VALLEJO, Calif. — Editor's note: This story contains mention of kidnapping and sexual assault.
Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn were accused in 2015 of being a "Gone Girl" couple in reference to the 2014 film of the same name where the main character fakes her own kidnapping. Law enforcement believed the incident was a hoax at the time and were later proven wrong.
Matthew Muller, of Orangevale, a disbarred Harvard-trained attorney and ex-Marine, kidnapped Huskins from her Vallejo home Monday, March 23, 2015. Her boyfriend, Quinn, with whom she shared the home, was bound and drugged during the kidnapping but later considered a suspect.
The case is the subject of Netflix's newest true crime documentary, "American Nightmare," released Wednesday.
Muller took Huskins to his South Lake Tahoe home where she suffered two days of physical and psychological torture, including sexual assault. Muller then confined her in the trunk of his car and released her in Huntington Beach.
“You treated me like an object, a toy, an animal,” Huskins told Muller during court testimony in 2017. “I still have nightmares every night. Sleep is not rest for me. It is a trigger.”
Here's a timeline of events on how this case unfolded:
March 23, 2015 - Huskins is kidnapped
Quinn said he woke to a bright light shining in his eyes, a noise that was similar to a “stun gun” and the voice of man who demanded he and Huskins lie face down on the bed. Muller ordered the victims to lie still while he bound them, blindfolded them and forced them to drink a sedative. Muller played the victims a prerecorded message, which threatened any noncompliance would be punished by face cutting or electric shock. Muller then placed Huskins in the trunk of a car and drove her to his residence in South Lake Tahoe.
In a Vallejo Police Department press conference, authorities suggest Huskins was kidnapped for ransom and asked for help in her search. Lt. Kenny Park with the department said they were doing everything they could to locate Huskins, who was reportedly forcibly taken against her will a day before.
March 24, 2015 - Search for missing Vallejo woman focuses on Mare Island area
In the search for Denise Huskins, crews focused on Mare Island and the surrounding area. Crews were using sonar along the Mare Island waterfront to help in the search. More than 100 trained search personnel spent the day near Mare Island because of its proximity to where Huskins went missing, but investigators said there was no specific tip leading them to the area.
March 25, 2015 - Missing Vallejo woman is safe in Huntington Beach
Muller releases Huskins in Huntington Beach, about 400 miles from Vallejo.
Hours after she was returned to Huntington Beach, police said they found no proof of a kidnapping and believed it was a hoax. Huskins' attorney said two days later the abduction of his client was not staged as police have suggested. At one point, Quinn was questioned by police for 17 hours.
March 31, 2015 - Anonymous emails claim Denise Huskins abduction was real
Anonymous emails sent to the San Francisco Chronicle claim Huskins' kidnapping was real. The person who wrote the email remained anonymous and said in a message: "I/we may be the direct agent of harm. But it will be made crystal clear that the Vallejo Police Department, and you, Mr. Park, had every opportunity to stop it."
Early in the morning, Alameda County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of a home invasion robbery. During their investigation, detectives identified Matthew Muller as the subject of the investigation.
June 8, 2015 - Alameda County Sheriff's Office arrest Muller
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office detectives conducted a search of a South Lake Tahoe residence associated with Muller. Upon entry, they located Muller and arrested him.
June 25, 2015 - FBI meets with investigators, makes ties to Muller and Huskins
FBI met with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, where it was determined there were similarities with the robbery on June 5 and elements of the Huskins kidnapping in March.
July 13, 2015 - Investigation reveals Muller may have committed similar crimes
According to an FBI news release, information obtained during the kidnapping investigation indicates Muller may have committed similar crimes elsewhere. A sworn affidavit containing allegations against Muller is unsealed.
Sept. 29, 2016 - Muller pleads guilty
Muller pleaded guilty in a Sacramento federal court, acknowledging he used computer-generated voices, blackened swim goggles, liquid sleeping medication and numerous props in Huskins' abduction from her Vallejo home she shared with Quinn.
March 16, 2017 - Muller receives sentence for kidnapping conviction
Muller was sentenced to 40 years in prison by a federal judge in the kidnapping case.
Huskins and Quinn reached a $2.5 million settlement with Vallejo and its police department after investigators dismissed the Huskins' elaborate and bizarre kidnapping as a hoax.
March 18, 2022 - Muller sentenced for sex crimes
Muller is sentenced in Solano County Superior Court to 31 years in state prison after pleading no contest to two counts of forcible rape of Huskins. The sentencing stacked 31 years on top of his existing 40-year sentence for federal crimes.
Jan. 17, 2024 - Netflix releases Huskins documentary
Netflix releases "American Nightmare," a documentary centering on the bizarre events of the Huskins case, including her kidnapping, the accusation of Quinn, Huskins' release two days later and law enforcement's hoax claims.
