On November 2, 2016, thirty-four-year-old so-called “Supermom” Sherri Papini went out for a run near her home in Redding, California, and disappeared without a trace. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, Sherri was discovered on the side of the road in a nearby county, where she said her captors had released her.

In the days that followed, Sherri claimed she had been kidnapped by two unknown Latin American women, who physically abused her, including branding her on the shoulder with the word “Exodus.” The case garnered considerable attention from the local and national media, but when it came to details on her abductors and their motives, Sherri was surprisingly tight-lipped, giving the police and FBI little to work with.

In March 2022, more than five years after her supposed abduction, the nation was shocked to learn that federal agents had arrested Papini and charged her with faking her own kidnapping. A month later, Sherri pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to more than a year in prison. The news was stunning and left everyone wondering, why would a seemingly ordinary and ostensibly happy mother orchestrate such a bizarre hoax?

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

ABC News. 2016. "Missing California mom found alive after captor abandons her in restraints, sheriff says." ABC News, November 24.

Ayestas, Jonathan. 2024. "Sherri Papini has yet to pay $300,000 fine for faked 2016 California kidnapping." CNN Newswire, March 26.

Bella, Timothy. 2022. "A mother said she was kidnapped. Now she admits it was all a hoax." Washington Post, April 13.

Bever, Lindsey, and Kristine Guerra. 2016. "Missing California mother found alive three weeks after her apparent abduction, police say." Washington Post, November 25.

Bonvillian, Crystal. 2022. "Feds detail how missing mom branded, starved self in 2016 kidnapping hoax." Cox Media Group, March 9.

CBS News, Sacramento. 2016. "Full text of November 30 press conference about Sherri Papini's abduction." CBS News, Sacramento, November 30.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2022. Sherri Papini criminal complaint and affidavit. Criminal complaint, Los Angeles, CA: Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Gumbel, Andrew. 2022. "California jogger Sherri Papini staged own violent kidnapping, FBI says." The Guardian, March 4.

—. 2016. "Kidnapping, reverse ransom and a bounty: the strange case of Sherri Papini." The Guardian, December 30.

Hurley, Beven. 2022. "Why did it take five years to charge 'supermom' Sherri Papini with fabricating her own abduction?" The Independent, March 4.

Larimer, Sarah. 2016. "California mother was 'branded' and covered in bruises after apparent abduction, husband says." Washington Post, November 29.

Longoria, Sean. 2016. "Mother of 2 goes missing near Redding." Record Searchlight (Redding, CA), November 4: 1.

—. 2016. "Audio tells of Papini response." Record Searchlight, November 27: 1.

Sabalow, Ryan. 2016. "Familty of 'supermom' holds on to hope." Sacramento Bee, November 12: 1.

—. 2016. "Keep an open mind in unusual kidnap story, experts say." Sacramento Bee, December 3: B1.

—. 2016. "Relative defends husband of missing 'supermom'." Sacramento Bee, November 9: A14.

—. 2017. "Sheriff's office silent on Papini details." Sacramento Bee, January 31.

—. 2016. "'Supermom' hasn't been seen since taking a jog." Sacramento Bee, November 8: A4.

Sandhu, Amber. 2016. "Missing mom sought." Record Searchlight (Redding, CA), November 5: 1.

Serna, Joseph. 2016. "A setback in kidnapping case?" Los Angeles Times, December 1: B3.

Shulman, Alayna. 2016. "Sherriff gets help in search." Record Searchlight, November 8: 1.

—. 2017. "Will 2018 bring more Papini details?" Record Searchlight, December 28: 6.

Solis, Nathan. 2022. "Tale of abduction by Latinas fueled racial unease." Los Angeles Times, March 6: B2.

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On April 25, 2004, Broadmoor Hospital inmate Peter Bryan attacked a killed fellow inmate Richard Loudwell, a man awaiting sentencing for the murder of an eighty-two-year-old woman. The fact that the murder occurred in England’s most famous and supposedly secure psychiatric hospital was shocking, but more shocking was that this was Bryan’s third murder, and the second in as many months. Indeed, just two months earlier, while he was under the care of doctors and social workers in an open in-patient mental health hospital, Bryan left the facility in February and a few hours later he’d killed, dismembered, and partially cannibalized forty-three-year-old Brian Cherry.

