i knew i was going to get to tell my kids, guess what. i found mommy. >> tonight on "20/20," the mystery that has become an american obsession. what happened to the missing super mom? >> a mother, out jogging, vanishes into thin air. just as mysteriously as she disappeared, she reappeared, three weeks later. >> that father, talking only to "20/20." >> nice to meet you.

4-year-old son. >> he said, are you looking for her? i said, everyone in the whole world is looking for her. >> the search for sherri papini intensifies. >> was there a moment you thought she was dead? >> we looked up, and started to see some birds circling. i just went to my knees. here to look for my wife? prepare yourself, she's alive, and you just got to be happy. but they branded her. >> who took her? what did they want? and why did they let her go? >> the things she told me --

entire "20/20" exclusive, with sherri's husband. >> you're here. you're alive. >> reporter: it's a brisk day on november 2nd in the rural community of mountain gate, california, nestled in the foothills of the cascade mountains. and for the papini family, it starts out like any typical morning. >> i remember everything about that day. around 6:50 a.m., my wife was on her way to check on our daughter, violet. and we met there at do i gave her a kiss and a hug and went right out the door. >> reporter: that evening when keith returns home from work as a best buy audio/video specialist, he expects his usual boisterous welcome from wife sherri and the kids. >> i pulled up, i saw our other car there. i opened the door expecting. my son coming 100 miles an hour running right at me. and then usually violet right behind him. we do what we call our family snuggles. >> reporter: instead, he is

>> i looked in a few different rooms and couldn't find anyone. i thought, "maybe they're outside." and i looked around outside. but at the time, i thought, "i'm sure they're all together." i had no reason to believe otherwise. >> reporter: he opens up an app on his iphone to see if he can track sherri's location. >> i did the "find my phone," and it showed where her phone was, where she was so i assumed that's where she was and i assumed that tid her. >> reporter: where did the find my phone app show where sherri was and you thought with the kids? >> near our mailbox, a ways away. it's about a mile away actually. >> reporter: are you worried? >> not quite yet. >> reporter: keith jumps into his wife's car and follows the breadcrumb pins on the map toward the mailboxes. >> so i got in her car and immediately drove down to the end of our mailbox. and was anticipating i would see her.

they are nowhere in sight. >> i then called my mom and asked if they spoke and she said she hadn't. >> reporter: keith dials his children's daycare center. >> the first thing i said is, "what time did sherri pick up the kids today?" and when she said, "the kids are here." it was like, something is wrong. there is something wrong right now. >> reporter: keith's relationship with sherri is a rare love story dating back to childhood. a storybook beginning starting with a sev-g later, keith even presented the notes she had written him back in middle school. >> i remembered all these years ago. i kept her notes that she wrote me. and i dug them up, and i handed her a box and of course it was all our little notes back and forth. >> reporter: soon enough, keith would find himself on one knee asking for sherri's hand in marriage. >> i was just head over heels for her and i knew i wanted to marry this girl. >> reporter: the striking couple tie the knot in 2009. they look like a fairytale

she, like a princess, and he, like a prince. their photos together seem as if they're ripped from the pages of a glossy magazine. >> they do just very sweet things for one another and just kind of things that you read out of a novel or see on tv. >> reporter: the young couple put down roots in their hometown just outside of redding, california. the papinis move into this two-story house. the house keith grew up in. and by all accounts, sherri, a stay at home mom, treasures her family life. doting on 4-year-old tyler and 2-year-old violet and on her husband. sherri's been called supermom. where does the supermom name come from? >> she wakes up in the morning, has her kids dressed. their meals are planned out for them and their activities for the day. and not just that.

