i'm craig melvin.

>> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline". >> a successful young couple. ambushed, they say, in the dead of night. attacked. abducted. >> we're like, wow. where is she. >> i didn't have a clue what happened. >> the real question? was their story been true. >> we were not able to substantiate any of the things that you are saying. >> they branded that couple as liars. >> could this be some kind of hoax? who was really behind it all. >> normal people don't do things like this. >> this whole story could take another crazy turn. >> he said, i know that i need to pay for what i did. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> hello, and welcome to "dateline". denise huskins and her boyfriend aaron quinn went to sleep one night, blissfully unaware that they would wake up to a living nightmare. unarmed stranger in the bedroom and he did it appear to be alone. what happened next was so odd,

it would leave detectives and the public scratching their heads. was this real life or fiction? and an unexpected break in the case would stare authorities to an unlikely suspect and the truth. here's josh mankiewicz with "twisted tale". >> i was asleep, embed. it was about 5:00 in the morning. >> frightening doesn't begin to describe what she went through. >> and the next thing i knew, there was someone laying on top of me. >> she was instantly the lucid polar in someone else's game of power and control. >> their hand was over my mouth. >> if you're wondering, there was no way to fight back. >> i must have been screaming. >> this woman doesn't want us to use her real name. we're calling her samantha. and she sharing with us things she's told to very few people. >> this was a man? >> man.

>> bigger than you? >> felt very big. strong. i couldn't move. >> september 29th, 2009. the sun wasn't up yet. and in samantha's bedroom, a mask intruder was holding her down. she had no idea who than then was or what he was planning. >> he said, well this is going to take a couple hours. i was -- i think just in shock. >> the details of what happened to samantha are not only frightening, but also deeply strange. she's come forward because she believes her long night of terror may shed light on a different case. in a different town. with victims she's never met. it's a bizarre mystery that riveted california's bay area. then rippled across the country and around the world. march 24th, 2015, a young woman was missing. >> miss huskings stands at five foot seven a, hundred 50 pounds. she's got blonde hair blue eyes. >> her abductors wanted money

in exchange for her return. >> we are treating this as a kidnap and ransom and were questioned the public health and locating her. >> it had 30 files north in san francisco on this in the city of san francisco. >> i immediately was struck with the fact that you don't see these kind of cases too often. and this crime victims did not strike me as someone who would usually be targeted. >> doing everything that you can, and then some to ensure her safe return. >> police dogs and dive teams racing part of a huge search for denise huskings. across the country, her good friend, but actually saw the news. >> there was an article online, someone send it me and said, oh my goodness, this is in denise.

aaron started to test everybody. >> including denise. >> i tried to texture, i figured better than not doing anything. >> there was no reply, so she tested another friend, danika. >> i could not believe it i was reading, they're not even serial. >> that was pretty much the reaction the cops had to the story that her boyfriend was telling them. >> we have a lot of information still to sift through, we don't have all of the facts in yet. >> the story that aaron told the cops that might eventually still spelled out in an fbi affidavit, who seemed frankly preposterous. something invented by someone with too much imagination, and too much free time. aaron quinn said he and denise huskins were asleep at his house, when at about 3 am, he was awakened by a bright light, and an electrical noise that sounded like a stun gun, and then a man's voice telling them

to lie face down on the bed aaron said the man told denise to bind aaron's hands and feet. then, he said his eyes were covered with swim goggles, which had been blacked out so we could not see. >> he has been blindfolded, zip tied. >> aaron said the intruder demanded did his private email and information, and then put headphones on him that played calming music along with instructions to use denise's phone, to text her work and say she would be out for a couple of days. and to let his work know the same. aaron also claimed he was given a mixture of nyquil and volume and was to knock him out, and to stay in one spot in his living room, that was outlined in red duct tape, and monitored by a web cam. then he said the intruders left with denise.

