This case has become a story stranger than fiction with all the twists and turns of a Hollywood script. In fact, there are elements in this case that are inspired by the over-the-top plots found in movies like Gone Girl and Ocean's 11 -- and anonymous emails have even mentioned at least one of those movies. To avoid being redundant, you can read all the details of this case in the following timeline. This post is going to focus more on my thoughts surrounding the facts as they're known.
Was the kidnapping really a hoax?
Human beings are fallible, and so are police officers and detectives. Is it possible that authorities are wrong about Denise's case being a hoax? In my opinion, if this disappearance was not a hoax, then at least one of the agencies involved would acknowledge evidence that an abduction had taken place. FBI agents and authorities with the Department of Homeland Security assisted in the effort to find Denise; Not just the Vallejo Police Department. While there is still a tiny sliver of a chance that an abduction did in fact take place, it seems way more likely that the authorities did a thorough job finding out the authenticity of the so called Vallejo ransom kidnapping.
Were other people involved?
Assuming this was truly a hoax, were Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn the only individuals involved? The confusion that surrounds this case makes it easy to speculate the possibility that maybe a third or fourth person may have been involved -- though the likelihood of this isn't known, since officials haven't quite released the evidence in this case that was used to determine it was a hoax.
Why $8,500?
The ransom amount was really low, and it was a pretty specific amount. It also seems like an insulting amount for someone to go through the trouble of kidnapping a living breathing person for ransom. After all, these are crimes that can put you in prison for life, so $8.5k is like pennies in that regard. However, there are stupid criminals out there who have killed people for far less, so it isn't entirely out of the question for someone to be dumb enough to plan a kidnapping for such a low ransom amount. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if Denise Huskins had some kind of debt in that amount (or close). Or at the least, that amount of money has some kind of importance to her immediate surroundings (boyfriend, coworker, friend, acquaintance?).
What's up with all the emails?
Someone has been sending threatening emails demanding that police in Vallejo apologize to Denise and her boyfriend for calling the disappearance a "hoax." However, an ultimatum they had issued has since been retracted. The emails reek of desperation, and they're even a tad immature -- or rather, simpleminded. For example, one email sent to The San Francisco Chronicle claimed that the kidnappers were part of a group like Ocean's 11. The whole story told by the so called kidnapper(s) appears to be fabricated and based on a Hollywood movie. What's more, the details of the disappearance from the beginning were over the top and seemed to superficially echo action movies in which someone is kidnapped and held for ransom.
The desperate tone of the emails comes after police declared the kidnapping to be a hoax, and after police have confirmed that both Huskins and her boyfriend may face charges. I want to state that never in my life of studying and researching crimes of similar nature have I seen a kidnapper or attempted killer or killer come forward to protect the credibility of his victim after getting away with a crime.
Let me clarify: Never before have I heard of a first-time kidnapper rushing to the defense of his victim after literally getting away with the crime. This is the behavior that serial killers like Dennis Rader participate in after they get bored simply getting away with their crimes. This isn't the behavior of someone who has only just now barely gotten away with a crime.
Denise Huskins has issues that she needs to deal with. Either the people in her life are getting her into trouble or she's experiencing some kind of lapse from reality. That's just my honest opinion.
Why $8,500?
The ransom amount was really low, and it was a pretty specific amount. It also seems like an insulting amount for someone to go through the trouble of kidnapping a living breathing person for ransom. After all, these are crimes that can put you in prison for life, so $8.5k is like pennies in that regard. However, there are stupid criminals out there who have killed people for far less, so it isn't entirely out of the question for someone to be dumb enough to plan a kidnapping for such a low ransom amount. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if Denise Huskins had some kind of debt in that amount (or close). Or at the least, that amount of money has some kind of importance to her immediate surroundings (boyfriend, coworker, friend, acquaintance?).
What's up with all the emails?
Someone has been sending threatening emails demanding that police in Vallejo apologize to Denise and her boyfriend for calling the disappearance a "hoax." However, an ultimatum they had issued has since been retracted. The emails reek of desperation, and they're even a tad immature -- or rather, simpleminded. For example, one email sent to The San Francisco Chronicle claimed that the kidnappers were part of a group like Ocean's 11. The whole story told by the so called kidnapper(s) appears to be fabricated and based on a Hollywood movie. What's more, the details of the disappearance from the beginning were over the top and seemed to superficially echo action movies in which someone is kidnapped and held for ransom.
The desperate tone of the emails comes after police declared the kidnapping to be a hoax, and after police have confirmed that both Huskins and her boyfriend may face charges. I want to state that never in my life of studying and researching crimes of similar nature have I seen a kidnapper or attempted killer or killer come forward to protect the credibility of his victim after getting away with a crime.
Let me clarify: Never before have I heard of a first-time kidnapper rushing to the defense of his victim after literally getting away with the crime. This is the behavior that serial killers like Dennis Rader participate in after they get bored simply getting away with their crimes. This isn't the behavior of someone who has only just now barely gotten away with a crime.
Denise Huskins has issues that she needs to deal with. Either the people in her life are getting her into trouble or she's experiencing some kind of lapse from reality. That's just my honest opinion.