Monday, December 5, 2016

Keith Papini and Passing the Polygraph

Halloween 2016 - Check out those Bandanas!

Note: When analyzing evidence, a criminal profiler or detectives makes note of what the totality of the evidence could mean and this helps determine investigative leads. A theory is NOT equal to proof and this is why analysis is to lead to more evidence which leads to more analysis and, hopefully, ends up with enough evidence to lock in what happened, establish probable cause, and allow for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. On the outside of an investigation, we know far less than the police; any analysis is based on public information. This does not mean an outside analysis cannot be right or that the police analysis is necessarily right, but we just need to understand that unless we have access to all the police reports and evidence, we can only base our understanding on what is publicly available at any point in time.

After I finished pointing out some strange behaviors of Keith Papini on The Today Show, the hosts pointed out to the audience that Mr. Papini had passed a polygraph and was not considered a suspect by the police department. I have received emails and comments as to why I would have any suspicions concerning Keith Papini in the strange alleged abduction of his wife, Sherri Papini, since he passed the polygraph and the police said early on he was not a suspect. So, let me explain my reasons for continued concern over Mr. Papini's involvement in this crime or possible knowledge of it and how the polygraph and suspect status play into this.

Keith Papini may or may not have passed a polygraph. The police may be telling us the truth or they may not be telling us the truth. They could have cleared him or they could be trying to give him enough rope to hang himself.

I will put forth each kind of possible crime this case could be and explain the polygraph and suspect status for each.

1) Sherri Papini was kidnapped for some bizarre reason - gang initiation, kidnapping for ransom gone bad, kidnapping for kicks, kidnapping for sex trade.

In this case, Keith Papini could indeed pass the polygraph because he would have had nothing to do with the crime. The police finding no connection to him with Sherri's disappearance and him having an alibi, clear him of the crime.

I would have no problem with this except for the description of the crime and Keith Papini's behaviors.

2) Sherri Papini was kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel.

In this case, the police would be heavily investigating whether the Papinis were involved in the drug trade, if they had way too much money for their lifestyle. Keith Papini could have passed a polygraph in that he may not, at that time, exactly known what happened to his wife. The police could clear him of involvement because he would also have been a victim of the crime.

Of all the kidnapping scenarios, this one would make the most sense if the message was from the cartel to Keith, if the "anonymous donor" was Keith himself trying to make a payoff for money owed or whatever. The police would be analyzing whether the lifestyle the Papinis lived was far above the salary of a Best Buy employee and a stay-at-home mom and whatever help they got from relatives. Keith's bizarre behavior could be that he sort of had a clue what happened to his wife but doesn't want to admit why; his interest in going public is to get rid of the hoax accusations but not push for arrest of the suspects because that would lead back to the motive for the crime which would include his own involvement in the drug trade.

3) This was a hoax set up by the Papinis.

In this case, they would be seeking money, notoriety, or both. The police would be investigating their financial status and desire for media attention. They would be trying to figure out if they did this alone or had a third party involved. They would be analyzing the type of injuries to Sherri Papini to determine if these were of the sort to convince a kidnapping occurred, but not so serious as to cause permanent injury. Keith Papini would either have managed to pass the polygraph test (which can be done) and convinced the police he was not involved in any way or he could have failed the test and the police are not telling the public the truth and are watching him closely.

Keith Papini's behaviors when he found his wife missing - hurrying to insist she was kidnapped to the police - and his very aggressive campaign in the media to prove that his wife was really injured and kidnapped while showing no interest in finding and punishing her captors does support the possibility of this scenario.

4) This was a hoax set up by Sherri Papini.

Of all the choices, actually this is the most credible (although this doesn't mean this is what happened). If Sherri Papini had threatened her husband with running off or had prior odd behaviors that could lead him to think she could be setting up a hoax (or even him), he might well have had his own peculiar behaviors when he found her gone, immediately searching for her location, telling the police she was kidnapped. He might pass a polygraph because the questions might be those involving his own connection to the crime which he would not have. The police might eliminate him as a suspect because he truly did not do anything to Sherri or plan anything with her.

