Vallejo police are facing a federal lawsuit after a woman and her boyfriend charged them of mishandling the former's kidnapping case. The police defended themselves that the kidnapping appeared to be a joke because of the strange behavior of the abducted.
Los Angeles Times reports that Denise Huskins, was kidnapped last March 3, 2015 in her Vallejo home which she shares with her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. According to Quinn's narrative to the police, he was drugged and later woke up with Huskins, his car and his belongings all gone.
Quinn reported to Vallejo police that his girlfriend was missing eight hours after the incident. This made police doubt Quinn's innocence. He may have accidentally killed his girlfriend and was making up a kidnapping story to save his freedom.
Interestingly, Quinn cooperated with all the demands of the police for investigation. He allowed police access to his e-mails where they found out that the kidnapper's emails were coming from Quinn's account. Quinn also let the Vallejo police take his blood samples (via Los Angeles Times).
Quinn was a lead but there was no strong evidence to link him to the kidnapping case so the police was delighted when two days after, Huskins surfaced. She was dropped off at her family''s Huntingon Beach home.
Police then booked Huskins a flight to Northern California for interview where her family was also waiting for her. However, she did not appear on the time of the flight which police found speculative because abductees who had just been found would normally want to be reunited with their family as soon as possible (via Los Angeles Times).
Four months after, former lawyer, Matthew Muller was identified as Huskins'kidnapper. Huskins claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the lawyer.
The couple decided to file a lawsuit against the Vallejo police for destroying their reputations by suggesting that the kidnapping might be hoax or a joke. Vallejo police defended themselves saying that there was fear in the Vallejo community after the abduction so they had to assure the people of their safety. After judging that the circumstances are safe, they were prompted to announce that it may have been "an orchestrated event" rather than a real kidnapping by a stranger.
As per Property Casualty 360, if a kidnapping occurs, the first people to contact should be risk management experts like Terra Firma. Usually though, the kidnapper would like to talk directly to a family member or relative so anyone must be prepared to negotiate. First, demand for proof that the loved one is still alive and then, bargain: start with a low amount of ransom and never exceed the amount you can give. Do not rush and always listen to the trusted family lawyer.
For abducted children, AMBER alert is to the rescue. Since the 1990s, the alert service has been helping families reunite with their abducted children (via Legal Dictionary).
Sound off your thoughts on the Comments section and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