Peter Bryan’s murders were highly sensationalized by the press, particularly the tabloids, who fueled the ongoing moral panic over the abysmal state of England’s mental health system. While the reporting did little more than exacerbate the public’s growing anger with the government, they nonetheless highlighted a very important question everyone wanted answered: How was a man with Bryan’s mental health and criminal history able to get released institutional care, and moreover, why was he not under surveillance when he murdered a third time—this time in heavily guarded psychiatric hospital?

References

Bennetto, Jason. 2005. "Care in the community patient sought `buzz' from killing and eating his victims." The Independent, March 16.

Bowcott, Owen. 2009. "Cannibal who killed three had seemed normal, NHS finds." The Guardian, September 3.

Chelsea News. 1994. "Grudge ended in murder." Chelsea News, March 3: 1.

Cheston, Paul. 2005. "Cannibal set free to kill in London." London Evening Standard, March 15.

Feller, Grant. 1993. "Police hunt evil King's Road murderer." Chelsea News, March 24: 3.

Garvey, Geoff, and Peter Dobbie. 1993. "Girl battered to death in King's Road." Evening Standard (London, England), March 19: 73.

Mishcon, Jane, Tim Exworthy, Stuart Wix, and Mike Lindsay. 2009. Independent Inquiry into the Care and Treatment of Peter Bryan - Part I. Mental Health Treatment Review, London, England: National Health Service (NHS).

Raif, Shenai, and Andrew Barrow. 2005. "Triple-killer 'cannibal' told: you'll never be freed." The Independent, March 14.

Tendler, Stewart, and Laura Peek. 2004. "Cannibal fears after body found cut apart." The Times (London, England), February 19.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At first glance, there wasn’t much to the mild and unassuming Jerry Brudos; however, when investigators looked into his background, they discovered several arrests for theft, prowling, and sexual assault. And the more they learned about Brudos’ life, the more certain they became that he was the man they were looking for.

Ultimately, Jerry Brudos was convicted of the murders of Jan Whitney, Karen Sprinker, and Linda Salee and given three life sentences. His capture and incarceration were a big relief to the women of Oregon, but his cooperation with law enforcement and the FBI would prove invaluable as the latter established what would eventually become the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

References

Associated Press. 1969. "Fisherman's grim discovery started search for slayer." Albany Democrat-Herald, June 30: 21.

—. 1969. "Coed provided first lead in murder case." Oregonian, June 4: 11.

Capital Journal. 1969. "Salem student, 19, feared kidnaped." Capital Journal, March 29: 1.

Carbonell, Dan De. 2006. "36 years later, killer's death relieves victims' families." Statesman Journal (Salem Oregon), March 29: 2.

Leibman, Faith H. 1989. "Serial Murderers: Four Case Histories." Federal Probation 41-45.

Long, James. 1969. "Photo found in Brudos' home shows girl hanging by rope." Oregon Daily Journal, June 7: 1.

Morrison, Allen. 1969. "Brudos tells of attacks, killings." Oregon Statesman , June 28: 1.

—. 1969. "Indicted in death of Miss Sprinkler." Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), June 5: 1.

Olmos, Robert. 1969. "Crews widen river search for clues in girls murders." Oregonian , May 15: 19.

Oregon Journal. 1968. "2 teen-age girls missing." Oregon Daily Journal, February 6: J7.

Oregonian. 1968. "Help sought in search." Oregonian, December 23: 24.

—. 1969. "Office aide disappears ." Oregonian, April 26: 14.

Painter, John. 1969. "Sudden shift in plea signals end of trial." Oregonian , June 28: 1.

—. 1969. "Tests stall state trial of Brudos." Oregonian, June 6: 1.

Roby, Larry. 1969. "Parole agency explains eligibilty of Brudos." Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon), July 2: 15.

—. 1969. "Judge discloses warrant details on Brudos." Capital Journal, June 6: 1.

Rule, Ann. 1983. Lust Killer. New York, NY: Random House.

Statesman Journal. 1969. "Brudos home alleged site of 2 slayings." Staesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), June 18: 1.

Wong, James. 1969. "Somebody probably saw Linda Salee's killer--but will the person speak up?" Oregon Daily Journal , May 15: 5.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.