Certain pieces of evidence support this motive for this crime as a hoax. There is evidence from Sherri Papini's past writings that indicate she may be an attention seeker. Women who have Munchausen's Syndrome (a version of psychopathy) may suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia to stay very thin, they may be enamored by photos of themselves, they may fake illnesses to get attention or claim they were rape or stalked when they were not. They may even stage their own abductions to get attention from their loved ones or the media. Sometimes we see odd things done by the "victim" prior to the crime that might have helped in development of the crime description; we have a post which certainly appears to have been written by Sherri Papini years ago in which she claims to have been assaulted by Latina women and having broken one of their noses in the fight. On Halloween night, just two days before the alleged abduction, she and her husband and kids are dressed as cowboys and cowgirls complete with bandanas for their faces (see photo above). Two days later, Sherrie is abducted by two Latina women wearing bandanas and her nose is supposedly broken. Coincidence or fabrication?

The actual crime itself supports a fake abduction staged by the "victim" herself. She is abducted by women which eliminates the problem of sexual assault. All the injuries are minor and cosmetic in that there appears to be no real permanent damage. The claim of branding we do not know what it really was - a brand like a tattoo or something like a hot coat hanger - we do not know where on her body it was (clearly not her face) and how small it was or how repairable it is. It seems these injuries to her body could well have been self-inflicted.

Another very odd thing about this crime is the when she was found she had a chain around her waist and one hand bound. The other hand was free, supposedly only bound by something easy to cut off in the vehicle. What this says to me is that this means that Sherri Papini had one hand free to lock the other hand to the chain.

The best evidence that may support this possible motive for Sherri Papini's disappearance is in her husband's denial of a hoax. Everything he has stated in television interviews is a continual praise of his wife and how perfect and wonderful she is. Why does he feel such a strong need to convince the world of this? Or is he trying to convince himself as well? Is his lack of interest in the alleged abudctors so minimal because he knows there are none? Is his focus on bringing his wife home, being reunited, having a happy family again, not having to raise the children alone all about his fear that his wife will be discovered to be behind this and end up in jail? Is he afraid of discovering this himself because that would be a big hurdle to deal with in their relationship? Does he just want to consider this something they will never forget but will make their marriage stronger? Is this why he can show mixed emotions when discussing his wife's and his ordeal? Because it WAS an ordeal and IS something that they have to get through? Is this why he called what happened a tragedy rather than a crime?

This bizarre case has certainly captured the attention of the public because it IS very unusual and because Keith Papini decided he needed to defend his wife in a very national forum. What we will learn in days to come will certainly be fascinating, to say the least.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

December 5, 2016

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trying to get over those 'boots'.

Anonymous said...

This is an excellent summary, looking forward to learning which scenario holds the truth to this strange situation!

Anonymous said...

What. Boots?

Anonymous said...

wow! excellent analysis. what do you think about the police chief tacitly disregarding the Everson sighting in the gas station? do you think it is a false memory that the woman who saw Sherri on the highway described her as having long blonde hair? why did the responding officer say she was "chained to something" and yet she walked to a church and a home and then back to the highway? if she was faking the whole thing, would it have been possible she thought it a good idea to pretend to be chained to the guard rail, for example? thanks!

Pat Brown said...

Anon 4:41

It is hard to know exactly what was said, how it was said, to whom it was said, and when it was said. This is the kind of thing that is really important when analyzing a crime to determine what makes sense and what doesn't. Sometimes with think something is weird but it turns out it was taken out of context (and if you had been there, it would have made sense) or it was from someone's perception and that person may be off when they are making a statement. For example, the issue about the motorist saying she say a woman with long blonde hair and then the hair supposedly having been hacked off. Lots of possibilities here. Maybe the woman saw Sherri move her head in such a way that what hair she had hung down and looked longer. Maybe she actually didn't say that or mean really long hair. Maybe when the husband said he hair had been cut, he didn't really mean it had been cut that short. What I don't think happened is that the motorist saw Sherri with long hair and then between then and the time the police arrived, she cut it off. Not very likely...unless she had scissors with her and suddenly thought that would be a good idea! So, again, the interviews are important and sometimes one has to reinterviewed to determine what someone actually meant.

