The jogger, Shelley Papini, who was found bruised and bloody three weeks after going missing, had reportedly fled the town with her family.
Her husband, Keith Papini, said the California mother “literally lived through hell” over the 20-plus days she was held captive.
Papini told ABC News on Monday that his wife endured the pain by imagining her husband and their two children, Tyler, 4, and Violet, 2.
Shelley Papini and her husband Keith. Photo: Yahoo US
“Every time she told me, she would talk to me and act as if she was putting her kids to bed,” Papini told Good Morning America.
“She told me she took a piece of fabric and rolled it up and shook it just like Violet.
“She was really strong.”
Shelley Papini was allegedly forcibly abducted while jogging in Redding, California on November 2nd.
The Papini family: Shelley, Keith, Tyler and Violet. Photo: Yahoo US
Her strange disappearance has left the local community in disarray.
“She did not get into the car on her own,” Papini said, alleging that a gun was used in the kidnapping.
He claimed his wife was punched, kicked, branded and had her nose broken during her captivity, and was “barely given food”.
When Shelly was found on the side of the road on Thanksgiving morning, she had reportedly lost about 15 percent of her body weight.
Papini had previously said his wife was found with a bag over her head, chains around her wrists and waist and her hair cut off.
“Her spine stuck out like a big clock with gears sticking out,” he told ABC News of their first embrace upon being reunited.
Police said they were searching for two women after Sheri claimed her abductor was Hispanic, armed and in a dark SUV at the time of the incident.
She claims one of the women had long curly hair, thin eyebrows and piercings, while the other, older woman, had jet black hair with greying strands and thick eyebrows.
The Papini family is currently in an undisclosed location, with Shelley spending as much time as she can with her kids while Keith remains vigilant.
Mr Papini told ABC: “Shelly may be free but the memory of her abduction remains with her.”
The ABC reports that the idea of returning to their Reading home is so traumatic that the couple may never return to their home.
“When the lights go out, when the doors close, when she hears certain noises, she doesn’t know what to do, so she needs someone to help her professionally,” Papini said in an interview.
“This isn’t just a long journey,” he said. “This is something we’ll never forget.”
More than a week after she was found, Shelley is still showing signs of psychological trauma.
On Saturday, Shasta County residents gathered at the Redding Convention Center to welcome Shelley home.
Papini said it was the first time he had heard his wife’s voice since she was found, and that she was showing signs of psychological trauma.
Keith Papini was initially considered a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, but was later exonerated after taking a lie detector test which proved his alibi.
Last week, Sheriff Tom Bosenko announced at a press conference that a $50,000 reward was being offered to anyone providing information leading to an arrest.
Shelley Panini and her husband Keith. Photo: Yahoo US.
As the investigation into the kidnapping allegations continues, police are also investigating a motive for the incident.
According to Bill Garcia, a private investigator hired by the Papini family, the motive for Shelley’s kidnapping was sex trafficking.
Meanwhile, some reports have claimed the kidnapping may have been racially motivated.
The speculation was sparked by a racist blog post written using Ms. Shelley’s maiden name, Shelley Graeff.
Shelley’s ex-husband, David Dreyfuss, told the Sacramento Bee that the post was written by someone else.
Papini was quoted as saying on “Good Morning America” about the racism rumors: “I understand that people want evidence, stories, pictures that show this isn’t a hoax, a money-making scheme or a fabricated race war. I just don’t see the point in picking apart every single outrageous lie.”
