Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and abduction. Reader discretion is advised.
The Hulu documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini explores the mysterious vanishing of Sherri Papini. Per reports, Papini faked her abduction in November 2016 and received a sentence of 18 months for the same. For the uninitiated, her husband, Keith Papini, couldn’t find his wife and children at home after returning from work. Three weeks later, authorities found her walking on an interstate highway. Initially, she told the investigators that two Hispanic women had kidnapped her. However, they soon found inconsistencies in her statements and realized that Papini had fabricated her kidnapping.
After an extensive investigation and matching DNA samples, authorities apprehended Sherri Papini in the abduction case. According to ABC10 News, Keith Papini filed for divorce after she admitted that she did fake her kidnapping. The duo divorced in 2023, and Keith received full custody of their children. The case of Sherri Papini’s fake abduction nabbed a lot of attention and became a phenomenon in the media. Over the years, several documentaries and movies have been based on similar instances. The 2014 movie Gone Girl featured a similar story where a woman named Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) faked her kidnapping.
If you are looking for documentaries like Hulu’s Perfect Wife, here are some documentaries you should watch.
American Nightmare
Released in January 2024, this documentary explores the disappearance of Denise Huskins. In March 2015, three unknown assailants allegedly broke into Denise and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn’s house in California. Per the documentary, the armed robbers kidnapped Huskins and took her to a remote location and raped her. However, two days later, Huskins walked back home. The documentary also mentioned that the kidnappers took Huskins away and demanded a $17,000 ransom.
The investigation took a wild turn when authorities tried to blame Huskins’ boyfriend (now husband), Aaron Quinn. Soon, they found out that Huskins’ story had irregularities, and police believed that her story was a hoax. However, evidence collected from a different crime scene led authorities to Matthew Muller, the man who was solely responsible for Huskins’ kidnapping. Although this documentary is engaging, certain questions aren’t answered in this three-part series. Nevertheless, it is one of the most entertaining docuseries that showcases the real-life Gone Girl case. The documentary currently holds a rating of 96% on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
American Nightmare is available to stream on Netflix.
The Disappearance of Maura Murray
On February 9, 2004, Maura Murray left her house and withdrew money from her bank account before hitting the road, reported NBC Boston. Nearly three hours later, someone called 911 and reported an accident. Reports indicated Murray was driving the car when the accident took place. Shockingly, she was at the scene when the first two 911 calls were made. However, she disappeared before the police arrived. To this day, no one knows what happened to Murray or where she went.
Apart from discussing the case, the documentary also delves deeper into the theories surrounding Murray’s disappearance. This is one of the first disappearance cases that garnered much attention on social media. Although no one knows what happened to Murray or if she is still alive, the documentary does a commendable job of not being too sensational.
The Disappearance of Maura Murray is currently available for streaming on Peacock and Oxygen.
Meet Marry Murder
Meet Marry Murder is a bit different than Perfect Wife. In the Hulu documentary, Keith Papini never knew about his wife’s intentions and was heartbroken when he learned the truth. However, in Meet Marry Murder, several family members of the slayed individuals open up about how their loved ones were killed because of an unhappy marriage. The documentary focuses on different cases and how a partner tries to show the world that he or she wasn’t responsible for their partner’s death. Each episode tells a different story about the brutal killings.
Some of the narratives in the series are bone-chilling and can be too hard to watch. It is one of the well-made true crime documentaries of this generation. Narrated by Oscar-winning actor Helen Hunt, the documentary is available for streaming on Lifetime.