Anonymous said...

These is a very interesting analysis. Two more issues I'd like you to comment on:

1) Why was everyone so sure that Sherri was still alive? The rewards were for the return of Sherri instead of for information about the crime? Was this assumption based on mere hope or did they know she was alive? In a normal kidnapping with no ransom demand, isn't the victim usually killed or released earlier?

2. What about Cameron Gamble? It appears that Cameron and the Papinis were members of the same Redding church. Were the two couples friends? Or, could there be a relationship between Cameron and Sherri before the kidnapping? Alternatively, was there a relationship between Cameron and Keith? Finally, you haven't discussed Gamble's apparent profit motive in this case.

Thanks for your ideas.

Anonymous said...

Anom 5:10

Great follow up questions! I'd love to see Pat comment as well on the article from The Daily Beast that seems to blow holes in Cameron Gamble and all that he says he is. I see the same level of narcissism in him that I do in Keith Papini...

Johannes Stetten said...

any thoughts on why Keith said in one of his interviews that "he believed she was abducted by 2 hispanics" he believed? almost a week after her release, and he hasn´t asked her about it???? what kinds of conversations is he having with his wife? none at all, it seems. I don´t think he is involved at all, but he is delusional in trying to hold his marriage together regardless of what the obvious shows. if she is truly a victim, she would confide in her husband. this implies to me she won´t even be truthful with her husband and he is just going along on blind faith in her, or perhaps he knows that she made it up, and still wants to protect her. happy holidays!

Anonymous said...

Initially, I worried about the mother and the impact on the kids who may not see their mother again. I really felt it was an abduction/murder. Then the photos of the couple began to come up. There's something about the way Sherri looks into the camera - it is the focused look of an attention seeker. The smiles don't always reach her eyes. There's a lot of acting in the photos.

That's when I began to feel uneasy.

Anonymous said...

Great analysis! We all remember Jennifer Wilbanks (the runaway bride), who claimed two Hispanic men in a van kidnapped her. It was all a lie. Susan Smith drove her kids into a lake, then claimed she was carjacked a black man. A lie.

I found the 20/20 interview with Kieth very suspicious. When they interviewed their sisters. Her sister seemed emotional and upset. Keith's sister didn't. It made me wonder if she was used to her brother's wife's "drama"...and expected this to be another drama. She just seemed so calm and not upset at all.

Keith seems like a really nice guy. He also seems very naive.

The things that don't add up for me....the phone laying there neatly. Even the police noted this. Keith said she probably would approach a SUV with women in it if they needed help. IF that were the case...wouldn't she have seen the color of the SUV....and she would have seen their faces. I doubt she would have approached women wearing masks. If she was so hurt and lost so much weight, don't you think the hospital would have kept her longer? Why have the police not released any pictures of Sherri? I mean if they want to put these rumors to rest that this could have been a hoax...a photo of a mildly...or horrendously beaten woman would speak loudly. It makes me wonder what the police are hiding.

I read somewhere that Sherri worked part time trimming weed in a grow house. It's no secret grow houses for medical weed dispensaries sometimes invade drug gang territory. IF she was really innocently abducted...I would guess it would be the case that someone used her to send a message. The whole thing just does not add up at all. The truth will eventually come out.

The lavish lifestyle. The many pictures of them together in exotic beach environments. Just saying drug dealers pay for lavish "vacations", for the "vacationing couple" to pick up drugs. There are just so many ways this could unfold.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I just heard you on Eliott in the morning. Very interesting! What I noticed in the 20/20 interview (or maybe I read this), they said he was such a private person that they didn't even have Facebook accounts, but he was willing to go on TV to appeal to the public for help. If he is so private, why is he doing a 20/20 interview??? I know you mentioned on the radio that it was unusual that he was so concerned with what people think, but I think it is really odd given this fact that he is supposedly a very private person. He also seemed overly emotional to me. Thanks for your insights!