his story sounded so implausible, police wondered if he had made it up behind something even more sinister. >> at first blush, when a woman is missing, and her husband or boyfriend says oh, yeah she was abducted, well one of the first things i think, because of something i do for a living is the guy is involved. >> in these types of situations, always look at the significant other. is he a suspect? is he making it up? what is going on here? what is the real story? >> police treated aaron less like a victim, and more like a murder suspect. they confiscated his phone, and read him his rights. they were suspicious about why he waited 11 hours before calling 9-1-1. >> aaron quinn it took him hours. it was not until that afternoon that vallejo police were able to talk to him after he came forward. >> aaron's mother later told us police polygraph him five times. he was given jail clothing, even little food or water and held in a small interrogation

room for hours. across the country, denise's friends did not know any of this, but they knew enough to be worried. >> i mean, someone being kidnapped, be honest, a lot of those stories do not end well. and you don't want to think about those things, you think they are not going to be alive. >> then, about 33 hours after denise disappeared, -- reporter hendley lee. was standing outside aaron's home, when his phone bust. >> it was chilling, this email came attached with an audio file, and this audio file, there was a woman's voice. >> hi, this is denise huskins. >> the soft spoken woman on the recording said that she was denise. this very strange tale was about to get much more strange. >> what had happened to denise? was she still alive, or was this all an elaborate hoax? >> coming up. >> we still do not know where denise huskins is.

>> that cryptic recording, exactly what kind of message was it? >> she sounded absolutely calm, not terrified, not distressed at all. >> not like someone who is worried for her life? >> as if she was talking to a friend, over coffee. >> then we get a tip that police are holding a news conference, that is when the bombshell came down. >> when dateline continues. u know how i feel. ♪ if you're tired of staring down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, ♪ ♪ it's a new day... ♪ ...stop settling. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours, improves lung function, and helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis.

call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand, and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com nexgard is the flea and tick protection that's #1 with vets. your vet trusts it for her patients... ...and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. ask your vet about nexgard. ♪♪ allergies don't have to be scary. (screaming) defeat allergy headaches fast with new flonase headache and allergy relief! two pills relieve allergy headache pain? and the congestion that causes it! flonase headache and allergy relief. psst! psst! all good! there's an invisible threat in your backyard that could cause deadly heartworm disease for your dog. but not if you protect him every month with heartgard plus, the #1 choice of dogs. digestive and neurological side effects have been reported. ask your vet for heartgard plus. skin your face will envy?

with olay hyaluronic body lotion 95% of women had visibly-smoother skin. be fearless with olay hyaluronic body lotion and body wash. find your beat be fearless your moment of calm find your potential then own it support your immune system with a potent blend of nutrients and emerge your best every day with emergen-c ♪ i gotta good feeling about this, yeah ♪ ♪ i'm with it ♪ ♪ i gotta good feeling about this ♪ ♪ yeah, ♪ ♪ so let's get it ♪ ♪ i'm feeling good vibes ♪ ♪ ♪ to all the chevy silverado owners out there. the adventurers and the doers. to everyone that works hard and plays hard.

whether it's your first silverado or your tenth. thank you for making chevy silverado the #1 best-selling retail full-size pickup. your brother has landed in the dark lands. th they're under ing bowser's control. hang on, luigi. yes! fire! only in theaters april 5th. rated pg. >> denise huskins's boyfriend said she had been kidnapped.

his story seemed hard to believe. police wondered if he had murdered her, and was now trying to cover it up. then, a day and a half after denise disappeared, reporter henry lee received a mysterious email, with an audio file attached. >> hello, this is denise huskins. i'm kidnapped. otherwise, i am fine. >> she talked about the day's biggest news, a german airliner had gone down. >> earlier today, there was a plane crash in the alps, 150 people died. >> she shared obscure biographical details. >> my first concert with bethany and her mom, to blink -182, bad religion. >> it was a proof of audio trying to prove that she was alive, and yes she was the kidnap victim. >> and she was aware of events that happened that day? >> and she was aware of events that happened, to prove that

she was in fact, alive. >> so clearly, this was not a murder case. but, was it a kidnapping, as aaron claimed? we found it odd that denise did not sound at all frightened. >> she sounded absolutely calm, not terrified, not distressed at all. >> not like someone, feeling for their life? >> as if she was talking to a friend, over coffee. i shared it with my editors, colleagues working the story, the subject line was like wtf, what is this? >> it soon hit the web, where denise's friend, ashley heard it. >> it was sort of reassuring, she was making an audio, with a clue from that day, but also still scary, you still have no idea if the person is safe, how they are being treated, you know, what people are putting her through. >> and if denise did not sound panicked, her friends say that made perfect sense. after all, the three of them had already lived through what should have been the most