when she makes the pie she doesn't just make a pie. she makes it look gorgeous. >> reporter: but now that supermom is missing and keith is frantic to find her. he goes to the mailboxes where that find my phone app first pinpointed sherri's iphone. >> again, i wasn't looking for a phone. i was looking for sherri. when i didn't find sherri, i went to the other road, came right back, parked, and now i'm looking for a phone because it's saying ihe and it did not take me long. it was right off the road. >> reporter: keith is stunned. its sherri's iphone lying in the grass. strands of her blond hair tangled in the headphones. >> if she would have lost her phone driving home one day and she had put it on the roof of the car and it fell off, you know, okay. i could see that happening. but her car was at home and the kids were at school. i knew something was wrong. >> reporter: now keith goes into

he takes two pictures of sherri's iphone and then dials 911. >> i wanted to make a clear message. this is real. you need to get here now. i don't know how many phone calls 911 gets on this kind of thing. 90% of the time, they went to the store or they're hiding under the bed. or it's not that. i knew she was taken. >> reporter: keith is convinced sherri woke up that morning, went out for a jog, training for race. he thinks she turned out their driveway, down a quiet country road and never came back. news of sherri's disappearance quickly spread to the family. >> when i heard keith's voice on the phone, i knew it was absolutely real and when i hung up the phone i fell down and just started crying and told my husband that my sister's gone.

is, and, i don't know if i'm ever going to see her again. >> reporter: but how will this father tell his son why his mommy didn't come home? >> i picked him up and -- and i told him i had something important to tell him. and he -- he jumped -- he jumped up on the couch with me. and he knew, he knew something was up. and he said "dad, you could tell me anything." what an emotional conversation. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. stay with us, this continues to unfold. so many theories will be put forward about what really happened. the husband tells us he's speaking out to help end the speculation.

secret location to help protect the family. and coming up, the husband taking a polygraph. (sighing) hey mom, can i help? yeah, i'd love your help. (grunting) awww... (announcer vo) the real magic of the holidays my name is pam. i'm 51 years old. when i was diagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia, it was huge for everybody. she just started to decline rapidly. i was rushed to the hospital... my symptoms were devastating. the doctor said, "pam! if you'd have waited two more days, you would've died." if i'd have known that a vaccine could have helped prevent this, i would have asked my doctor

so basically we have two production options... hey guys, i gotta call you back. (phone ringing) hello? hi mom! oh, hi sweetie! how are you? give a keurig brewer this holiday and they will think of you everyday. when coughing keeps your family awake. breathe easier with vicks vaporub.

from now until the end of the year, shopping at small businesses could be even more rewarding. because, when you shop small with your eligible american express card, you could get two times the rewards. so support the businesses that make your town a community. the people who make your community, home those insiders, with the inside knowledge, those friends with a welcome smile. and you could get twice the rewards.

get out... get together and shop small. "20/20" continues. once again, here's matt gutman. >> reporter: from the foothills here in shasta county, california, the mist can make a mountain vanish right before your eyes. that's also what happened to sherri papini. disappearing in broad daylight

>> she is considered at risk due to the suspicious circumstances. >> reporter: within hours of keith's 911 call, deputies are searching for sherri. they soon get reinforcements, friends, neighbors and complete strangers lining up to help. >> we're just using a map and we're doing some grid searches. >> the longer someone's missing, that's a very critical time, the first 24 hours. >> reporter: from rushing creeks, to culverts choked with brush. but for the husband of the woman the earth, it's not enough. >> did i want more? of course, i wanted the marines, the army. i want a s.w.a.t. team to break into every home in a ten-mile radius. i'm going to do everything i can to find my wife. >> reporter: sherri's big sister sheila, and keith's sister suzanne. >> please bring her home. she has babies. she loves them. she has a family that loves her. please just bring her home.

feeling, at first, of what might've happened to her? >> we still don't know. we were trying to keep a very open mind. so then we start checking with friends, family, other associates to try and put together a timeline. looking for homes that maybe had some surveillance video, and then looking to local area motels and hotels, to see if she had been seen there. >> reporter: i'm sure you looked into sherri's past. did you find anything? >> we were looking into a little bit of everything. financials, we found where she had been previously married and had been divorced. we checked with her ex-husband, who lives out of state, and found that he had not heard or seen from -- talked to her in probably six years or more. >> reporter: then from this truck stop, a woman calls in a heart-stopping lead. >> she said that she saw a young woman that fit the description of sherri papini and that when she approached her and asked her if everything was okay that she seemed somewhat evasive.