Pat Brown said...

Anon 8:33

The problem is, Anon, he DIDN'T go on 20/20 to appeal to the public for help. He never made any overture to that...like please help find these horrible people, please call the police with tips, etc. He only told HIS story of what happened and how the have suffered as a family and how it wasn't a hoax and how they are all a big, happy family again.

Anonymous said...

I just heard you on Elliott too. One thing that I noticed in the 20/20 interview was all of the strange photographs of the couple. In most of the pictures, she is smiling squarely into the camera and his face is barely visible. It was like she was being posed as a trophy. Did you get any strange feelings from that? To me it came off as Keith being a total control freak and I thought maybe she was trying to get,away from him. The fact that he had an app on his phone to locate her also makes me think she was under his control.

Johannes S. said...

Pat, do you find that in most cases there are pieces of evidence that just never fit the larger puzzle? like behavior that doesn´t match a victim or a criminal? do you think police, in general, and in this case specifically, have adequate skills and training to solve a case with contradictory evidence, or complicated scenarios? not trying to criticize police, but they really seem in a bit deep on this one.

Anonymous said...

Keith rubs his nose after the interviewer asks him about the polygraph test. I believe in response to if he had anything to do with her disappearance. He touches his face and nose when he replies. This tells me that he is lying. Maybe the police did NOT ask him that question at all.

Anonymous said...

Re: 20/20, that is exactly what I meant. 20/20 talked about him making the public appeal despite the fact he was so private. That part is not unusual. Doing the 20/20 interview after she was found is highly suspicious for a "private" individual.

Pat Brown said...

Johannes,

I often hear, let the police just do their job; they know what they are doing. But, sadly, that is NOT always true. Sometimes they are doing a great job, sometimes not so much. Really a crap shoot. Unfortunately, there is little training for becoming a detective and little required to become one (mostly a personality thing or you are a very good street cop which doesn't always translate into being a good detective). Some detectives are fine working cases that are the normal kind, with easy evidence and suspects, where you need to be thorough and make sure the case is good for court. But, the more unusual ones require good analysis and follow up of good leads and this is where I find that sometimes whoever is working the case is missing the breadcrumbs, sometimes the whole loaf of bread. I had a cold case I worked where they did a fabulous job with the crime scene, good evidence handling, and very nice interviews. But they never focuses on one of the men they interviewed in spite of fact he lied about stuff so obviously it was funny ("I broke the door down" - no damage to the door or doorframe or lock, "I gave CPR to my mother" - even though she had been dead so long she was very stiff with her arm in the air and although she had blood on her chest and face, he had none of him) and he actually confessed to the crime (embedded confession) and they missed it. Nice guys, worked hard on the case, but in the completely wrong direction.

So, yes, sometimes they don't solve a case because they don't see the red flags and investigate in the proper direction.

But, at this point, in this case, we don't know what the police know, and I can only hope that the police are, indeed, doing a good job on analysis and investigation, and they will solve this case, regardless of what the answer turns out to be.

Anonymous said...

Everyone with an apple device has the app to locate their other devices. Not everyone enables it, but if you have multiple devices and say, children who like to pick up phones and move them around the house, you do activate it. We have it activated and I have never thought of it as a "control" app.

That being said, it is kind of weird that he used the "find my iphone" app rather than just calling her. If I was gone with my kids, my husband would text or call me with "hey babe, just checking in. where are you?". I find that aspect stranger.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your insightful posts on this story. My husband and I have been following this story from the day after her disappearance. We have a summer home two miles from the abduction site, and we lived in Redding for years. We're concerned if this truly is a random act--those are roads we travel and walk ourselves. But we've found ourselves going from horror to skepticism as this has unfolded.

There are a few things that just don't feel right to me.

