Netflix’s American Nightmare explores the case of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn and the former’s abduction by Matthew Muller. Huskins’ kidnapping was dubbed the Gone Girl case after Gillian Flynn’s famous book, as police initially believed it was a hoax. The three-part-docuseries premiered on January 17, 2024, and is now available to stream on Netflix.
Matthew Muller, an ex-marine and disbarred lawyer, broke into Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn’s Vallejo home on March 23, 2015. He terrorized the couple and kidnapped Huskins. Muller then took her to a remote location, raped her, kept her captive, and released her after two days on March 25.
In the meantime, Huskins’ boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, informed police about the kidnapping, but they refused to believe him. Once Huskins was released, the press and police dubbed her case the Gone Girl hoax. They claimed her story was too far-fetched to be believed. Months later, authorities arrested Muller in a similar home invasion and also found evidence to link him to Huskins’ kidnapping.
Later, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn sued the City of Vallejo for defamation and won a $2.5 million settlement in 2018. That same year, in September, they tied the knot and now have two daughters. The couple resides in California’s Central Coast, as per Business Insider.
What happened to Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn after Huskins’ kidnapping?
New York Post reported that at the time of Denise Huskins’ kidnapping, Aaron Quinn attempted to inform police about the incident. Quinn claimed that he received an e-mail from the kidnapper demanding a ransom of $17,000. However, detectives failed to believe his story and suspected his involvement in what they thought was Huskins’ murder. They also stripped him naked for police photographs, interrogated him for 18 hours, and gave him a lie detector test.
The couple has often made statements about the horrific ordeal and the doubt that the police cast on them. Quinn told the outlet in 2021, “I always thought police officers were there to protect the general public. But I found out how quickly the justice system can turn on you. They have sheer tunnel vision and absolute certainty that you’re lying.”
Huskins also added, “When my attorney told me they were calling me ‘Gone Girl’ in the headlines, I asked: ‘Is that a good thing?'” Huskins claimed she had never seen the movie before that. She further added, “Then I realized what they meant, and it was just so insulting.”
According to The Guardian, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn got justice after Matthew Muller’s arrest in June 2015. Police arrested Muller after they found incriminating evidence in his possession. He pleaded guilty to a federal kidnapping charge in 2016 and received a 40-year prison term the following year.
Business Insider reported that around the same time, Huskins and Quinn filed a defamation lawsuit against the Vallejo Police Department. The suit alleged that the police falsely accused them of staging the kidnapping.
The lawsuit stated that “Before ever seeing or speaking with Huskins, and without a shred of evidence in support of their preconceived conclusion,” the Vallejo Police Department “treated the victim of a kidnapping and sexual assault like the criminal they refused to pursue.” It further alleged that they had violated the couple’s constitutional rights. It also mentioned that their claims “unfairly destroyed their reputations through an outrageous and wholly unfounded campaign of disparagement.”
According to Decider, in 2018, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn reached a $2.5 million settlement with the city of Vallejo. That same year, on September 28, they tied the knot and now have two daughters. Their first daughter, Olivia, was born in 2020, while their second daughter, Naomi, was born two years later.
The couple now lives in California’s Central Coast, where Huskins works as a physical therapist. Meanwhile, Quinn works for a company named Apiros that trains high school athletes to become professionals. The couple also co-authored a novel titled Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors in 2021.
Years later, Huskins’ kidnapper, Matthew Muller, also pleaded no contest to two counts of forcible rape in 2022. He also pleaded guilty to robbery of a residential dwelling, burglary, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. Muller received 31 years in prison and is currently serving his sentence in FCI Tucson in Arizona.
