What Happened To Sherri Papini? 4 Theories About California Mother's Kidnapping

Missing California mother Sherri Papini returned home two weeks ago, but the gruesome details of her case and her ordeal continue to unfold. As police continue to hunt for Papini's abductors, several theories have emerged about the kidnapping case.

Papini disappeared on Nov. 2 while out jogging near her home in Redding, California. Her husband Keith filed a missing complaint after Sherri failed to pick up her children from daycare. The 34-year-old was found heavily battered on Thanksgiving morning after being spotted by a motorist on Interstate 5 in Woodland, more than 150 miles from her home.

Since then, Papini has been trying to recover from the physical and mental torture that she underwent while in captivity. However, it remains unclear why Papini was kidnapped and then released from captivity.

1. Human trafficking: Bill Garcia, the private investigator who was hired by the Papini family, believes that sex trafficking may have been the motive in Papini's abduction. Last week, he told NBC's "Today" show that her injuries, including her broken nose and bruises, are strong evidence.
2. Reward in missing case: Doubts were raised over an undisclosed ransom offered by an anonymous person for the immediate release of Papini. A letter provided instructions to the alleged captors and named Cameron Gamble as the middleman. Gamble, who describes himself as a kidnap and ransom consultant, said his actions to find Papini were independent from law enforcement and the family.
3. Papini abduction case a hoax: An anonymous source at Shasta County police told the Huffington Post that they had not ruled out the kidnapping as a hoax. This was because the police are not any closer to establishing a reason or motive behind the kidnapping.
4. Could there be a link between Papini and another missing case? According to a report by the Daily Mail, Keith went to see the parents of a teenage girl who vanished 18 years ago in strikingly similar circumstances like that of his wife. Tera Smith, a high school friend of Papini, went missing on Aug. 22, 1998, after leaving her rural home in Redding for an early evening jog. Despite several efforts to find her, Smith still remains missing.