(1) Immediately after I watched the sister's first press conference following Sherri's reappearance, I started thinking something didn't seem right. She started by telling the press to be "mindful of her feelings" because she is six months pregnant. Would a question from a reporter really be any more stressful than the three weeks of anguish we assume she just went through during her sister's absence? If you are truly worried about hurting the baby, don't be the spokesperson. Did the family want a sympathetic press because they were hiding something? And as spokesperson, she never once mentioned finding the perpetrators. That seems very strange. She was only "grateful" that the community had helped "make their family whole again," but there was no mention of finding and bringing Sherri's abductors to justice. What about her own safety? What about all the other moms out jogging in Redding? If this were a real violent and horrifying crime, then shouldn't she want to further every effort to get those criminals off the street and punish them for what they've done to Sherri? She has stated on her Facebook page since the disappearance that she wants press inquiries to come to her, not to law enforcement. She feels like she's trying to control the public narrative, not help find her sister or now, her sister's abductors.

(2) The assumed narrative (that Sherri went for a jog and was kidnapped) has never been clearly affirmed or denied since her reappearance. I would think the police would have said, for example, "Yes, she was taken on Sunset and Old Oregon, by two women in a car who approached her asking for directions," (or whatever). There is still no clear narrative from the family or from law enforcement of how this whole thing started. That seems like it should be important to public safety if this is, in fact, happening in the North State.

(3) Cameron Gamble's Project Taken is part of the Bethel Church outreach ministry. Bethel is located maybe three exits south of Mountain Gate off I-5. There is a coincidence too large not to notice--just two or three miles from the location of a strange and inexplicable kidnapping you have a self-proclaimed hostage negotiator. What are the odds?! Bethel's adherents are aggressive in their evangelizing. I've been stopped too many times to count by groups wanting to pray for me, right there at the grocery or mall. They insert themselves into other people's business because they believe they are following the holy spirit. I just can't stop wondering at what point Cameron Gamble decided to insert himself into Sherri's story. I wonder if it's earlier than was presented to the public.

Lots of twists and turns. Thanks for your blog posts. Very interesting.

Anonymous said...

"good leads" indeed, wouldn´t you consider a sighting in a gas station, a license plate number and description of two males to be a good lead? or at least one that can be easily checked on? in fact there was a description of another hispanic male following women in the same area very recently. he matched the description of Christine Everson at the gas station, 5ft 6" hispanic male. It seems police almost always put on blinders and only look in one direction, regardless of the evidence. it also seems plausible that if this is a real abduction, then Sherri was told in no uncertain terms that if she id´d them, she would be hurt or kids hurt or otherwise. so she´s making up the 2 women story to keep her family safe. my 3 cents!

Anonymous said...

There is the one picture of Sherri in a white dress, staring directly into the camera and she is wearing a crucifix. The Gamble story is bizarre in the Daily Beast. I wonder if there is any link between Sherri and his church as mentioned by the prior poster. Has it been stated where she attended church (assuming she did)?

Keith describes Sherri's injuries as pretty gruesome. It seems a stretch that someone could accomplish doing that to themselves. That Gamble could be involved with or without Sherri's cooperation seems plausible given that he clearly isn't who he has built himself up to be.

The two Latino women angle seems implausible, especially that you have one young and one old. Makes no sense at all based on any other known crime of its type.

Anonymous said...

Re Anon Dec 6, 9:29 am.

The "find phone" app can sound controlling, but it's an app that comes already installed on Apple phones.

Anonymous said...

If you listen read Cameron Gamble re: what to do if abducted it is more than similar to KP's language. Watching CG's abudction video on YT is too similar to SP case.. And to top all Cameron Gamble has a video of the week tip on locating your 'wife' using the mobile app. His CV touting all his training can not be verified anywhere. His 'Taken' company does not have a web site and had no reviews 'until' the public started questioning his expertise job history training and more.

Anonymous said...

When husband said her hair was 'chopped off' 'hacked off' I assumed it was cut off to her scalp possibly shaved. When it was actually 'trimmed' to shoulder length. Something very easily done yourself with toddler scissors.
Too many things seem a ' soft personal' approach imo.

Anonymous said...

