In the Pipeline: If kidnapping is a hoax, woe to us all

Outside the house on 19th Street there remained two news trucks and what might have been a couple of unmarked police vehicles. This was days after the crazy event that became a national news story, Huntington Beach’s second in just a few weeks, after the recent hailstorm in the city.

I doubt many of you missed the tale of Denise Huskins, a 2003 Huntington Beach High School graduate who had since moved north to Vallejo to work as a physical therapist. Was she really kidnapped? Who knows at this point? But that’s what was reported initially and that’s what sucked up hundreds of hours of police and FBI time, energy and effort (not to mention intense media coverage).

Right now I’m siding with the Vallejo Police Department, which is referring to the incident as an “orchestrated event” and a “wild goose chase.” Predictably, lawyers for Huskins and her boyfriend are saying the opposite, that the young woman was kidnapped and held for ransom.

On March 23, her boyfriend placed a call claiming that she had been abducted from his home. The call came about 12 hours after the alleged crime. The boyfriend claimed he had been drugged and bound by the abductors, who he said also swiped his computer and cellphone. For 24 hours, an intense search took place. Dogs and divers were called to the area near where the crime supposedly took place.

Later in the week, Huskins’ father, Mike, received a voicemail from Denise claiming that she was safe in Huntington Beach at her mother’s house. But then she supposedly left that house because it was empty and headed to her father’s home on 19th Street. It too was empty, because he was up north searching for his daughter. So she went to a neighbor’s house.

She was questioned by authorities and then disappeared again, this time presumably by her choice. B

y the time you read this there could be new details. But something is just not right. If it turns out she was kidnapped, obviously all focus needs to be on apprehending the abductors.

But if this turns out to be a scheme to make money, as the police seem all but convinced of, then unfathomable damage has been done, and not just to the multiple law enforcement agencies that wasted massive resources that could have gone to help true victims. It also would hurt the cases of actual victims because it would make people even more cynical when they hear stories like this and thus less likely to respond or even care.

When proved to be frauds, stories like this are like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” on a more modern and grotesque scale. Thankfully, laws are clear, and for filing a false claim, you can be charged for the cost of the resources allocated toward you.

On the subject of real victims, the Huntington Beach Police Department will recognize all crime victims by holding a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. April 23 at the memorial for Robin Samsoe at Pier Plaza.

I know many of you were there in October when we unveiled that tribute to Robin. You may have met her brother, Robert Samsoe, at the event. Tragically, two weeks ago he passed away suddenly, leaving a loving family and many friends. He and I had become friends since I wrote about Robin last year, and this came as a shock.

If you happen to pass by the Samsoe memorial anytime soon, I hope you’ll keep Robert in your thoughts. And please plan on joining us April 23 for the candlelight vigil.

Essay competition

Reminder: It’s time for my high school In the Pipeline essay competition, and the deadline is next week.

The contest is open to any high school-age students in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Westminster.

In 500 words or less, explain the one thing you would like to change in your community and how you would go about it.

The deadline for essays is April 10. The winner will see his or her work in print and get to cut the ribbon at the popular Taste of Huntington Beach festival on April 26 and then enjoy all the food.

All essays can be emailed to me at chris@chrisepting.com.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 25 books, including “Huntington Beach Chronicles: The Heart of Surf City.” You can chat with him on Twitter @chrisepting or follow his column at facebook.com/hbindependent.