The Heartbreaking Kidnapping Case That Inspired Netflix's American Nightmare Series

Media attention to Denise Huskins's disappearance increased in 2015 when unsettling parallels to the plot of the movie Gone Girl were made.

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The Netflix video American Nightmare reveals biassed police practices and illuminates how allegations of a fabrication almost destroyed Denise Huskins's life.

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Denise Huskins disappeared on March 23, 2015, sparking an odd and horrifying experience with a fictitious house invasion and demands for ransom.

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Huskins's partner Aaron Quinn became the main suspect as the media flocked to the tale, accusing him of masterminding a fake.

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When an enigmatic abductor reached out to the media with proof to back up Huskins's account, the inquiry took a sharp turn.

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The frightening situation of Huskins and Quinn was confirmed when disbarred attorney Matthew Muller, who was involved in another crime, was arrested.

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Quinn and Huskins had to reconstruct their lives amid a court struggle with the City of Vallejo, slander, and false charges.

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Huskins and Quinn's legal case made significant progress when Matthew Muller entered a guilty plea to kidnapping and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

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In the Netflix documentary series American Nightmare, the victims' disappointment with the legal system is exposed through a combination of records, interviews, and first-hand accounts from a former investigator.