Netflix’s latest disturbing true crime docuseries American Nightmare tells the chilling story of a real-life case. The three-episode docuseries follows a real-life home invasion and kidnapping in 2015.
Couple Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn had reported that they were drugged by a kidnapper who then took Haskins to his own home and assaulted her, before dropping her off two days later. The case had been dubbed the “Gone Girl Case” because the police accused the couple of faking her kidnapping, much like the plot of the David Fincher movie Gone Girl.
Police quickly began to turn on the couple, who claimed the whole thing was a hoax. That is until evidence in a separate arrest was linked to Huskins’ kidnapping. The couple claim they were never issued an apology, but they sued the city of Vallejo for defamation and ultimately received $2.5 million in an out-of-court settlement.
Despite the harrowing case, the couple is still together — now married with two kids.
“There’s a lot to be grateful for in our day-to-day lives, and with [our daughters], it’s even more motivation to step outside of our comfort zones and expose ourselves on a bigger scale,” Huskins told Tudum. “If we can influence any kind of change to help better society for them, then it’s all worth it.”
You can stream American Nightmare on Netflix.