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The Bay Area woman who was reported kidnapped but turned up safely in Huntington Beach has disappeared again as police say the whole case was one big hoax.On Monday, Denise Huskins was supposedly kidnapped from her Vallejo home and held for a ransom of only $8,500 (?!), but police were puzzled by why it took her boyfriend 11 hours to report her disappearance. However on Wednesday morning she showed up safely in Huntington Beach at her father's house and was met by police who confirmed she was in "good condition." The FBI arranged a flight for Huskins to return to the Bay Area and meet with investigators, but she did not show up and, according to the L.A. Times, has since disappeared.
"As of this moment, Detectives have been unable to contact either Ms. Huskins or family members. Ms. Huskins has since retained an attorney and Detectives are unaware of her location.," said Lieutenant Kenny Park of the Vallejo Police Department in a statement. "Today, there is no evidence to support the claims that this was a stranger abduction or an abduction at all. Given the facts that have been presented thus far, this event appears to be an orchestrated event and not a kidnapping."
Park says that the story that Huskins' boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, told police, "was such an incredible story, we initially had a hard time believing it, and upon further investigation, we were not able to substantiate any of the things that he was saying." He also said that the police had wasted so many resources and man-hours searching for Huskins that the couple owed the community an "apology" if it all turned out to be a hoax.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle received an email from the supposed kidnappers saying that Huskins would be safely released on Wednesday. The email also included an audio file of Huskins, with her using the plane crash in the Alps to date the recording and verifying her identity by saying her first concert was blink-182 and Bad Religion.
"When I heard the recording, that gave me hope," Huskins' father, Mike, told the Chronicle.
If the whole plot turns out to be one big hoax, authorities could file criminal charges against Huskins and Quinn. However, Huskins' uncle Jeff Kane told NBC 4 that the allegations are "complete crap." But he also added, "I imagine maybe she's seen enough of Vallejo to be quite honest with you."
