Sherri Papini’s kidnapping hoax created headlines years ago in 2016 when she returned safely to her house a few weeks after being abducted. But everything was later revealed to be a lie when the reality came in front of everyone. As usual, the hoax has been a theme of a few documentaries. One of them is Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini, originally released on Lifetime in 2023.
The documentary premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026, bringing the case once again into the spotlight. People have been eager to know everything about Sherri’s personal life. Notably, Sherri was married to Keith Papini when she was kidnapped. However, the duo divorced in 2023. Keep reading to know more!
Who was Sherri Papini’s ex-husband, Keith?
Photo credit: ABC News
Keith Papini was employed at Best Buy as an audiovisual specialist when the hoax kidnapping happened. Keith and Sherri were originally living outside Redding, California, before the incident. For the unversed, Keith was the first person to discover that his wife was missing. Keith immediately called the authorities, leading to an investigation to find the kidnappers. Keith even opened up on how he was feeling during that period and said:
“I’m just wondering about her health. Are they feeding her? Is she hot? Is she cold?… I thought about her being there screaming my name, and I wasn’t there and that really… got to me.”
Photo credit: Hulu
Keith has even praised Sherri Papini by saying that she was the perfect mother who would help the kids get ready, including planning their meals and everything that they would do for the rest of the day.
Keith Papini was also a suspect when the investigation was launched
Photo credit: CNN
After Sherri Papini disappeared in 2016, Keith unexpectedly became a suspect in the case. This happened after the authorities checked Sherri’s phone and found that she was having conversations with an individual named Donovan Miske. The duo allegedly had an affair, with Sherri telling Miske that her husband was evil. However, Keith was not in trouble anymore after he passed a polygraph test.
Photo credit: Disney
On the other hand, Sherri and Keith’s friends refused to believe the latter. Jenifer Harrison, a friend of Sherri, even recalled in an interview that Sherri once opened up to her about Keith. Sherri had reportedly told Jennifer that Keith would kill her if she tried to leave him. Moreover, Sherri even revealed Keith’s preferences for a wife, where he wanted someone from the ‘50s who would do all the household activities.
Sherri Papini and Keith Papini’s first meeting dates back to their high school days
Photo credit: Daily Mail
Sherri Papini and Keith Papini were in middle school when they first met. They had reportedly kissed each other during the same period. However, they were not in contact at one point and reconnected years later in 2006, when they started dating. Keith had allegedly discovered at the same time that Sherri had a habit of creating fake stories. The pair tied the knot in 2009. Three years later, they had a son named Tyler in 2012. They later welcomed a daughter named Violet in 2014.
Photo credit: Shasta County Sheriff’s Office
Weeks after Sherri Papini’s disappearance, she was found on the roadside by a woman in Thanksgiving in 2016. Sherri was reportedly injured, and she later told the police that she was kidnapped by two women, who tortured her by feeding her things like stale bread. Things took a different turn in 2019 when the police discovered that the DNA found in Sherri’s clothes matched her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes. The police found James, who revealed the truth that everything was a hoax and that he and Sherri were staying together in an apartment in California.
Photo credit: SHASTA COUNTY SHERIFF
While Sherri initially dismissed the claims, she was taken into custody in 2022 and admitted to a plea deal that the kidnapping was a hoax. She was sentenced to 18 months, followed by Keith filing for divorce in 2023 and getting complete custody of their children.
Photo credit: IMDb
What are your thoughts about Keith Papini and everything that happened in the hoax kidnapping case? Let us know.
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