Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Sherri Papini: Caught In The Lie’ is a four-part true crime documentary series that chronicles the kidnapping hoax of Sherri Papini, who claimed that she was abducted in 2016 while jogging near her house in Redding, California. When she was found nearly three weeks later, she alleged that a couple of Hispanic women were responsible for her abduction. In the midst of it all, her then-husband, Keith Alvin Papini, was caught between a rock and a hard place. Upon learning that Sherri had deceived everyone, Keith tried everything in his power to keep their kids safe and sound, and away from her.
Keith Alvin Papini Filed For Divorce Upon Learning About Sherri’s Kidnapping Hoax
In October 2009, Keith Alvin Papini tied the knot with Sherri Louise Graeff, unaware of all the complications that the future held for both of them. In the initial phase of their marriage, the couple seemed to share a fulfilling life, their family completed with the birth of a son named Tyler and a daughter named Violet. Things began falling apart when Keith could not find any trace of his wife at their house in Redding, California, on November 2, 2016. With the help of the “Find My iPhone” application, he was able to locate her phone and earbuds about a mile away, at the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon Trail. After several weeks of searching for the missing 34-year-old woman, she was found on November 24, 2016, hundreds of miles away from Redding, covered with bruises and other injuries.
Keith was elated to hear the news and informed their children too. Upon reuniting with Sherri at the hospital, he noticed signs of beatings across her body, including her broken nose and cut-off hair. She told him that she was held captive by her alleged captors, who kept her arms chained to something inside the vehicle before pushing her out of the vehicle on the day she was found. However, Keith’s world turned upside down when he realized that Sherri had been lying about her kidnapping. On March 3, 2022, she was arrested for lying to the FBI and later, pleaded guilty to fraud charges against her. Within a few days, in April 2022, Keith filed for divorce and for the full legal and physical custody of Tyler and Violet.
Keith Maintains That Sherri’s Actions Will Have Lifelong Implications on Him and Their Kids
Keith and Sherri’s marriage was dissolved in May 2023, following which the single dad put all his focus on his children. By the fall of 2023, after having served 10 months of her 18-month imprisonment sentence, Sherri was released from prison. Several months later, in the summer of 2024, Keith talked about her and the entire ordeal in detail in an interview with ABC News. He highlighted how she misused the trust of so many people and played with their kindness, further stressing how committed she was to her hoax. Upon reflecting back on the day he visited her at the hospital, he admitted to having some doubts but never paying attention to them. He said, “When I pulled back the curtain and I saw her and I saw the look in her eyes, I felt in that moment that she was lying.”
Keith added, “And it wasn’t until I went to her to embrace her and I could just see the amount of injuries, bruises, burns to her body. And it was a shock to me. And I remember thinking how horrible of me to even think that she could’ve done this to herself.” While Sherri also claimed she was subjected to physical and mental abuse at the hands of Keith, the latter has vehemently denied all accusations. Since 2022, Keith has had sole custody of both their kids. While he maintains they are doing everything they can to move forward in life, he is afraid it is going to haunt them forever. “I do want to provide my children an amazing childhood, but I think it’ll always be there,” he said.
Keith and Sherri Are Engaged in a Custody Battle For Their Kids Today
During his appearance on Hulu’s ‘Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini,’ Keith Papini made another accusation about Sherri. The father of two claimed that years after the revelation of the hoax in 2022, he allegedly learnt from their daughter, Violet, that “Sherri would soak rags of alcohol and put it in a Ziploc bag and … Would tie a string around their neck onto the Ziploc bag so that the fumes would … make them not feel good, so that she could take them to the doctor.” Since her release, Sherri and Keith are fighting it out in court, as the former is “seeking reunification with one child and increased visitation with another.” He has reiterated the aforementioned allegation during the custody proceedings, insisting that if she were given the visitation rights, he would always be scared for the safety of the kids.
At the hearing in March 2025, Sherri was alleged to have faked a psychological test by Keith’s defense team. They contended her psychological soundness in relation to gaining not only custodial rights but also visitation rights of their kids. Furthermore, Keith was requested to offer substantial proof that thoroughly supports Sherri not being fit for custody or visitation. After a postponement of about two months, the hearing was slated to resume on May 20, but got derailed as the Shasta County courthouse has been temporarily closed since it experienced heavy damage due to “water intrusion.” On the professional front, Keith holds an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from Shasta College and has extensive experience working as a Senior Consultant at Best Buy. As of today, Keith and Sherri haven’t reached an understanding regarding the custody of their kids — Tyler, 12, and Violet, 10 — and are awaiting a new date for their case.
Read More: Sheila Koester: Where is Sherri Papini’s Sister Now?
