Overview
- Denise Huskins was abducted from her Vallejo home in 2015, drugged, transported to South Lake Tahoe, and sexually assaulted before being released near Huntington Beach about 48 hours later.
- Aaron Quinn received threats and ransom demands for two $8,500 payments and, despite seeking help, was interrogated as a suspect by Vallejo police.
- Police spokesperson Lt Kenny Park told a press conference the couple fabricated the kidnapping, and an FBI agent allegedly invoked the film Gone Girl when casting doubt on Huskins’ account.
- Huskins initially denied being raped because her abductor threatened to kill her family if she disclosed the assault.
- Matthew Muller was later identified and arrested, then convicted and sentenced to 40 years in 2017; the couple received a $2.5 million settlement from Vallejo in 2018 with no admission of wrongdoing, the department apologized, and no officers were disciplined.