Would it be possible that Sherri was convinced by husband and possibly Cameron & Jenn Gamble perhaps others to 'stage' this whole abduction for several reasons; financial gain through media interviews possible job opportunities Gamble's company would become well known as would their Bethel affliations. She could have been offered several incentives to endure her alledged injuries. As we still do not know the extent of her physical injuries. Isn't it convenient that she has not shown herself in public which one would assume would garnish the public sympathy....or would we see how she looks similar to multiple pics displayed online?

Anonymous said...

The previous blog you mentioned the possibility of there being a political statement involved. This is spot-on and amplifies your last theory that Sherri made this all up herself, as part of a political agenda to forward her views (pro-white, secure the border, MAGA etc.) and justified by liberals staging their own hate crimes aimed at her side. Is it enough to leave in the first place, her kids, everything for three long weeks? No. There is another man likely in the picture. She shacked up with him and then had a change of heart, then concocted the plan to return.

Emily said...

Could her hair have been cut off at the hospital, and her husband is just adding that to the pile? The first woman who saw her on the side of the road mentioned noticing her "long blonde hair". Maybe there were scalp injuries and the hospital had to shave/cut her hair to treat them?

Anonymous said...

Pat, in your experience have you known police to be so quiet about a case (particularly a high profile one) and release so few basic details -- such as the location of the crime? Or not express concern for general public safety, issue safety tips, etc.?
I find it odd, but I don't follow many crime stories. Would appreciate your insight.

Steve said...

There seems to be some discrepancy about her hair as well, husband said it was cut off, person who called 911 said she had long blonde hair. She has completely disappeared from sight, no way to verify her hair, these injuries that were so awful, she was so emancipated, that she left the hospital with a few hours. The clincher for me, NO updates from the cops on the hunt for these lunatics...that says everything. This iPhone will be their undoing.

Anonymous said...

So the girl who went missing years before went to the same school at the same time as Sherri. She was never found but police have a suspect. That's probably where the idea to disappear while jogging came from.

Polly said...

Excellent analysis! Great seeing you on Television. Look forward to more cases!

Anonymous said...

Part of me hates myself for not believing Sherri's apparent story. On the other hand, since I first heard about the case, something has just seemed off about so many things, most of which you or others pointed out. Just the fact that he had a "find her phone" app struck me as odd, though I'm not married, so it could be more common than I think it is. Then there is the fact that he "found" her phone using the app, and thought, "okay, she and the kids are just picking up the mail." So then he gets in his car and goes to find them??? Wouldn't a normal person just wait until they got back? I don't like judging him because he seems to adore his wife, but I was really taken aback by his behaviour on the 20/20 interview. I'm no expert, but I do watch and read a lot of true crime stories, and I don't remember a spouse ever being that openly emotional about a kidnapping. I mean, when he did that interview she was back and SAFE! And finally, it seemed to me that he talked so much about himself and HIS experience during the interview. This whole thing just has me baffled....

Anonymous said...

I am puzzled that people who find the "find a phone" odd or use it as evidence of Keith's controlling nature. It's built into the iPhone. Many believe that it is a good thing to have turned on. My wife has used it to help me find my phone when I left it on a roadside, I have used it to find my phone around the house. Some have used it to track their phone after it was taken by others. Its hard to know what happened, but it would have been one of the first things I tried - after calling directly - once I could not find her anywhere else.

There are many questions, but this is not one of them.

Anonymous said...

Pat, I just read an interesting take on this case from a serial killer profiler, John Kelly:
'Serial killer profiler John Kelly tells PEOPLE he isn’t convinced that two armed Hispanic women abducted California mom Sherri Papini for 22 days, as she has told investigators.

However Kelly, the founder and president of S.T.A.L.K. Inc., is convinced the case “has serial rapist, serial killer all over it.” He says whomever abducted Papini left her “scared to death of these people,” who may have terrified Papini into lying about her abductor’s identity.



“This is a sadistic situation, and she somehow was able to convince them to let her go,” Kelly tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands now.

