Sherri Papini Kidnapping Update: US Mothers Make Headlines For Mysterious Disappearances

The rumors and speculation swirling around the disappearance -- and the subsequent Thanksgiving Day return -- of a California mother has reached a fever pitch. Weeks after she returned home, the nation is still waiting to learn more about what happened to Sherri Papini.

While no new details in the case have surfaced recently, investigators continue to examine the case involving the alleged abduction of the 34-year-old wife and mother. Papini was first reported missing by her husband, Keith Papini, after she went for a jog Nov. 2. She was picked up, weeks later, by a motorist on a highway in Yolo County. She was found wearing restraints and appeared to have been beaten, branded and starved. Sherri Papini told authorities she had been abducted by two Hispanic women. At the time of her abduction, an anonymous donor had come forward offering a hefty return for the mother’s delivery.

While authorities have yet to find confirmed suspects, naysayers have said that the event was staged. The abduction was also rumored to be tied to a sex trafficking ring.

As the investigation continues, Sherri Papini and her family have quietly moved to an undisclosed location so Papini can “recover out of the media spotlight,” The Guardian reported Friday. While further leads into the Sherri Papini case have been quiet over the past couple weeks, the mother’s strange disappearance – and return – have been likened to other cases of a similar nature. Here are three cases that have surfaced lately, all featuring the strange disappearances of moms in the U.S.

-Anne-Christine Johnson: The 30-year-old Texas mom of two was reported to have last been seen Dec. 8. Concern grew when Johnson did not appear at work earlier in the month, and when she did not check in with friends and family, KHOU reported Thursday. The investigation was still under way this week, although Johnson’s husband, Shaun Hardy, was listed as a person of interest, due to the couple’s history of violence and volatility.

-Haleigh Brianna Grogan: Grogan’s case is perhaps one of the most unusual cases of a mother’s disappearance. Grogan, 19, a young mother from South Carolina, was reported missing after last being seen at a friend’s home in Anderson County, Nov. 30. After missing for almost a month, Grogan was discovered walking with an “unidentified man” on a highway on Christmas Eve. She did not require medical attention, according to police reports. She did not know she had been labeled a missing person, according to WNCN.

-Rita Maze: Maze had been driving from Helena to Great Falls, Montana, in early September when her daughter Rochelle received a call from her mother, according to a statement from the time. Maze had said she was trapped in the trunk of a vehicle. Maze was later discovered by police, found dead in the trunk of her car. Police had only recently ceased searching for suspects in the case. Some have speculated that Maze committed a staged suicide, however, lab tests are still pending, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.