A man and woman who were kidnapped from their Mare Island home six months ago have filed a complaint for damages against the Vallejo Police Department for failing to take their claims of an abduction seriously.
Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn told investigators that they were asleep in the early morning hours of March 23 when a man broke into their residence, bound and drugged them, and removed them from the home. Huskins claims she was also sexually assaulted during the ordeal and was eventually dropped off at her mother’s home in Huntington Beach.
Instead of believing the couple’s story, the police assumed it was all an elaborate hoax modeled after the popular film, “Gone Girl.” But the suspect, Orangevale resident Matthew Muller, was eventually captured and confessed to the crime. In addition to a violation of their due process rights, the couple is claiming emotional distress, property loss, and reputational damage. The claim was filed at City Hall last week.
Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou has already acknowledged that police erred in initially called the incident “an orchestrated event and not a kidnapping.”
“It is now clear that there was a kidnapping” Bidou said in an apology letter to the couple. “We understand that [the department’s statements] contributed to the difficulty and personal ordeal you have experienced. While these comments were based on our findings at the time, they proved to be unnecessarily harsh and offensive.”
Read more about the couple’s claim for damages here.