Sherri Papini tells her side of her alleged kidnapping story in new documentary

On May 26, the world will have the chance to hear Sherri Papini’s side of her alleged kidnapping story in her own words.

In a new trailer released Thursday, May 1, Papini and others are seen and heard dissecting the controversial case that resulted in Papini being charged with making false statements and mail fraud.

She was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2022 and ordered to pay $309,902 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of each charge, officials said.

As the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports, on Nov. 2, 2016, Papini was reported missing after going for a run. At the time, it was reported that she had been kidnapped.

She was missing for 22 days before she reappeared with multiple injuries Nov. 24, 2016, authorities said.

Papini told law enforcement that she was “abducted by two Hispanic women at gunpoint,” then held against her will and abused, according to prosecutors.

For years, law enforcement attempted to find Papini’s alleged abductors.

Instead, it was determined that evidence pointed to Papini falsifying the abduction story. “DNA, cellphone, and car rental evidence proved she had been voluntarily staying with a former boyfriend and that she had harmed herself to support her false statements,” prosecutors said in 2022.

At the time of her alleged kidnapping, Papini was married to Keith Papini. After she was arrested and charged with making false statements about the abduction, Keith filed for divorce.

The couple shares two children.

Now, in the new ID documentary, “Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie,” Papini is holding true to the statements that she was kidnapped, held against her will and abused.

“Haven’t you ever lied?” the trailer begins. “And then has that lie been blown up?”

“I went missing in 2016 was gone for 22 days. I was tortured. I was branded. I was chained to a wall. All of that is true,” Papini adds. “I did keep some secrets from you, though.”

She also alludes to her marriage to Keith Papini, saying, “In pictures, it looks perfect, like we were an amazing couple. … We both participated in some pretty toxic behaviors.”

The documentary takes a look at the story, including the injuries Papini sustained.

Now, Papini says she’s “willing to do whatever it takes” to prove her story is the truth.

“I’m Sherri Papini. I was abducted and I was tortured, and the FBI said I made it all up,” Papini states. “I really challenge anybody watching this film, ‘How truthful, are you?’”

“Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie” will premiere Monday, May 26 and continue Tuesday, May 27 on ID.

This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 2:52 PM.