Sherri Papini is breaking her long silence and sharing her side of the story of her infamous kidnapping hoax.
Sherri, 41, is speaking out as part of a new Investigation Discovery docuseries special, in which she will candidly reflect on her disappearance and the aftermath -- including the intense media scrutiny and subsequent federal investigation.
Jason Sarlanis, President of Investigation Discovery, said in a press release on Monday, "Sherri Papini drew worldwide attention when she went missing and then again, when she returned. While many perspectives have been told, there is one point of view that the world hasn't heard and that is from Sherri herself."
"Investigation Discovery will present a new side of Sherri Papini's case -- told by her in her own words," Sarlanis stated.
Sherri and her former husband, Keith Papini, made headlines in 2016 when Sherri disappeared during a jog near her home in Redding, California. Extensive searches were conducted for her in Shasta County, throughout California, as well as other states.
Sherri Papini and Keith Papini in a still image from Hulu's 'Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini.'
Twenty-two days later -- on Nov. 24, 2016 -- Papini reappeared in Yolo County, with various bindings on her body and injuries, including a "brand" on her right shoulder, and claimed that she had been abducted by two Hispanic women at gunpoint, held against her will, and that she had been abused by her captors. At that point, law enforcement efforts focused on finding her abductors.
As investigators continued looking into Sherri's claims, they found evidence indicating she had not been abducted. In March 2022, more than five years after her disappearance, Sherri was charged for lying to federal agents about being kidnapped and defrauding the state's victim compensation board of $30,000.
Authorities said that, after a thorough investigation, it was discovered that Sherri had been staying with a former boyfriend nearly 600 miles away from her home in Orange County, in Southern California, and hurt herself to back up her false statements.
However, even when she was warned that her story was falling apart, Sherri continued to insist that she was telling the truth. Eventually, Sherri pleaded guilty to lying to a federal officer and mail fraud in April 2022.
Keith filed for divorce from Sherri shortly after her guilty plea. He cited "irreconcilable differences" after their 12-year marriage and requested sole custody of their two children.
In September 2022, Sherri was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution, $148,866 to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and $2,558 to the FBI. She ended up serving less than a year in prison.
According to Investigation Discovery, the as-yet untitled docuseries "will feature unprecedented access to archival footage, legal documents, and court filings as well as extensive interviews with those close to Papini and the investigation -- offering new insights and potential answers to the questions that still swirl around this case nearly a decade later."
Production on the docuseries is currently underway and slated to premiere on ID in 2025.
Sherri's ex-husband recently spoke out for the first time in a three-part Hulu docuseries, Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, which premiered on June 20.
Check out the stories below for more on the revelations shared by Keith regarding his ex-wife's high-profile hoax and subsequent fallout.
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