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story — True Crime
HOAX: The Sherri Papini Story

Premier: Wednesday June 29th, 2022.

On November 2nd, 2016, California mom Sherri Papini went out for a jog and vanished. Three weeks later, she was found on the side of the road, badly beaten up and claiming she’d been kidnapped and tortured. But it was all fake. Like a real-life “Gone Girl,” Sherri Papini had completely fabricated her abduction.

Journalist Abby Schreiber explores one of the most bizarre true crime sagas in recent memory, diving into the graphic lies Sherri told to the colorful characters who pop up during the investigation, all in an effort to discover whether any clues from Sherri’s past foreshadowed all of the lies and deceit in her future.

This is a CAKE MEDIA Original Production

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Written and hosted by:

Abby Schreiber

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Gus Hurteau with additional help from Jacob Stein and Jason Rabinowitz at The Pop Ups Studios

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

Katherine Deck

Copyright: © CAKE MEDIA

Latest Episodes:

Episode 5: Sherri’s Sentencing Sep 29, 2022

After pleading guilty to lying about being kidnapped, Sherri Papini was charged with Making False Statements and Mail Fraud. Finally, her big day in court arrives where she’ll learn her sentence. After a dramatic memo from her defense lawyer and stunning statements in court, the Judge makes a shocking decision.

Our Sponsors:

Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAX
June's Journey Download June’s Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!

Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:

Sherri’s 2020 interrogation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7idBeFkj84

Sources for this episode:

Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
Department of Justice / United States District Court: https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/actionnewsnow.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/e8/ae87fc62-3541-11ed-b4c6-df3e2430d2de/6323a0635f46c.pdf.pdf

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Follow Abby Schreiber at @abbyschreiber28 and Jessica Devine/CAKE Media at @cakemediastudio on Instagram

Written and hosted by:

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

Episode 4: The Unraveling Jul 20, 2022

After years go by with little news about Sherri’s case, law enforcement makes a huge breakthrough that blows everything wide open. When DNA from the clothing Sherri was wearing in captivity shows that it belonged to an unknown male, the police use some of the same methods used to crack cold cases like the “Golden State Killer” and ultimately trace the sample to Sherri Papini’s ex-boyfriend. After authorities interview the Ex, they learn a stunning revelation: Sherri’s kidnapping was all made up…

Our Sponsors:

Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAX
June's Journey Download June’s Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!

Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:

Good Morning America interview with Sheriff Michael Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj0

3:25-3:42 and 3:59-4:37

Sound bite from Sherri’s lawyer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt8wnIP7RfM

0:54-1:02

Sources for this episode:

Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2020/06/30/genetic-genealogy-golden-state-killer/?sh=487192cc5a6d
Department of Justice / United States District Court: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/press-release/file/1479901/download
Good Morning America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxa0wkOCEj0

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Follow Abby Schreiber at @abbyschreiber28 and Jessica Devine/CAKE Media at @cakemediastudio on Instagram

Written and hosted by:

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

Episode 3: Who Is Sherri Papini? Jul 13, 2022

As investigators continue to look into Sherri’s case, new details emerge about her life before she went missing. Her past includes a first husband, problems with her parents over the years, and a shocking rumor that she once posted on a white supremacist message board. With this new information, will investigators be able to track down her captors? Or will they conclude that the whole thing was made up?

Our Sponsors:

Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAX
June's Journey Download June’s Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!

Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:

Inside Edition interview with Sherri’s ex-boyfriend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0gjVZRtKBU

00:06-00:16, 00:41-00:57, and 1:01-02:35

Sources for this episode:

People Magazine: https://people.com/crime/sherri-papini-missing-racist-letter-online/
Department of Justice / United States District Court: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/press-release/file/1479901/download
The Sacramento Bee: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article141599034.html
City of Redding: https://www.cityofredding.org/about-us/living-in-redding
TIME https://time.com/6729/10-cities-where-violent-crime-is-soaring/
Courier-Journal: https://www.courier-journal.com/in-depth/news/crime/2021/12/17/mexican-drug-cartels-move-in-on-californias-shadow-marijuana-industry/6036056001/
Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3980270/Sheriff-s-office-investigating-bizarre-blog-spewing-hatred-against-Latinos-purportedly-written-kidnapped-mom-two-Sherri-Papini-ex-husband-says-malicious-prank-isn-t-racist.html
Inside Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0gjVZRtKBU
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-super-mom-sherri-papini-told-police-daughter/story?id=46477176
The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-long-american-history-of-missing-white-woman-syndrome
New York Post: https://nypost.com/2020/11/18/convicted-killer-susan-smith-could-be-free-in-2024/

