Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - What happened to Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn? Details of the Gone Girl Kidnapping explored

The harrowing tale of the abduction of Denise Huskins in March 2015 made headlines as her case became subject to public scrutiny, and came to be popularly known as the Gone Girl Kidnapping. Huskins had been kidnapped from her live-in boyfriend and co-worker, Aaron Quinn's Vallejo home on March 23, 2015.

A man broke into their home around 3 am in the night, allegedly sedated the couple forcibly, bound them with zip ties, and made them wear blacked-out goggles before he fled with Aaron's car, taking Denise as the hostage, per NBC News. The intruder, later identified as Matthew Muller, placed two ransom demands of $17,000 before he set Huskins free in Huntington Beach on March 25.

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode, titled Twisted Tale, looks into the details of the 2015 abduction as it airs on February 21, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen. The synopsis reads:

"When a woman returns two days after being reported abducted, authorities believe it's a hoax until a similar crime forces them to take another look."

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Denise Huskins was kidnapped from Aaron Quinn's home on March 23, 2015

Around 3 am on March 23, 2015, Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins were awoken by an intruder at their home in Vallejo, a city in Northern California. The intruder had reportedly ordered Denise to bind Quinn with zip ties, after which he allegedly bound Denise. The couple was blinded with blacked-out goggles and made to listen to a prerecorded message that said that a group was behind the break-in.

Per ABC News, Quinn and Huskins were made to ingest a sedative which the intruder threatened to introduce intravenously if they did not obey. As Quinn dozed off on the couch, the intruder took off with his car and Denise Huskins. Quinn only realized this when he woke up the next afternoon.

Despite threats from the intruder, Aaron Quinn spoke to the Vallejo Police Department who suspected him of a possible domestic violence murder.

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Denise Huskins was found in Huntington Beach on March 25, 2015

While the Vallejo Police Department held Aaron for 18 hours, The San Francisco Chronicle received a proof of life message with the subject 'Denise' and an audio clip saying:

“My name is Denise Huskins and I’m kidnapped. Otherwise, I’m fine.”

Huskins had reportedly been sexuallly assaulted twice while she was held captive and the act was allegedly recorded to blackmail her. Denise Huskins was released close to her family home in Huntington Beach, 400 miles away from her address.

The Vallejo Police, however, called the story a hoax, reportedly implying that the pair were involved in their abduction and called the incident an "orchestrated event and not a kidnapping," per PEOPLE Magazine.

Vallejo P.D. spokesman Lt. Kenny Park said at the time via ABC News,

"Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community and taken the focus away from the true victims of our community while instilling fear among our community members."

Quinn and Huskins had hired defense attorneys for themselves and saw justice through the efforts of Misty Carasau, the Dublin Police Department officer who solved the case. Huskins, along with her now-husband Quinn, settled a defamation lawsuit for $2.5 million with the city of Vallejo in 2018.

The perpetrator, Matthew Muller, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the kidnapping and rape of Denise Huskins.