traumatic event of their lives. ashley, danika and denise, went to the boston marathon in 2013. they say it was denise who remained calm that day. >> we were all scared, we were all rocked by it, but i think of all of us, she was probably the best equipped to keep her cool. >> she was the one who was kind of, my rock. she grabbed my hand and said, let's go. >> but where was denise now? >> this is a bizarre case, with a lot of twists? >> very bizarre. >> cheryl hurd covered the story, for nbc station kntv. >> so day number two, we still don't know where it gets huskings's. we still don't really know what her boyfriend, quinn, is telling police. all we know is they cannot find her. >> but then, the story took another whiplash turn. about 45 hours after denise was reported missing, police made a

dramatic announcement. >> at 10:30 this morning, miss denise huskins was located, safely. >> it seemed over. denise's cousin told knbc how thrilled everyone was. >> you hear the stories all the time, you watch tv, you never know, i was happy to hear she was alive, safe and at home. >> but to police and reporters, all professional skeptics, this story had not smelled right from the start, and denise's sudden reappearance did nothing to change that. >> she is alive, she is well and they found her. that is great, but there was still something funny going on, because nobody had all of the answers. >> for one thing, denise turned up in huntington beach, which was 400 miles south of, vallejo, and was also her home town. she was dropped off right by her mom's house. >> she was not released out of state, she was not released in the desert. she was not released in the middle of california. where does she show up?

right near her parents house, and that seemed to convenient. >> another thing. the ransom that the kidnappers supposedly demanded had never been paid. denise told police in her hometown the same story that her boyfriend had told up north, about the swim goggles, the nyquil, the threat of electric shock. but then, when vallejo police wanted to question her. the fbi to talk to the police. >> after she was released? >> after she was released. >> suspicion is building. neither denise nor aaron made any public statement, but they did hire separate attorneys >> everybody is thinking, why are they doing that? >> lots of questions, and not many answers. but then, less than 12 hours after denise reappeared. >> then, we get a tip that police are holding a news conference.

so i jump in the car, the photographer and i, and we haul back to vallejo to be part of this news conference. >> let me know when you guys are ready. >> that is when the bombshell came down. >> coming up. >> we were not able to substantiate any of the things that he was saying. >> was this all kind of prank? >> is there some chance that denise and her boyfriend would be prosecuted? >> it was a strong possibility. >> emails, photos, some strange, new clues are about to emerge from the shadows when "dateline" continues. that's #1 prescribed. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. don't take ingrezza

if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. it's nice people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. learn how you could pay as little as zero dollars at ingrezza.com ♪ ingrezza ♪

plan a didn't work out? get plan b one-step. plan b helps prevent pregnancy before it starts, and it won't impact your ability to get pregnant in the future. find it yourself in the family planning aisle no prescription, no id. i've got this. ♪♪ >> i did not have a clue what

happened. >> even denise huskins's friends had to admit, her sudden disappearance -- and reappearance -- seemed almost unbelievable >> the details of the story are so crazy, i really could not make sense of it. >> neither could the vallejo police department. the day after denise came home, a spokesperson kenny park held a remarkable news conference. first, he spoke about denise's boyfriend, aaron quinn >> and the statement that mr. aaron quinn provided was such an incredible story, we initially had a hard time believing it. and upon further investigation, we were not able to substantiate any of the things he was saying.

>> and then about denise herself. >> miss denise huskins would be happy to indicate she would meet with police detectives, and provide a full, detailed statement on what would occur. as of right now, we have not heard from her >> and then finally, this. >> mr. quinn and miss denise huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community, while instilling fear amongst our community members. so if anything, it is mr. aaron and miss denise huskins who owe us enemy the apology. >> after a search and about 54 hours of investigation, vallejo p. d. concluded the whole kidnapping story was phony. all of this was one of those made for california dramas, not so much shakespearean as kardashian. police seem to think that denise and aaron, were known only to them, seeking publicity

and telling an elaborate lie. left unanswered was why anyone would want to become famous for fooling the police. >> the stranger than fiction kidnapping story involving a young california couple. >> remember, no ransom was ever paid. aaron told police the kid never stuck his bank information, but no one tried >> was there some chance that denise and her boyfriend will be prosecuted? >> it was a strong possibility, based on those public pronouncements. >> denise's friends did not know aaron, but had every confidence that denise was telling the truth. >> everybody who personally knows and cares about her,

believed her. >> the day after police branded the kidnapping a hoax, denise finally did show up at vallejo p. d., and told the cops that they were wrong. she said that not only had she been kidnapped, she had also been raped. that seemed, a reporter henry lee received another email, a long message, soon followed by more, supporting denise's claim that this was no hoax, from a person claiming to have been one of the kidnappers. >> they were very articulate, clearly written by someone who is extremely intelligent. >> miss huskins was absolutely kidnapped.