>> the detectives believe that that was not ms. papini in that vehicle. >> reporter: for his part, keith, ordinarily so private he and sherri don't even do facebook, begins making tv appearances. anything to keep sherri's face in the public eye. >> if we can get it everywhere, as i'm sure all of you would do if you wife or husband was missing, you would do whatever you can, and that's what i'm doing. >> reporter: and so in the late fall, in the shadow of the cascade mountains, a strange bumper crop of yellow ribbons and posters appears, billboards for a nightmare. >> i was just wondering about her health. are they feeding her? is she hot? is she cold? just little horrible things that i would go through. i thought about that. i thought about her being there screaming my name and that i wasn't there and that really got to me.

despair hung over him like a cloud. >> there was a moment where we were heading back after we did a few mile search. and we look up and we start to see some birds circling. and i went to my knees and i thought, "am i really hiking out here to look for my wife and i don't want to find her right now, but i do want to find her." and one of my good friends came over and just, you know, hugged me and let me cry on her shoulder for a little bit. it was a very sad and a very emotional and angry moment for me. and i'm very glad they were with me to kind of pick me up. and it was -- that was -- that was a tough one for me, that

you're dealing with this sadness, this pain, this agony of fear, you've still got two little kids to think about. >> fortunately, i have an amazing family, and amazing friends and they really came to the rescue. kept them happy, kept them out of this. >> reporter: the grownups try to shelter them, but keith and sherri's son and daughter are old enough to know their world has been turned upside-down. and after a couple of weeks, keith can no longer keep the huge secret from his 4-year-old tyler. >> i told him i had something important to tell him and he jumped on the couch and he knew something was up and he said, "dad you can tell me anything." for a little 4-year-old to say

so i just said, "son, mommy went running and she didn't come home and we're all looking for her right now." and we just held each other. he said, "are you looking for her?" and i said, "everybody in the world is looking for her right now." i said, "we're gonna find her and we're gonna get her back." >> reporter: keith had no idea whether that was a promise he could keep. sherri may be gone, but her picture is everywhere. one day keith sees their son, with the innocence of a 4-year-old, standing in front of sherri's picture. >> he was just standing there and he had his left hand on her face. he was just staring at her. tears in his eyes with his hands on her face. >> reporter: solving the kidnaping of that wife and

look impossible. especially since authorities were not convinced she'd been kidnapped. >> we are keeping open minds to this. we're looking at all avenues. we're not saying it isn't an abduction, we're not saying it's not. could it be a voluntary disappearance? could it be involuntary? we don't know at this time. >> i know she was taken. my family knows she was taken. but you're obviously not going to come out and say that, abduction, because you don't have the evidence. and that was a little rough for me to hear, but -- >> reporter: the investigation about to take a sharp turn. as a new player rs with a radical plan to cut out the police and bring sherri home safe all on his own. a man named gamble, ready to roll the dice. >> i didn't know if it was going to work, but i wasn't going to not try it. not try it. >> reporter: stay with us. so i had an important ersation with my dermatologist about humira. he explained that humira works inside my body to target and help block a specific source

were clear or almost clear, and many saw 75% and even 90% clearance in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask about humira, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists. clearer skin is possible. what? oh, hi! bello! save $10 when you spend $50 on holiday d?cor and trees at target.

prand let roomba from irobot help with your everyday messes. roomba navigates your entire home. cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. which means your floors are always clean. you and roomba, from irobot. better. together. in a world that's trying to turn you into someone new... ...one hair color wants to help you keep on being you. nice'n easy. natural-looking color... ...that even in sunlight, doesn't look like hair color... it just looks like you. nice'n easy: color as real as you are. you brush your teeth diligently... o times a day right? t 80% of bacteria aren'even teeth.diligently... eughty purschunt?! colgate total's different. it fights bacteria on teeth, tongue, cheeks and gums. protecting 100% of your mouth' rfaces.

