Sherri Papini, a mother of two from Redding, California, is currently serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison and has been ordered to pay over $300,000 in restitution after she pleaded guilty in April 2022 to mail fraud and making false statements.

The charges stem from November 2016, when Papini was reported missing by her husband, Keith Papini, after she vanished while reportedly jogging near her home. Three weeks after she disappeared, an injured Papini resurfaced about 140 miles away. She told police she had been abducted and tortured by two Spanish-speaking women who beat and branded her and threatened her with human trafficking, but it was all a lie.

“How many Latino women were stopped, questioned, harassed?” asks criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh. “I think the ripple effect was enormous, and I don’t think it was reflected in her sentence.”

Papini’s story collapsed when, in 2020, investigators tied DNA found on her clothing to a former boyfriend, who then admitted to authorities that the purported kidnapping was a hoax and that Papini’s injuries were manufactured with his help. He also claimed that he believed at the time he was helping her to run away from an abusive relationship.

This episode of Dr. Phil, “Supermom Missing: Inside the Sherri Papini Investigation,” airs Tuesday. Check your local listing for airtimes.

Hear more about the investigation into Sherri Papini on Dr. Phil's five-part true crime podcast, “Supermom Missing: Mystery and Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil,” available on all podcast platforms.

WATCH: How Investigators Determined A California Woman Faked Her Own Kidnapping

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