“She somehow got them to believe she would not squeal on them,” he says. “It’s only by an act of God that they let her go. I have a hard time understanding that as sadistic as these [people] are — and I’ve hunted many of them — would let someone live.”

He adds, “She can identify this perpetrator.”

“If they know where she lives, she will always worry,” he says.'

I would like your interpretation of this analysis.

Anonymous said...

Pat -- I just wanted to say WOW. what a terrific analysis, multiple ones, actually ! You really captured & provided terrific insight & possible explanations, on many things, that I know many of us are confused about. I can only imagine how busy you are, I {selfishly } only hope that you can continue to provide some of your ideas / answers to many of the great questions asked of you here.

As someone who works many, many hours every week >> it is highly unusual for me to go on-line & spend so much time, following ONE story, so closely --- & the intrigue just gets higher & higher.

Again, thank you so much & PLEASE write when you can !! -:)

Pat Brown said...

Anon 11:43

It is about the stupidest crime analysis I have ever heard! My mouth dropped when I read this because I have never heard of serial killers acting in any such way. Where Kelly is coming up with this kind of behavior boggles my mind. It is as far off of reality as some stupid Hollywood flick and I cannot believe a profiler who supposedly specializes in serial homicide could propose such nonsense.

Serial killers do not LET people go. Serial killers do not scare people into misidentifying them. Serial killers do not trust their victims to not "squeal on them." Sherri Papini is not thee miracle woman who convinced a sadistic psychopathic serial killer into letting her know. Serial killers do not let you go and then come to your house to get you.

Just asinine.

Johannes S. said...

it seems news on this case is drying up... I wonder if Sherri ever tells the truth to Keith, whatever that may be, will his behavior change re interviews or public proclamations of her innocence. the notion that they are hiding out from the abductors seems a bit ludicrous in light of his penchant for doing interviews... I hope this case doesn´t just drop off the radar. It has really piqued my curiosity.

rob said...

Pat, a $50,000 reward was offered for her return. When the go-fund-me got to almost that amount, $49,000 and some change, she was released. Do you think they are connected. Did SOMEBODY need this amount of money?

Anonymous said...

I've been suspicious of this story since it broke. I actually wondered if the husband had arranged the whole thing? Perhaps he found out she was having an affair and he set up this kidnapping as a punishment? Maybe he didn't want her killed but only terrorized and humiliated to exact his revenge? As for him passing a polygraph, there are some people who can do that. Maybe he's one of them? Or...as someone else said...maybe he didn't pass it but the police told him he did in order to put him off his guard? We may never know the truth! But I do feel there is something OFF about this story.

Anonymous said...

Sherri, Keith and gamble cooked this up themselves. They are all too weird and self centered to NOT be in on it. The cops must know this by now. Thanks pat for your analysis...in depth and thoughtful.

KDJack said...

Now there is this... two Latina criminals guilty of a similar crime, and reported just weeks before Sherri goes missing whose descriptions match exactly those that Sherri described in every way. These women were in jail when Sherri disappeared. How can you not think she concocted her description of these women from this crime that would have been very recent to her disappearance? http://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/police-women-arrested-after-4-men-held-at-california-pot-farm-forced-to-work/?client=safari

Charlie the Gent said...

did Sherri actually confirm she was jogging, or is it all the same rehash from the original theory?

Johannes S. said...

U don´t think Kieth is confident or clever enough to cheat a lie detector test. and the police behavior does not suggest they think he is lying. it does seem to suggest they are leaning towards Sherri lying.

Pat Brown said...

KD Jack,

Yes, those two Latina women certainly could have been fodder for creating a scenario of kidnapping. But, of course at this point, we don't know if Sherri created a hoax or if she saw this article, but it certainly is interesting! Also, important to note, THIS scenario of what these two women did and their motive makes sense; they were involved in the drug industry.

KDJack said...