she was kidnapped, we will provide proof. the rhetoric claimed to be part of a group, more than two, and fewer than eight in number. >> we go into extreme lengths about, the series of crimes that they have pulled, from car thefts, break ins, home invasions, you name. at >> some of us have a tech background, and are very good at overcoming electronic anti theft measures, stealing late model cars. according to the email, the group decided to try kidnapping because, we wanted something with a high payout, that we only had to do once or a few times. >> what is going on? why are you apparently confessing? >> the writer admitted that the reality of the kidnapping was what much more upsetting than expected. >> we frenzied ourselves a sort of "oceans 11", gentlemen criminals. we only took stuff that was insured from people who could afford it. the horrifying reality of what we had become, and what we were doing did not set in until being confronted directly with denise's suffering and humanity >> at least one of the abductors seemed to sympathize with denise >> now, the email said they were angry that denise was being accused of making the whole thing up. >> we will not stand by and see the life of a really good person ruined. attached to the emails were photos. one showed a water gun, spray

painted to look more threatening, at least in the dark, with a laser pointer and a flashlight duct taped to it. another showed a, room with cardboard partially covering the window where denise was supposedly held. was this visual proof of denise and aaron's story, or an elaborate deception? >> you thought, lead it or more of a hoax? >> i thought it was certainly part of it prank. >> in fact the emails were so well written, henry lee wondered if they might have been sent by an attorney, hired by denise or aaron >> the so-called "the gone girl" case. >> they started to refer to the case as the "the gone girl" kidnapping, after the book and movie about a young -- who fakes her own disappearance. that reference infuriated denise's friends >> you know, when it is not accurate, it makes you mad. it was sort of like a fictional

character, created out of a good person. so then suddenly, you stop being denise huskins, and you start being labeled as the "the gone girl" >> that was not denise at all, they said. but to the rest of the world, denise and aaron were portrayed as liars, schemers, maybe even criminals themselves. that is, until the next big twist. >> coming up. >> he said, we have your daughter. >> another story as strange and eerie as denise and aaron's >> terrifying? >> yes, they were terrified. >> had the mysterious kidnappers struck again? when "dateline" continues. potent blend of nutrients and emerge your best every day with emergen-c nexgard is the flea and tick protection that's #1 with vets. your vet trusts it for her patients... ...and her own dog. plus, its delicious beef flavor is #1 with dogs. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. ask your vet about nexgard.

♪ icy hot pro starts working instantly. with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. with two max-strength pain relievers. ♪ so you can rise from pain like a pro. icy hot pro. with a majority of my patience with sensitivity, i see irritated gums and weak enamel. sensodyne sensitivity gum & enamel relieves sensitivity, helps restore gum health, and rehardens enamel. i'm a big advocate of recommending things that i know work.

as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network, with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to 75% a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. >> welcome back to "dateline". comcast business. powering possibilities™.

the police and the public seemed to have it all figured out. they believe that denise huskins and her boyfriend, aaron quinn had made up their dramatic home invasion and kidnapping story for publicity. the media even dubbed it the "the gone girl" mystery, based on the fictional story of a woman who faked her own disappearance. but detectives campos and alvarez were about to learn something that would shift the investigation. another attack, suspiciously similar to the one that denise had been describing. too similar to ignore. here is josh mankiewicz with "twisted tale". >> this began as a high tech kidnapping that sounded like a tv movie. >> we were not able to

substantiate any -- >> then, police announced it was really on elaborate hoax. >> denise huskins and aaron quinn, branded as liars or attention addicts retreated from site. >> thank you. >> that might have been the end of it, until a little over two months later. this story then took another unbelievable turn >> june 5th, 2015. 3:34 am >> they can possibly have her daughter. >> police were called to a house in dublin, california. an intruder was inside. >> the husband possibly has a head injury, we're having trouble -- >> when the police arrived, the man was gone, leaving behind a shaken family with a frightening story. the woman told police that she and her husband woke up in the early morning hours, to find a man standing at the foot of their bed, a flashlight shining in their faces >> he told them, get face down on your bed, do