>> reporter: as thanksgiving approaches, the search and rescue operation for "supermom" sheri papini is failing. there's been no rescue, and now there's not even a search. >> i'm coming, honey. i'm trying. i'm doing everything i can and i love you. >> reporter: still, a shell-shocked keith papini is keeping his wife's name in the

and for my family. i would never wish this feeling upon anybody. it's taking its toll on me. >> reporter: there's sympathy, of course, but there's also plenty of skepticism. police, following standard procedure, have to eliminate keith as a suspect. remember, the only physical evidence in the case, sherri's cell phone, those ear buds with strands of her hair all discovered and provided by keith in two photos he snaps and then gives to authorities. when you saw the way that that phone was pictured in the photograph he sent you, did it make you think that perhaps it was staged? >> it looked like it could have been placed there, along with the ear buds being placed on top of the phone's screen. >> reporter: your wife vanished. >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: you're also the prime suspect.

it never occurred to me, at first, that people would think it was me. >> i knew it wasn't him. >> reporter: sherri's big sister, sheila, never questioned her brother-in law's innocence. she says if sherri was a super mom, keith was a "superman." >> you would hope that your child or your daughter would find someone so loving, and so dedicated to their spouse. >> reporter: to clear any cloud of doubt, keith papini consents to a polygraph test. it lasts for hours. anything to do with sherri's disappearance? >> of course. to me i was like, "no problem. let's hurry this up and get this over with. >> reporter: it was basically nine days before he was really cleared of suspicion. >> yes. >> reporter: why so long? >> we were going through investigating hundreds of tips, looking at cell phone data -- cell tower data. >> reporter: and did he give you phones, phone records, computers, all that stuff, as well? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: keith papini passes the polygraph.

keith is not a suspect. so, investigators start chasing down outside tips, more than 400. but none of them lead to sherri papini's whereabouts. there are no suspects, there are no viable tips. do you begin to lose hope? >> i don't think i ever lost hope, but it was really eating away at me big-time. i'm getting very angry and frustrated, and i'm scared for my wife. starts a go fund me account. donations start pouring in. $25, $50, $100, raising nearly 50 grand, in all, to find her. then, a radical idea from an anonymous donor, separate from the family, who offers a ransom for sherri's safe return. you don't know who the anonymous person is?

>> reporter: it's anonymous to you as well? >> yes. >> reporter: the nameless donor instructs the presumed kidnappers to contact a designated negotiator. a professional in this shadowy field. >> my name is cameron gamble, i'm an international kidnapping ransom consultant. i've been retained by an individual who wishes to remain anonymous. >> reporter: okay, so, who is this guy? he's a former air force senior airman, who now makes his living training military, and law enforcement, and even private citizens how to evade and escape capture. we met him at this training facility furnished with kidnapping simulators like this shipping container where gamble described the dark arts of his craft. what made you so confident that this was an abduction and not something else? >> everything i looked at fit that bill. look at the husband. >> if she's listening, i would want her to know that we are trying, and i'm -- uh, we're trying the best we can. >> he wasn't faking it. look at sherri herself.

all that. >> reporter: by now, keith is desperate. he's even considered turning to psychics. so when gamble contacts him, asking for permission to try a more aggressive approach, he agrees. >> there was no idea or thought that if i think could work, that i was not going to try. >> reporter: 12 days into sherri papini's disappearance, gamble posts this provocative video online promoting the ransom. >> i don't know your motive. i don't know who you are, i i simply care about getting sherri back. >> reporter: did you ever expect someone to ring you up and say, "i have sherri, i want the money?" >> i was hopeful. >> reporter: you were so convinced that sherri was still alive? >> if you go into these situations thinking they're dead, then you lose hope right off the bat. >> reporter: gamble is something of a wild card. to law enforcement he's more of a nuisance than a problem-solver.