Pat, the odds have to be astronomical that two women matching her description so closely could commit a similar crime (only with a known motive on the other) just six weeks before she disappears. In addition, consider that this story features the pictures of the two women and nothing else. So if someone saw this story the take away would be the two women. Sherri see this story and her "abduction" comes from this, only without a motive because that won't work... she didn't think that part through. I would add that that where she is found is in the same general area (greater Sacramento) where this other crime took place... so maybe designed to create some kind of fuzzy connection that can never be solved?

Of course we can't know for sure, but the coincidence factor doesn't seem realistic on this one, especially in light of everything else. Had Sherri been taken for a similar purpose (makes no sense given who she is), she would of course know the motive of the kidnappers.

Unknown said...

I have lived in the Redding/Shasta CO area since 2000. Are you aware that the missing friend of hers from high school Tara did not disappear jogging as some national and international press has indicated, but instead she was last seen with her Martial Arts teacher. To her parents horror and since her body was never located, the police dropped the case. Like most crime here in Redding and Shasta CO, nothing else comes from it. There is much corruption in this rural area with a racist sheriff that runs uncontested every election. Please do some research in this area and you will see. For example, another woman disappeared from here the same day as Sherri and there has been very little press concerning it. The police here have acted more or less disinterested as she is not blonde nor large breasted. Of those of us whom live here, the feeling is that Sherri's case is a hoax motivated by international attention and large amounts of monies from interviews and possible movie/book/reality show deals. The story told here is that they took these new monies and moved far away from the area leaving their 2 little dogs behind and that is why there was never any police composite as promised. The LLE are not saying or doing anything about this hoax and the story dies. As I asked above please do more research of Redding and Shasta CO as you will be shocked at some of the things that transpire here without punitive consequences. wish to subscribe to your log as I want to read your updates but the link is broken. Thx for your insightful comments as its much appreciated.

Pat Brown said...

Patti,

Having worked with numerous police departments, I am privvy to how things often go with cases. Most of the time we are not talking about corruption (most of the time) but incompetence or simply a problem with sufficient evidence to go to prosecution. I am pretty sure they know who killed Tara (and I am sure she is not alive) but proving it can be difficult. As to the other woman who disappeared at the same time as Sherri, it may be the police have pretty good info that she left of her own accord. As to Sherri's case, I really don't know what the police know and what they are doing. They may have evidence pointing to something other than a hoax or they may have evidence supporting that it is a hoax but they are biding their time until they can prove it.

As to that link, I have no idea about it! Been years since this blog was set up and I am not the one who did it. But, I do post always on FB so if you follow me there, you will see when stuff comes up.

Anonymous said...

If he is controlling like that, remember also that abuse is about control. An abusive, controlling husband could want to know where his wife is at all times, hence the app. Maybe he didn't pass the polygraph. Maybe her injuries were inflicted by him. Abusers aren't abusers in their own minds. And they twist and distort stories to fit their own "realities."

Anonymous said...

HI PAT, A strange story with no motive, or sense behind it? Spoke spanish, even more bizzare, to pick some one that dosent understand their language, to make clear what it was they wanted? The police did suspect a possible hoax based upon to how the phone was found undamaged not discarded or taken by the women, who allegedly took sherri at gun point? The first thing they would observe is sherri wearing head phones being so close? Now if sherri was forced into transport bundled the phone wouldnt be on the grass, but more likely broken in the road, and the screen shatterd considering these people are very violent ect. Not considerate to leave a phone neatly placed to be found? Considerate again to let her go? Yet sherri couldnt communicate in spanish to beg them to let her go? It sounds too good to be true? A pause for thought.

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. You are a brilliant profiler and look forward to following you and reading more!

AndyKashikar said...

After working in IT Industry for 7 years and continuing to go strong. i still have qualms about going to a Outlet Mall to buy clothes as i feel they are expensive and not worth the amount.
I am trying to indicate the fact that i still do not have a house i call my own in California. The expenses are just too much.

My question is How in the World do Sherri and Keith look so Awesome. Live so Awesome, Do jogging so awesome, are able to get resources so quickly and awesomely.
I mean Keith in no way looks to be disgruntled with Life.

Really are the jobs in Best Buy so Lucrative? fuck, i should start applying now!!!!