The True Crime Behind ‘American Nightmare’ Is Stranger Than Fiction

Netflix’s newest true crime docuseries, American Nightmare, dives into a real-life kidnapping story that drew comparisons to the movie Gone Girl. But the true story behind Denise Huskins’ disappearance is stranger than fiction.

American Nightmare is a three-part docuseries that follows the story of Denise Huskins. In 2015, kidnappers broke into a house in Vallejo, California where Huskins lived with her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. Quinn reported to authorities that the kidnappers drugged them and took Huskins. Police almost immediately questioned the validity of the claim, as the story seemed too complicated. Then Huskins appeared alive and well at her father’s house, over 400 miles away from where she disappeared.

Huskins tells her story, which matches up to Quinn’s version of the kidnapping, including that the kidnapping was meant for Quinn’s ex-girlfriend and not Huskins. While police searched for Huskins, she said a man held her captive in a home and kept her eyes covered with darkened swimming goggles. Everything seemed alright (or as alright as it could be given the circumstances) until the man sexually assaulted Huskins to have “leverage” over her. Again, police questioned the story as many of the clues made it seem similar to the plot of Gone Girl, in which a woman stages her murder to frame a cheating spouse, even though Huskins’ story stayed the same and the physical evidence matched what she said.

When a similar home invasion kidnapping occurred in a town 40 miles away from Vallejo, police realize they may have been mistaken.

Where is Matthew Muller now?

For months, the media and police pointed the investigation at Huskins and Quinn. A supposedly angry kidnapper reached out to a reporter to say that if police kept blaming the couple, he would take another victim. When another home invasion occurred, during which a dad thwarted the kidnapper from taking a young woman, police identified Matthew Muller as their suspect. Items found in Muller’s car and his cabin in Tahoe match with what Huskins said about her kidnapper. This included blacked-out, duct-taped goggles with pieces of blond hair that matched Huskins. Investigators also learned that Muller was connected to other sexual assaults and rapes in Northern California.

After Muller’s arrest, he was tried and convicted for robbery, rape, and kidnapping. Sentenced to 40 years in prison, Muller is currently serving his time behind bars. However, Muller never was charged with several other crimes, including attempted rape and peeping tom allegations.

Why did Matthew Muller kidnap Denise Huskins?

During the initial kidnapping period, Matthew Muller repeatedly said Huskins wasn’t the intended target of the kidnapping; Quinn’s ex-girlfriend was. However, Muller never revealed why that was the case or if that was even true. American Nightmare never explains Muller’s choice to kidnap Huskins. They didn’t know each other before the home invasion. However, the docuseries also claims Muller may have been a peeping tom, taking pictures of people inside of their homes at night, right before the kidnapping. Muller likely saw Huskins and determined her to be his next victim. This wasn’t a crime of revenge or convenience; Muller plotted to kidnap a random woman.

Thankfully, Denise Huskins survived the incident and is recovering from her experience. Huskins and Quinn sued the City of Vallejo for defamation. The couple went on to get married and now have two children together.

(featured image: Netflix)