20/20 True Crime Vault: "Taken"

Airdate: September 2, 2025
Podcast: 20/20 True Crime Vault
Host: ABC News
Episode Theme:
A harrowing real-life case of abduction, mistaken identity, and botched police work, centering on Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins, who found themselves victims not only of a bizarre kidnapping but also of a police investigation that turned their trauma into a public scandal.

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the shocking 2015 kidnapping-for-ransom case of Denise Huskins from her boyfriend Aaron Quinn’s home in Vallejo, California—a case the police publicly dismissed as a hoax before it was ultimately revealed to be terrifyingly real. The narrative unfolds like a thriller, with dramatic twists, emotional interviews, and a sobering examination of police missteps, media sensationalism, and the lasting scars upon the victims.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Crime: A Night Like No Other

• Home Invasion & Abduction
  • At 3 a.m., Aaron and Denise are awoken by masked intruders in wetsuits, wielding blinding lights and laser pointers ([00:42-02:18]).
  • Both are bound, sedated, and subjected to pre-recorded threats and instructions; Denise is forced to tie up Aaron before she herself is taken ([02:55-08:33]).
  • Notably, the intruders appear highly organized and seem to mistake Denise for Aaron’s ex-fiancée ([09:18-11:22]).

Quote:

"I feel like I am some character in this crime drama. I'm like in a movie. The frogman obviously didn't do it. So who did it?"
—Aaron Quinn ([01:11])

2. The Aftermath: Betrayed by Law Enforcement

• Aaron as Suspect
  • After a delayed 911 call under threat from the kidnappers, Aaron is rapidly treated as the prime suspect ([15:55-16:58]).
  • Police focus on inconsistencies in Aaron and Denise’s relationship rather than the abduction ([19:04-20:41]).
• Interrogation Tactics & Polygraph
  • Aaron undergoes an exhausting round of questioning and a polygraph, is told he "failed miserably," and is denied belief or sympathy ([27:36-27:55]).
  • Officers reference infamous cases, like Laci Peterson, to push Aaron toward a confession ([22:36-23:07]).

Quote:

"There's no question in my mind that you failed this test and you failed it miserably. It's not even close at this point."
—Investigator to Aaron ([27:36])

3. Denise's Ordeal in Captivity

• Physical and Sexual Assault
  • Denise is held for 48 hours in a remote location, subjected to continuous sedation, sexual assault, and manipulative threats ([48:25-49:39]).
• Release and Doubt
  • She is ultimately released near her mother’s house, following threats and instructions not to reveal certain facts ([36:14-36:46], [48:25-49:39]), but is immediately doubted by police ([41:02-41:46]).

Quote:

"Now we meet face to face, eye to eye. I am Denise Huskins, the woman behind the blindfold. I'm not Victim F, the real life gone girl, a hoaxer. Just a body to take a random life. No, I am none of those things. I am Denise Huskins."
—Denise Huskins, victim impact statement ([80:08-81:06])

4. Media Sensation & Gone Girl Syndrome

• "Gone Girl" Comparison
  • Police and press seize on the narrative that Denise orchestrated her own kidnapping à la "Gone Girl," compounding the trauma for both victims ([34:58-35:44], [55:19-55:39]).
  • The story becomes national tabloid fodder, further isolating Denise and Aaron.

Quote:

"The whole premise of it is that the two of them were lying and that this kidnapping never happened."
—Narrator ([41:46], [44:40])

5. The Break: The Real Perpetrator Emerges

• New Crime Reveals Pattern
  • A strikingly similar home invasion in Dublin, CA leads detectives to Matthew Muller—a Harvard-educated former Marine ([59:25-62:41]).
• Evidence Finds Truth
  • Law enforcement finds physical evidence linking Muller to the Huskins kidnapping: goggles with blonde hair, a laptop, and a vehicle connected to the crime ([65:10-65:59]).
  • Investigators realize previous cases were linked and that the Vallejo kidnapping was real, not a hoax ([69:59-70:17]).

Quote:

"When they found the Mustang and the laptop, it was like… the sun breaking… They had executed a search warrant on the residence… everything looked exactly as Denise had described it."
—Aaron Quinn ([70:17])

6. Vindication and Institutional Failure

• Apology and Settlement
  • Eventually, the city and police issue a private apology; Aaron and Denise sue and settle for $2.5 million ([76:31-79:24]).
  • Despite vindication, the department's lack of public accountability is critiqued, and the lead detective is ironically named Officer of the Year.

Quote:

"Yes, I run you over with my car, right? And, you know, I send you a new pair of shoelaces. You know, it just doesn't work."
—Aaron Quinn ([76:54])

7. Healing and Moving Forward

• Their Relationship & Life After
  • Despite immense trauma and public shaming, Denise and Aaron endure, marry, and have a daughter ([81:17-82:44]).
  • Detective Misty Caruso, whose persistence brought truth to light, officiates their wedding, symbolizing the importance of individual good work in the justice system ([81:47]).

Quote:

"Although a lot of what we wrote about in the book is tragic and sad, it is actually really our love story. And there is a happy ending. And it's her. One thing especially that I'd want her to know."
—Denise Huskins ([83:19])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "I feel like I am some character in this crime drama. I'm like in a movie."
  —Aaron Quinn ([01:11])

• "Tonight, Denise Huskins is still missing. Police have no suspects. The new twist in what some call the real life gone girl."
  —Narrator ([02:41])

• "You have to adjust... it's fine for people to make mistakes, [but] to not accept it and acknowledge it, I cannot understand."
  —Narrator ([77:34])

• "We can't rebuild our lives until people can see the truth. I was Victim F for female victim… We were still Victim F and Victim M."
  —Denise Huskins ([78:35])

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:42–02:18 | The Break-in and Abduction Details | | 15:55–16:58 | Aaron Contacts Police, Treated as Suspect | | 27:25–27:55 | Aaron's Polygraph and Disbelief | | 34:44–35:44 | Denise Found Alive, Media and Police Reaction | | 41:02–41:46 | Denise's Interrogation by Police | | 48:25–49:39 | Denise Reveals the Full Ordeal (Assault and Threats) | | 59:25–62:41 | The Dublin Home Invasion and Matthew Muller’s Arrest | | 65:10–65:59 | Physical Evidence Linking Muller to Huskins Kidnapping | | 78:35–79:24 | "Victim F" and Fight for Truth | | 80:08–81:06 | Denise's Victim Impact Statement | | 81:17–82:44 | Wedding, Healing, and the Aftermath |

Closing Reflections

This episode is a powerful indictment of “belief bias” in criminal investigations, the double victimization of those caught between crime and law enforcement, and the redemptive power of truth and resilience. Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn’s story, once dismissed as “Gone Girl fiction,” emerges—through pain, endurance, and the diligence of a few good investigators—as a moving testament to survival and to the consequences of snap judgments by both authorities and the media.