>> they can say that all they want. i don't do this for the critics. i do this for the small number that actually matter. and that being keith and sherri. >> reporter: there were some big opponents to this. the sheriff was adamantly opposed. >> yeah. >> reporter: to cameron gamble being involved in anyway. >> for me, i was going to do everything i could to get my wife back. >> reporter: the next gambit for gamble came on november 23rd, the day before thanksgiving. he posts a second video on online. >> the world has been looking for sherri papini. and now the world is going to be looking for you. >> reporter: gamble informs sherri's alleged captors the ransom is now off the table. >> i'm sorry you didn't take advantage when you had the chance. >> reporter: instead, he doubles down in a call to action asking the public to find sherri in exchange for an even bigger reward. was it actually a call for bounty hunters? >> i said, i don't care your criminal status, i don't care if

arrest, if you can lead us to sherri -- and we give you more cash than you can spend. i wanted to make it so tempting that the abductor's own mother would have turned him in. >> reporter: and then, what did you think about making it a bounty when the deadline for the ransom passed? >> i was all for that. >> reporter: but will cameron gamble's bet pay off? when we come back, the moment that would send chills down anyone's spine. >> i just wanted to see her, so i just ran past everybody and, you know, throw open the curtain, and she was there. >> reporter: when "20/20" continues. the inspiration for this ring goes back almost 100 years. it's based on an art deco design. over 50 diamonds, all hand-set. you know the saying, "they don't make 'em like they used to?" i still do. neil lane bridal. at kay... ...the number-one jewelry store for... yes. ? every kiss begins with kay. ?

re. here we go. congrats! i hear you're having a baby. here we go. just breathe. here we go. you better start saving for college tuition. and you'll probably need a bigger house at some point. but new york life can help you manage your family's financial future. so you can relax, and enjoy life's special moments. like this moment. (guttural yelling) that's what being good at life is all about, right? (vo) be good at life.

"20/20" continues. once again, here's matt gutman. >> reporter: keith papini begins his thanksgiving at 3:30 a.m., li northern california cold and the white-hot anguish of the 22nd day without his beloved sherri. a huge balloon release has been planned in her honor. >> we wanted to do something very special. a real close person in my life mentioned, "what about a balloon release? you know, we're all looking for you and here's just a symbol, here's home." and i really liked that. >> reporter: the knife thrust pain of missing sherri is a constant companion.

very early in the morning thanksgiving day, you get a phone call. >> it rang. i think i was shaving at the time. so i kind of looked over and i did not recognize the number. >> reporter: you didn't pick it up. >> i didn't hear it in time. i only got the last two rings. >> reporter: but that wasn't just any call he missed. it was the call. the call he had been praying for. >> immediately after that, my home phone rang. i pick it up. it was my wife screaming in the background, yelling my name and a chp officer said, "i need you to be calm. i need you to be calm." >> reporter: are you panicked at first? you're hearing her scream. >> i'm panicked, but i'm happy. at this point, this is the first time i've heard her voice. i know she's alive. >> reporter: and you hear -- >> i hear screaming. i get the phone, and "oh, my god, honey." of course she's screaming. it's very emotional. "i love you, i love you, i love you. oh, my god, you're here. you're back. where are you?" >> reporter: where was she, and

captors? sherri hasn't spoken publicly yet. the account of her release comes solely from what she told police and her husband. >> she was bound. she had a chain around her waist. she has a bag over her head. i can't remember if it's her right or her left arm, was chained to the chain and her left hand was in the vehicle chained to something. >> reporter: make sure she wouldn't jump out of the car? >> they cut something to free her of her restraint that was holding her into the vehicle and pushed her out and drove away. sherri obviously has one free hand and then took the bag off of her head. she, at this point, has no idea where she's at. she runs to a house and didn't look what she said was very inviting. she ran to another building, could not get into that building, and then ran to the freeway. >> reporter: stranded in the middle of nowhere, sherri feels her only chance at rescue is to

