Real Life ‘Gone Girl’ Kidnapping Ends In Arrest

He was in custody as of Monday.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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A real life kidnapping police thought was a hoax and had dubbed the Gone Girl kidnapping, because of its similarities to the Oscar Nominated film, ended in the arrest of Matthew Muller, former Marine and disbarred Harvard-educated lawyer. Muller, of Orangevale, California, was charged with kidnapping Denise Huskins,29, on March 23. 

After the kidnapping, Huskins’ boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, told authorities attackers broke into the couple’s home, kidnapped Huskins and held her for a ransom of $8,500. According to Quinn's lawyers, he said he woke up to a bright light and that two kidnappers bound and drugged him. Two days later—right before the ransom was due—Huskins was found safe and sound in Huntington Beach, her hometown, where she was allegedly dropped off. Vallejo Police deemed the kidnapping a hoax after that. 

FBI Special Agent Jason Walter said in an affidavit that Muller was arrested after a separate home-invasion robbery in the San Francisco Bay Area showed similarities to Huskins’ kidnapping. He was arrested in South Lake Tahoe and investigators found evidence that likely pointed to him in another woman’s kidnapping. Investigators searches a stolen car connected to Muller and found a laptop similar to Quinn’s and a flashlight, a water pistol, and a laser pointer, which had been taken photos of and emailed to a newspaper claiming responsibility for the other woman’s kidnapping. 

In the car, a cell phone had one of those pictures and the GPS system’s history showed a Huntington Beach address. Walter said a pair of goggles with a strand of long blond hair, matching the woman’s, was found, in addition to goggles the woman and Quinn said they were forced to wear during the kidnapping.  

Muller is in custody on charges of attempted first-degree residential robbery and assault in the home-invasion robbery.

[via THR]

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