An upcoming true crime documentary will unravel the twisted case of the real 'Gone Girl' after a couple was accused of staging her kidnapping and rape.
Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn became known as the Gone Girl hoaxer couple in 2015 after she was kidnapped from their home in Vallejo, California.
For two days, the then 29-year-old was drugged and raped by her captor in a remote house before being released into an alley next to her parents' home.
But researchers didn't believe their far-fetched story until the real perpetrator finally confessed. Huskins later sued the police for defamation – and won.
Here, FEMAIL has uncovered the chilling details of the case as Netflix is set to release American nightmare.
Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn became known as the Gone Girl hoaxer couple in 2015 after she was kidnapped from their home in Vallejo, California
The trailer shows footage of the loving boyfriend in police interrogation rooms as he was questioned about an argument with his girlfriend over messages she found on his phone
Days later, her kidnapper inexplicably dropped her off in an alley outside her parents' home – much to everyone's surprise.
The new trailer for American Nightmare opens with the harrowing 911 call Quinn made in March 2015, in which he claims, “My girlfriend Denise was kidnapped last night.”
The operator immediately asks why he did not call at the time, to which he answers: “I was tied up.”
The couple, who were both physiotherapists, were asleep in bed at the time of the burglary, with Quinn later recounting the shocking series of events to investigators.
'I wake up. There's a bright light that blinds us, a taser goes off and I see they're wearing wetsuits… They asked Denise to tie my hands behind my back,” he said.
The perpetrator brandished a fake weapon before playing a pre-recorded message that made it appear as if there was more than one kidnapper.
The terrified pair were then drugged and blindfolded with blacked-out glasses before Huskins was bundled into the boot and driven almost 500 miles away.
Police arrived on the scene and found blood splatter throughout the house, zip ties, toy guns and even an inflatable doll.
But questions began to arise about who might be behind Huskins' disappearance, and suspicion immediately fell on Quinn.
Police arrived at the scene of the kidnapping and found blood splatter throughout the house, as well as zip ties
The perpetrator brandished a fake weapon before playing a pre-recorded message that made it appear as if there was more than one kidnapper
Oddly enough, investigators even found a blow-up doll after Huskins' kidnapping
The trailer shows footage of the doting boyfriend in police interrogation rooms as he was questioned about an argument with his girlfriend over messages she found on his phone shortly before her disappearance.
The perpetrator had demanded $15,000 in ransom for Huskins' safe return during the two-day ordeal.
But days later, her kidnapper inexplicably dropped her off in an alley outside her parents' home – much to everyone's surprise.
Reflecting on the moment the couple reunited, Huskins told ABC's 20/20: 'Every moment in captivity I kept imagining him, I kept visualizing what that feeling must be like to finally feel safe in his arms again.
“When he knocked on the door and I opened it, we just hugged… we cried and held each other.”
Quinn added, “I knew our lives were changed forever and that we would go through more problems, but at least we had each other.”
But Huskins' release only made observers more suspicious.
Many said this was proof the couple had lied and they were inundated with comments on social media from trolls who believed the story was fabricated.
Vallejo Police Lt. Kenny Park said at a news conference after Huskins resurfaced.
'We couldn't substantiate any of the things he said. If anything, it is Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins who owe this community an apology,” he said.
The empathetic couple married in 2016 – a year after the kidnapping – before welcoming their daughter in 2020
Huskins and Quinn sued the police for defamation and won a $2.5 million settlement
Likewise, cocommentators on the new series stated that Huskins “looked more like a suspect,” adding, “I have never heard of a case where the kidnappers dropped their victim off at the front door of their house.”
But the case would take another shocking turn when Matthew Muller, a 41-year-old disbarred lawyer, turned himself in to the police a few months later.
He pleaded guilty to the crime and revealed that he had been monitoring the couple in their home with drones.
Huskins testified in court that Muller had treated her like “an animal” when he raped her, explaining: “You dropped me around the bed like a rag doll.”
Matthew Muller, a 41-year-old disbarred lawyer, turned himself in to the police a few months later
“The only way I got through it was to imagine it was Aaron I was with, and that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
She said of the harrowing attack: “I told myself, whatever they do, I'm not going to beg and scream.
“If these are the last moments I'm going to experience, I'm just going to stay calm and be grateful for the life I've had.”
Muller, a former Marine, told prosecutors he suffered from bipolar disorder and was on medication when he kidnapped Huskins.
He pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping charges and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2017.
Muller was later sentenced to an additional 31 years to serve concurrently after pleading no contest to two counts of forcible rape of Huskins, theft from an occupied dwelling, residential burglary and false imprisonment.
Huskins and Quinn have since shared their story in a book titled Victim F: From Crime Victims To Suspects To Survivors.
The embattled couple tied the knot in 2016 – a year after the kidnapping – before welcoming their daughter in 2020.
They sued the police for defamation and won a $2.5 million settlement.
Netflix's American Nightmare airs on January 17