not look at me. >> terrifying? >> yes, they were terrified. >> dublin police detectives miguel campos and michel alvarez led the investigation. >> they said, we have your daughter, she is okay. >> the couple's 22-year-old daughter had been sleeping in the next room. >> he tells the parents, i'm going to tie you up. the father jumps on him, and says i'm not going to let you tie me up, something's going on with my daughter, he struggles, he goes on the ground. >> his wife grabbed her cell phone and locked herself in the bathroom to call 9-1-1 >> because when i was out of her, honey, go get the gun! go get the gun! now, this was very smart on the fathers part, because they had no gun but he had to say anything to try to scare this guy away. >> the father continued to fight, until finally the intruder fled. but in the struggle, he left some things behind. zip ties, for one. and what turned out to be the key to the case, a cell phone

which led the dublin detectives to a home near sacramento. they called the phone there, and the woman who answered the phone belong to her adult son, a man named matthew muller. >> he said, he lost it this morning. we said, where is? we would like to give it to him. >> she says, he's on her way to the lake tahoe cabin. >> the cops knew their next stop was south lake tahoe first, they put in a call to the local sheriff to ask if there had ever been trouble at the cabin. there had not, but a stolen car had just been found right near it. and in the car was a drivers license for 38 year old matthew

muller. >> i said okay, you just kind of made my day now. now, we have more information to go on. >> with a search warrant and an arrest warrant, the dublin cops went to find matthew muller. the neighbors watched it happen. >> you know i am just peeking out my window, trying to get an idea of what is happening. more cars are coming. my whole front area is filled with dark said dance, like something out of a movie. >> the neighbors were surprised but maybe matthew muller was not. >> when we broke down the front door, it does not open all the way, because it was barricaded with chairs and various household items. and upon entering, i could hear my detectives screaming get on the ground, get on the ground! and your heart rate kind of jumps up like, ok, he is there. >> this is matthew muller, just after he was arrested. he did not put up a fight. in the house, deted, the search warrant, they are showing us pictures that have been sent to them. >> those would be the photos, email to reporter henry lee from that anonymous address. shots of spray-painted water pistols, and made with cardboard on the windows. >> but is when the light really clicked on, we all kind of went, oh no, here we go. >> coming up. ivy league former marine, respected attorney. >> i would much more have invasion that seemed to link the man they had arrested, matthew muller, to the alleged kidnapping of denise huskins. not just just the photos of toy guns painted to look real. but the room in the suspect's home they saw during the arrest. that matched the photos sent to henry lee. there was more. significant clues pointed to a real kidnapping. that vallejo cops seem to have over looked or ignored from the the crimes he was implicated in. maybe more so. >> having dealt with someone like him, it's just the kind of stuff that you typically see in movies. >> a california native, muller served in the u.s. marine corps where he was a trumpet player. he then attended pomona college. alex was a classmate. >> i would much more have suspected matt to be sitting behind the desk in some elected capacity, as opposed to beihe r. in 2013, he lost his privileges to practice law and was eventually disbarred. he got divorced, stop paying rent.

in 2014, he filed for bankruptcy. it's not clear what went wrong. his defense lawyer says muller suffers from bipolar disorder. he's unimposing, nearly in 2013, he lost his privileges to practice law and was eventually disbarred. he got divorced, stop paying rent. in 2014, he filed for in 2014, he filed for the time were written by a lawyer. a lawyer police now believe was matthew muller. what emerges from the emails is a complex picture of someone top of me, their hand was over my mouth. >> the woman we are calling, samantha, had not heard the names denise huskins or matthew muller until we contacted her. as we will see, the details that happened to her seemed frighteningly familiar. >> my hands wer account number, my pin. >> as with denise and aaron, the intruder made sure no help would be coming anytime soon >> he figured out who my boss was from my emails, he emailed my boss that i was sick, and i could not come into work that day then you are thinking, wow, this is getting more hopeless. >> she says just as denise aaron did, but she was sedated. in her case, it was only nyquil. she became drowsy, but never passed out. she was completely helpless, completely in his control, when it got even worse, the intruder told her. >> i have some bad news for you, i will now have to rape you. >> tied up, blindfolded, she pleaded with her captor not to do it. >> his response? >> he got very quiet, and he kind of muttered... i can't do this. >> and then, the man who had terrorized her for hours