highway. >> people were driving past her and not stopping. she was coughing up blood from the screaming, trying to get somebody to stop. again, just another sign of how my wife is. she's saying, "well, maybe people aren't stopping because i have a chain. it looks like i broke out of prison." so she tried to tuck in her chain under her clothes. i don't know what reaction anybody s i'm just like -- >> reporter: i'm just impressed that she thought of that. 4:00 a.m. and alison sutton happens to be driving down i-5 north, one of millions of americans on the road to visit family for thanksgiving. >> i was in the right hand lane and i saw a woman frantically waving what looked like a shirt, trying to flag somebody down. she had, like, a wide-eyed panicked kind of look. i was startled to see her.

just came out of nowhere. if i had swerved to the right a least little bit, i would have hit her with my car. i figured if she was willing to risk being hit by a car trying to get somebody's attention, that she must really need some help. i pulled off and i dialed 911. >> 911, emergency. >> reporter: rescue workers race to the scene. the silence of the early morning now filling with sirens and the crackle of radio chatter. >> attention, station 8. unknown medical proble female needs medical attention. she is heavily battered. it is going to be some sort of an assault. >> reporter: sherri is found in yolo county, 150 miles from her redding, california, home. disoriented from 22 days in captivity. she has no idea what time or even what day it is. >> the paramedics finally were talking to her, they were the first people to tell her, "happy thanksgiving." and then she's like, "oh, it's thanksgiving night?"

thanksgiving morning." >> reporter: now, after that predawn phone call, keith is breaking every speed limit to get to the hospital where sherri's been taken. >> the entire hospital was on lockdown. eventually, they opened the door. >> reporter: the woman behind the curtain doesn't look like the wife and mother smiling back in countless family photos. >> one of the officers kind of, like, braced me and kind of put his arm around me, and he said, "you know, prepare yourself. she's got to be happy." "they branded her." i just wanted to see her, so i just ran past everybody and i, you know, throw open the curtain and she was there in -- in a bed. and her poor face.

i felt like i hugged her for 20 minutes. i was so happy that she was there and i was just kissing her all over. and then i got, like, nauseated just looking at her. it was so hard for me to see her like that, and -- >> reporter: keith, a couple of times you said her face, her poor face. what did you see? >> the bruises were just intense. the bumps from, you know, being hit and kicked and whatever else. everyone gets a bruise once in a while, but not these types. these were hard to look at. her hair, she's always had very long, blonde hair. you know, they chopped it off. >> reporter: i just need to know i was worried that when you first said her face her face, they didn't brand her face, right? >> i will say that no, it's not on -- not on her face. no. >> reporter: she lost almost 15% of her body weight. >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: in 22 days. >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: that is traumatic

people out there that could do something like this. i just wanted to hold her. and we just had her -- we just embraced each other and cried together. and, i mean, i was so happy, though. i mean, and how do you -- how do you explain it? you're upset and everything at >> reporter: as thanksgiving morning begins to dawn, the miraculous return of sherri papini has not yet reached her redding community. they gather as planned to release those balloons in the hopes of sherri's safe homecoming. two hours later, the community learns their efforts were not in vain. sherri papini would be home for

alive. >> reporter: the crisis may be over but the mystery remains. who took sherri and why? >> you are really looking at somebody that's trying to break her will. that's what they do in cults. >> reporter: when "20/20" continues. ? ? to folks out there whose diabetic nerve pain... shoots and burns its way into your day, i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too!

with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you. yep, got the exact doll she wanted. no, no, no, be right home. ? (squirrel screeching, birds chirping) (squirrel chittering) hey! hey! hey! is this yours? yes. thank you! happy holidays. (vo) the real magic of the holidays

you deserve great tv service. me? yes, you deserve tons of free hd channels. ok... it's all about meredith. you deserve tons of free on demand channels, second lady. who's talking?

n time. what about me? everyone deserves great tv service, okay? anybody else freaked out about this?

