Cops say details in ‘abducted’ jogger’s story don’t add up
Investigators are poking holes in Sherri Papini’s abducted jogger story.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office released new details about her disappearance on Wednesday — saying they found numerous inconsistencies in Papini’s account.
First, authorities found that the California mom had male DNA on her clothes when she was picked up by cops, despite her claims that she was kidnapped by two women.
Then they discovered that an incident Papini told cops about — in which she fought back against one of her captors and cut her foot — apparently never happened.
“When she was being processed at the hospital … no evidence of a cut was seen in the photographs,” Sgt. Brian Jackson told the Record Searchlight newspaper in Redding, where Papini lives.
The 35-year-old went missing on Nov. 2, 2016, after going for a jog near her house. She was found 22 days later — battered and bruised — on the side of a road.
Police officials said Wednesday that the male DNA that was found on Papini was located on her clothes — and didn’t belong to her husband, Keith Papini. Female DNA was also discovered on her body. It failed to show up on the FBI’s criminal database.
Papini described her abductors as two Hispanic women, but apparently offered few details about their appearance.
Jackson said she told investigators she tried to avoid looking them in the face, for fear of retaliation. One was older with thick eyebrows, while the other appeared young and wore large hoop earrings.
Cops released sketches of the suspects for the first time Wednesday, which showed the women wearing bandannas around their faces. But nobody has been able to identify them.
“Once the sketches were finalized, detectives and investigators reviewed the sketches and compared the sketches with known witnesses or contacts identified during the investigation to see if the sketches matched any known parties,” Jackson said. “No matches were made with case file information.”
Officials also offered new details about the condition Papini was in when she was found. She reportedly had her hair cut to shoulder length and was branded on her right shoulder, though it’s unclear what the symbol or word was.
In addition, the sheriff’s office revealed Wednesday that Papini had been texting a “male acquaintance from Michigan” before the alleged kidnapping — in an attempt to meet up. The Detroit resident was supposed to be in town on a business trip, Jackson said.
Investigators insist, though, that he wasn’t involved in her disappearance.
Authorities have received over 600 tips from people across the globe in connection with the case. The FBI reportedly will continue to aid the sheriff’s office with their investigation.