suddenly seemed remorseful. >> he said, i am sorry about this. i have been through this as well. >> he even offered some helpful home security advice. >> he recommended i get a dog so i could have protection in the future. >> so he is advising you how to keep this from happening again? >> i know, it is incredible. >> yeah, i mean, it is. it is hard to believe. >> i agree. >> the man soon left, without letting samantha see his face. and when she called the police, the response she received might sound familiar to denise huskins. >> did the police believe you? >> i do not think. so what they told me was they thought maybe i just had a bad dream, and that i had called 9-1-1 after my bad dream. >> but less than a month later, a similar case, in nearby palo alto. a man broke into this house and restrained the woman living

there with zip ties and swimming goggles, he then threatened to rape her. or is it the same man? was it matthew muller? >> police investigating samantha's assault aren't sure, but lieutenant zach perron with the palo alto police believe the same person is responsible for both crimes. >> we were able to identify one suspect in the case, he is our prime suspect, matthew muller. >> muller has neither been charged in either case. we wanted to hear from muller, himself. his attorney did not want him to do an interview, however muller agreed to see a visitor. "dateline" associate producer kayla ward spent 30 minutes speaking to muller in jail, through glass, on the phone. no camera, no recording, no note taking allowed. >> what is your initial impression of him? >> extremely talkative. it was like he was in his element.

>> what is his answer to whether or not he was guilty about the crimes he was accused of? >> he would not say, he would not deny anything, but would not say he was guilty of anything. >> she asked him about samantha. >> i said we recently interviewed a woman. and her case matches denise huskins's and aaron quinn's cases. he opened his eyes, really wide, like he could not believe i was bringing this up. >> but, he denied knowing anything about samantha's case, or the one in palo alto. then, kayla asked about denise huskins. >> he looked at me intensely and said, could you imagine being woken up in the middle of the night, taken from your home, sexually assaulted and then, you are brave, and it is used against you by the police? and, they were tears in his eyes, he was very emotional about it. >> putting on a show? >> he might have been putting on a show. he is very smart, very, very smart. >> and very eager to talk about his own troubles. >> he wanted to be very clear,

the last six years of his life have been spent in depression. he has had a few suicide attempts. he said, you know, he is in jail now, happy to be there because it is a safe place for him and the community. >> muller did say in his professional life, he always wanted to do good for others. >> he told me, my hope for my

you know, i think i will spend a few decades in jail, and i am fine with that. >> about a year after he spoke with dateline, he pleaded guilty in federal court to kidnapping denise huskins. he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, he also pleaded no contest to the home invasion. in 2018, muller faced new state charges of kidnapping, rape, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment. he now claims he is not guilty. there is plenty we still do not know. for example, denise huskins and aaron quinn are convinced that it was more than one kidnappers. >> do you have any reason to believe there were other people out there? >> i do not, no. he used we, i believe to instill more fear in the victims. >> another unknown, how the victims were chosen. denise may not have been the target of the kidnapping, the email sent to henry lee claimed the kidnappers were after aaron quinn's ex fiancée, who had

previously lived with him. but they grabbed up denise instead. denise huskins and aaron quinn will live forever with the emotional scars of their ordeal, home invasion, kidnapping and then public humiliation their lawyer is jim wagstaff. >> they were innocent of the crimes, but repainted in the world is having a bit involved in a terrible hopes. >> vallejo police department, so eager to talk in those first few days, has since clammed up. but they did send denise huskins and aaron quinn each a letter of apology, but so far, has made no public statement to correct the image of these two as liars and publicity hounds. denise and aaron sued the city of vallejo, and in march, 2018, they settled that case for two and a half million dollars.

still, no one from vallejo pd had ever explain why the case went so wrong. the official department answer is only, no comment. >> he said to you, by the way, i am sorry about this, this will mess you up >> yes? >> he was right about that, wasn't he? >> yes, yes it definitely messed me up for quite a while >> sometimes, the most true story is the one that sounds like a lie. >> why did you want this? >> if i can contribute in any way to making sure that this is taken seriously, and basically say, this is not a hoax. i lived through this, and i know for a fact that it is true. >> that is all for this edition of "dateline". i'm natalie morales. thanks for watching