>> reporter: the ordeal which shattered sherri and keith papini's world is over. now the police are focused on the big questions. who did this and why? >> it has only begun a new chapter in this investigation. >> reporter: on the day she was found, investigators are only able to get the barest nugget from the traumatized sherri. >> which was two hispanic female adults driving a dark suv. >> reporter: two hispanic women traveling in a dark suv in the state of california is not much of a tip. >> no. it would be, literally, a needle

>> reporter: but the next day, sherri is talking to police. part of a series of interviews in which she slowly opens up with more details of her abduction. did she know the people she was with? >> no. >> reporter: did she ever see them? >> i will share with you that their faces were always covered. i can tell you that there was, you know, guns involved. >> reporter: was she overpowered? >> she didn't voluntarily get into a vehicle, if that's what you're asking. >> reporter: very few people get abducted, just in broad daylight. but the fact that there were two this is even more shocking. >> but also makes more sense to me. >> reporter: why? >> if a vehicle pulled up with two big dudes in it, would you approach that vehicle, being a 100-pound woman? if two women pull up and let's

>> reporter: investigators say those women drove sherri about two and a half hours nonstop that first day. and sherri told them her kidnappers spoke spanish most of the time. >> she literally lived through hell. the things she told me that she did, acting like she was tucking in our kids. and she told me one time she took some piece of cloth and rolled it up like it was violet. and she would rock it. she's so strong. >> reporter: that's the will to survive. >> yeah. >> suspect number one had long curly hair. >> reporter: sheriff bosenko went public with more details. >> she had a thick accent. she had pierced ears. >> suspect number two had straight, black hair with some greying color. she had thick eyebrows. >> reporter: details are few,

kept all but their eyes covered. police follow it up by gently trying to tease up more morsels of memory. >> everything becomes important. the crack of the door, an unusual picture on the wall. what did it smell like? what did it feel like? all of those things may give you proximity, particularly as you get closer to potential suspects in a case. >> reporter: there are several theories police could be pursuing. first up, keith's good friend dale say >> there are a lot of bad folks around the country, and when you start digging up these rocks and looking under, maybe more so than people even understand. >> reporter: we found local residents talking of meth houses and police drug raids, and there are other serious concerns. while this area is really sparsely populated, what it does have a lot of are sex offenders. there are apparently about

here. but police say they checked those leads, and found nothing. yet another theory, keith himself and sherri are behind an elaborate hoax. there's been speculation online and skepticism in some media. >> many reports have said this was a little bit of an attention seeking kind of couple, sort of reality show ready to go. >> reporter: keith vehemently denies it all. writing that ?rumors, assumptions and hate have been both exhausting and disgusting." >> i think these people take cheap shots no matter what. >> i can't believe that somebody would get beaten that severely just to try to make some money. >> reporter: to cameron gamble, sherrie's brutal injuries point to yet another theory. sherri's skin burned multiple times, police saying that vicious branding was a message, not a symbol. >> if you look at just human trafficking alone, a branding is something that would be done to mark a girl, from a pimp or an organization.

expert brad garrett finds that sex trafficking theory doubtful. >> if you are going to traffic somebody, are you going to starve them, beat them, and cut their hair? you are going to do the opposite of that. you want them to look presentable so that they are, you know, to use their words, a commodity to market. >> reporter: as a former fbi profiler, he has a very different theory. based on sherri's 22 days of what keith said were intense physical agony and severe mental torture. >> y somebody that's trying to break her will and destroy her identity from the past. i mean, that's what they do in cults. to brainwash her into whatever they want her to be. >> reporter: and if that's the case, he says, they could still be holding other captives. and even be on the hunt for more. what can you tell the people who live here to reassure them that whoever did this to sherri, plucking her right off this

