“It is a case of calculated deception driven, I think, by her narcissistic behavior, and it really had an impact on this community and nationwide as far as that goes,” Johnson said.
The incident dates to November 2, 2016, when Papini was reported missing by her husband Keith Papini after she had gone out for a jog near her house in Shasta County. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving Day, she was found alone on Interstate 5 about 140 miles from home.
However, the Department of Justice said last week Papini had actually stayed with an ex-boyfriend in Southern California for those three weeks. She caused her own injuries to support her fictional story, authorities said. She received over $30,000 in fraudulent victim assistance money based on the hoax, according to the affidavit.
Her disappearance and resulting story about her abduction led authorities to use large resources to try to solve the case. Speaking to GMA, Johnson lamented the time, effort and money devoted to what they now allege was a hoax.
“Human trafficking is a real thing and there are victims out there that need our help. Investigations are complex and budgets are tight, so when we put all that effort into such a case and find out that things are not what they seem and we’ve been deceived and law enforcement has been duped, it’s really taxing on everybody,” he said.
Papini’s claims she was kidnapped by women who wore masks and spoke Spanish created particular anxiety in the Hispanic community, Johnson said.
“You have a story of a typical American mom who was just abducted by what seemingly is a cartel-type of human trafficking operation, which is just not true,” said Johnson. “That disrupted a lot of things for a lot of people around here.”
Papini, 39, was arrested Thursday and made her initial appearance in court Friday. She was ordered detained as a danger and flight risk until Tuesday for a detention hearing to determine her custody status, according to Lauren Horwood, a spokesperson for the US…
Source : cnn
