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…

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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:

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