>> we don't know if this was a random abduction or a targeted abduction. but people should always take precautions for their safety. >> reporter: still, keith is less interested in the why than the what's next for his family. when we return, their healing begins with an emotional reunion. >> my little 4-year-old's, like, "mommy, why are you crying?" "you don't cry when you're happy." and my wife says, "when you're i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. my psoriatic arthritis caused joint pain.

joint pain from ra... can be a sign of existing joint damage... that could only get worse. he prescribed enbrel to help relieve pain and help stop further damage. enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, heart failure, or if you have persistent... fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. joint pain and damage... can go side by side. ask how enbrel can help relieve joint pain and help stop joint damage. enbrel, the number one

olay total effects vitamin enriched to revive skin and fight 7 signs of aging your old school dance moves might show your age, your skin never will olay. ageless. oh caroline. so corporate put you up in a roadside motel. but with directv from at&t, you can download then binge watch your dvr'd shows from anywhere. that makes you more powerful than whatever it is you just stepped in. or that friendly dumpster diver outside.

now you can watch your dvr anywhere, at no extra cost, with directv from at&t. so basically we have two production options... hey guys, i gotta call you back. (phone ringing) hello? oh, hi sweetie! how are you? give a keurig brewer this holiday and they will think of you everyday. [ nutcracker instrumental ] almost... there... hmmmm... get 10% off target giftcards, this sunday only. you guys rock! yeah!... whoaaa! >> reporter: just over a week

>> she and keith have been reunited. >> reporter: keith papini is still marveling over all that he has to be thankful for. >> i had such a great support from my family and my friends. the whole community, the whole world reached out, and i'm so grateful for that. >> reporter: but as of tonight so many questions about this case remain unanswered. the most horrific thing that you could ever have imagined literally almost came right to your front door. >> correct, and that's the mystery. i don't have the answer. and i can't explain it. >> the investigation is far from over. in fact it has only begun a new chapter. >> the threat could still be present. nobody knows who did it, or why they did it, or where they are. and that's got to be terrifying for a dad like you. >> it's terrifying. but you know what? my family's with me now. i think of it differently now. clearly i want justice. but right now i'm just happy that my wife is back.

>> reporter: and even in the midst of all this gratitude, keith says he knows his wife's road to recovery won't be an easy one. >> when lights are off, when doors shut, when she hears certain sounds, i mean, it's something that i don't know how to deal with. and we'll need somebody who can help her through that from a professional standpoint. it's not just a long road, it's something we're never going to forget. >> reporter: something else he moment he got to see his children reunited with their mother. 4-year-old tyler went first. >> i said, "you know what, buddy? i found mom." and he got the biggest grin and he started like, "where is she?" and he just sprinted 100 miles an hour and i was like, "go slow. go slow." and he hugged her, and my wife obviously very emotional and started crying. and she said, "i'm so happy." and my son was like, "you don't

this happy, you cry." >> reporter: then it was 2-year-old violet's turn. >> she just said, "mommy!" and took off running. she picked her up and then again snuggles and kisses, and my son jumped in my arms and of course we all went to the ground for a big family hug. >> reporter: big family snuggles. >> big family snuggles. it makes me smile. we're back. we're whole. >> a family back together and of course, that investigation is ongoing. >> and keith tells us that at least right now, they're staying away from home to give sherri the time she needs to heal in private. >> from all of us at "20/20" and abc news, have a good evening. good night. [captioning made possible by

national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: now on wisn 12 news. patrick: only on wisn 12, first a fender bender, and then much more. the victim's warning for anyone driving. adrienne: only on wisn 12 news, who would be watching the cameras watching you? patrick: and one of country music's biggest stars confronts a man in the audience. what drove luke bryan to slap him. adrienne: we start with evidence marker, fingerprints on the side of the car part of a , bump and run on a milwaukee neighborhood street. patrick: tonight, the victim is saying she feels like she was targeted. >> patrick, the victim tells me she did what most people do when you get into an accident you make sure you're ok then get out and check for damage moments later her car was stolen. >> he threw me to the ground,