In the four-part documentary Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, we look back at the bizarre 2016 missing persons case when the then 34-year-old mother of two children failed to return home after a run. Her husband found her phone on the side of the road, but there was no further trace of her.
The case really became shocking when Sherri suddenly showed up 22 days later, tied up and beaten up. She claimed to have been kidnapped by two Spanish-speaking women wearing face masks. The FBI, however, immediately questioned her story. Six years later, the FBI was vindicated when an ex-boyfriend of Sherri’s confessed that the kidnapping had indeed been staged and that she had been with him during that time.
What was her motive and why did she lie to the FBI all that time, a crime that ultimately earned her a prison sentence and a fine? Was she the master manipulator that many people thought she was? A lying wife? Together with Sherri, her parents and sister-in-law also look back on this sensational story. As does the FBI agent who handled the case at the time, who describes in detail how she quickly saw the ‘red flags’ in Sherri’s story. Will we finally get the real truth from Sherri? The lie detector test that Sherri undergoes at the end of the documentary makes more clear.
Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie will be available on HBO Max from Tuesday 27 May and also on ID from Sunday 20 July at 9:00 PM.