Sherri Papini ‘continues to heal’ after abduction last year, trying to put life back together, husband says

The release of new details concerning the abduction of Sherri Papini nearly one year ago has raised hopes among relatives that the kidnappers may be captured, according to a statement from Papini’s husband.

Papini, 35, vanished Nov. 2 while she was out for a jog in the small town of Mountain Gate, in Shasta County. She was found under mysterious circumstances weeks later, shackled, bruised and in different clothing than when she’d last been seen.

On Wednesday, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office released sketches of two suspects in Papini’s abduction and stated that the DNA of two unidentified people — a man and woman — were found on her body and clothes, respectively.

Papini told investigators she only saw two women while she was in captivity.

On Wednesday evening, husband Keith Papini released a statement regarding the latest news in the case:

“We want to express our immense gratitude to all of the many people who have publicly and privately supported us over the last year. Your well-wishes have helped beyond measure. We are hopeful that the release of additional information by law enforcement will expedite the capture of Sherri’s abductors. This has been an extraordinarily difficult time for our entire family. We ask that the media please respect our need for privacy as Sherri continues to heal and we work towards putting our lives back together.”

Keith Papini reported his wife missing after he came home from work and found that she hadn’t picked up their children from day care, officials said. Her cellphone and headphones were found near where she had last been seen, about a mile from her home, investigators said.

She was found before sunrise on Thanksgiving on the side of Interstate 5 in Yolo County with a quarter-inch-thick chain around her waist, hose clamps around her wrists, her face bruised and her nose broken from beatings she sustained during her time in captivity, her family said. She was emaciated and weighed only 87 pounds when she flagged down a motorist, who dialed 911.

Officials said they were not aware of a motive for the apparent kidnapping. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko also said it was not clear whether Sherri Papini knew her abductors.

Her captors branded her shoulder and cut her hair to shoulder-length, officials said. Her kidnappers covered their faces and usually had a bag over Papini’s head. They freed her by simply kicking her out of their car on the side of the road, authorities said.

Papini described her captors as two women who spoke Spanish most of the time. She described one of the captors as having long curly hair, pierced ears, thin eyebrows and a thick accent.

The second captor was described as being older, with thick eyebrows and straight black hair with some gray.

Papini’s husband passed a polygraph test regarding their accounts of the incident, authorities said.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

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