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Written and hosted by:

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

Episode 2: A Supermom Returns Jul 06, 2022

After Sherri is unexpectedly found on the side of the road, her family is overjoyed by her return. But their happiness quickly turns to horror when they see what’s happened to her: she’s apparently been burned, beaten up, and branded. After law enforcement interviews Sherri about her ordeal, new—and surprising—details emerge about her alleged abductors and her time in captivity.

Our Sponsors:

Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAX
June's Journey Download June’s Journey on the app store and start playing for free today!

Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:

Dispatcher call (via ABC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrctetjw2g&t=118s

4:01-4:10

Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow

07:52-08:00

Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_uUk-AZ5E

3:44-4:01

Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Yl9rMbUEo

00:35-00:57 and 2:15-3:27

Anonymous donor interview with Chris Hansen and Crime Watch Daily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVNmPJycI8

04:31-04:42 and 05:30-05:34

Sources for this episode:

The Sacramento Bee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVNmPJycI8
ABC News/Good Morning America: https://abcnews.go.com/US/gma-exclusive-husband-sherri-papini-speaks-familys-ordeal/story?id=43840659
Yahoo: https://au.news.yahoo.com/she-lived-through-hell-sherri-papini-skips-town-with-family-after-alleged-abduction-33429788.html
Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-california/799533001/
ABC 7 Chicago: https://abc7chicago.com/sherri-papini-branded-keith-what-happened-to/1630521/
People: https://people.com/crime/sherri-papini-abduction-mystery-man-michigan/

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Written and hosted by:

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

A Supermom Disappears Jun 29, 2022

On November 2, 2016, Sherri Papini, a young mother of two kids in Redding, California, went out for a jog…and vanished. As law enforcement begin to hunt for clues, her worried husband shares the story of her disappearance with the media, prompting a mysterious anonymous donor to come forward and offer a “reverse ransom” in an effort to get Sherri released. The donor taps a self-described “abduction expert” to negotiate with Sherri’s alleged captors as days tick by and the case heats up. But, just as things look bleak, a major new twist develops three weeks after Sherri first went missing…

Our Sponsors:

Betterhelp Try BetterHelp online therapy! HOAX listeners get 10% off their first month. Betterhelp.com/HOAX
June's Journey - Download the app today and play for free!

Audio clips featured in this episode can be found here:

1. Keith Papini’s 911 call: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-911-audio-sketches-released/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1656435630625589&usg=AOvVaw2clzQ5d-fBYTdyKwV57WPs

0:00-01:13

2. Sheila Koester and Suzanne Papini interview with Redding Record Searchlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8QBYrb3gN4

01:24-01:49 and 02:58-03:15

3. Keith Papini interview with KRCR-TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3ruN0ClDU

0:09-0:19

4. Anonymous donor interview with Chris Hansen and Crime Watch Daily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow

04:31-04:42 and 05:30-05:34

5. Dispatcher call (via ABC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrctetjw2g&t=118s

4:01-4:10

6. Sheriff Tom Bosenko press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUMv_KoXow

07:52-08:00

Sources for this episode:

1. Redding Record Searchlight: https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2022/03/03/sherri-papini-kidnapping-timeline-arrest/9368973002/

https://archive.redding.com/news/crime/Sheriff-Sherri-Papinis-husband-passes-lie-detector-test-400619061.html/

2. The Sacramento Bee: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article113409723.html

3. The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-shady-hostage-negotiator-at-the-center-of-sherri-papinis-abduction

4. Mercury News: https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/25/sherri-papini-abduction-911-audio-sketches-released

Credits:

Created by:

Jessica Devine and Abby Schreiber

Written and hosted by:

Executive produced by:

Elena Murdock

Sound design and editing by:

Gus Hurteau with additional help from Jacob Stein and Jason Rabinowitz at The Pop Ups Studios

Original art by:

Keitha McClocklin

Graphics by:

HOAX Trailer Jun 15, 2022

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