Recounting the incident of his girlfriend’s kidnapping and ransom demand, the man aroused suspicion from the police.
Denise Huskins survived after being kidnapped for two days, in March 2015. However, instead of rejoicing, she and her boyfriend were psychologically traumatized when facing accusations of fabricating the kidnapping and orchestrating everything for fame.
The Horrifying Night
Around 3 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2015, Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn were asleep when a man broke into their house in Vallejo, California, USA.
Aaron was immediately awakened by a bright light shining into his eyes. He then heard the voice of a stranger with a gun pointed at him, demanding him and Denise to lie face down on the bed.
The man threw a rope to Denise, forcing her to tie Aaron up. Then, he used another rope to tie Denise. The couple was made to wear black swim goggles and earphones playing pre-recorded messages, threatening that any disobedience would be punished by slashing or electrocution. He forced Aaron to reveal bank account numbers, passwords, and Wi-Fi passwords.
The intruder then coerced the couple to drink a sedative, threatening to inject it into their veins if they refused. Afterward, he informed them that he would kidnap Denise within 48 hours while ordering Aaron to stay inside the house and communicate with them through text messages and emails about the ransom. The assailant claimed to have installed surveillance cameras and threatened to kill Denise if Aaron called the police.
Finally, he pushed Denise into the trunk of a car and drove her to his residence in South Lake Tahoe.
The Suspicious Story
During that time, Aaron was drifting due to the effects of the sedative. When he woke up the next afternoon, he heard a voicemail on his phone, demanding a ransom to ensure Denise’s safe return by the following afternoon.
Afraid of being monitored if he called the police, Aaron hastily took his phone outside and called his brother, who used to be an FBI agent and was instructed to immediately dial 911. Aaron complied with his brother’s advice.
When the police arrived at Aaron’s house, it was about 9 hours after the kidnapping. However, upon examining the scene, they felt suspicious. Investigators asked Aaron if he had used drugs, to which he affirmed that he had been drugged by the intruder. They also questioned why Aaron waited for several hours before calling them.
Aaron then accompanied the investigators to the police station to provide an official statement about the incident.
But now, Aaron has become a suspect. One of the detectives asked Aaron if he had deceived his girlfriend and about the status of their relationship.
According to the police, there were many suspicious points at the scene, with no signs of forced entry. Except for the slightly disheveled bed in the bedroom, the rest of the places were clean and tidy, not resembling a robbery at all. Investigators even suspected Aaron of harming his girlfriend, something he vehemently denied. At this point, Aaron was held at the station for questioning for 18 hours.
The Strange Kidnapping Case
Alongside this, a large-scale search for Denise Huskins was conducted with over 100 trained personnel and modern equipment. However, no clues were discovered.
On March 25, 2015, two days after Denise was reported missing, the police suddenly received news that Denise was alive and well, found wandering in Huntington Beach, over 640km away from her home.
At the police station, Denise asserted that she had been kidnapped but later released. She said her attacker raped her twice while holding her for ransom. According to Denise, after the first time, she told him about her past sexual abuse in hopes of stopping him. However, her words had no effect. Upon being released, Denise mentioned still feeling disoriented from the drugs the assailant had given her earlier that day.
Denise mentioned that the kidnapper had recorded videos during both rapes and threatened to publicly release the footage if she told the police about what happened to her and that he was always watching her. Furthermore, he disclosed being a member of an organization and had other men involved in this kidnapping. Therefore, Denise initially didn’t intend to disclose everything for fear of endangering herself, her boyfriend, or her family.
The Anonymous Letter Sender
After the victim returned unharmed, without any ransom being paid, and recounted what she had been through, the police became even more suspicious due to the bizarre kidnapping process.
Ultimately, the authorities announced they found no evidence of a kidnapping and believed it to be a hoax, all staged by Denise and Aaron. They speculated that the couple might have taken cues from the 2014 film “Gone Girl” to fabricate the kidnapping to garner attention.
Denise and Aaron then both hired defense attorneys while continuously asserting their innocence. Both physical therapy aides mentioned that besides enduring trauma, they also feared losing their jobs due to the fabricated kidnapping allegations.
While the police still doubted Denise and Aaron’s account, The San Francisco Chronicle unexpectedly received an anonymous email claiming to be Denise’s kidnapper. This individual described in detail the crime process and attached a photo of Denise being kidnapped, affirming what Denise said was true. She had been kidnapped by a group of professional criminals, and they were practicing their tactics.
The “Sensitive” Videos
As the whereabouts of the email sender were still being investigated, in Dublin, California, about 64km from Denise’s home, another home invasion occurred at midnight on June 5, 2015.
The couple stated they were awakened by a stranger shining a light in their faces. When the man attempted to tie up the victims, the husband vigorously resisted while the wife quickly ran into the bathroom and called 911. The intruder fled but left behind a cell phone and other evidence, including ropes, duct tape, and gloves.
Authorities noticed similarities between this incident and Denise’s case. Following the phone dropped by the robber at the scene, they discovered it was registered to the stepfather of a man named Matthew Muller, aged 38. Matthew was also a suspect in a 2009 home invasion in Palo Alto, California.
During a search of Matthew’s residence, the police found a pair of swim goggles taped black and Aaron’s missing computer. At this point, the police realized they may have found Denise’s kidnapper, meaning her story was true.
Furthermore, investigators also found videos documenting Matthew setting up cameras in the bedroom and sexually assaulting Denise twice while she was blindfolded.
A Movie-Like Plan
Matthew had previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a lawyer but had his license revoked in California.
In September 2016, Matthew pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping, admitting to using a voice recording (to make Denise believe he wasn’t acting alone) and black goggles, liquid sedatives, and some other tools in Denise’s kidnapping.
Matthew had devised a complex plan akin to a movie. He used a remotely controlled drone to monitor the couple’s activities before breaking into their home, brandishing a fake gun to threaten them on March 23, 2015.
Then, Matthew tied up the couple and made them drink a sedative liquid, using a computer-generated voice during the intrusion to give the impression of more than one intruder.
Finally, Matthew placed Denise in the trunk of a car, took her to his South Lake Tahoe home, and held her captive, sexually assaulting her for two days.
Matthew was sentenced to 40 years in prison in March 2017. By 2022, Matthew also faced charges of kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and two other forcible rape charges. He received an additional 31 years in prison.
Immediately after the verdict in 2017, Denise and Aaron sued the government and others involved for unlawful detention, defamation, and mental anguish. The two victims later reached a settlement agreement for $2.5 million in 2018. The city of Vallejo authorities also publicly apologized to Denise and Aaron.
Denise and Aaron married on September 29, 2018, and subsequently welcomed two daughters. “I feel our family is complete,” Denise said.
