The bizarre case of an abduction of a Vallejo woman continued with more twists and turns Thursday. The family of Denise Huskins says it’s outraged by the Vallejo Police Department’s latest press conference, calling the case a hoax.
“The facts of this case are evolving and coming out and will come out at the appropriate time,” said Jeff Kane, Huskins’ uncle. “For them to stand up that quickly in this investigation and vilify the Huskins Family, it just seems reckless to me and highly unfair.”
It was Monday around 2 p.m. when Aaron Quinn, 30 of Vallejo, reported to police that strangers had broken into his Mare Island home in the middle of the night and abducted his girlfriend, Denise Huskins, 29 of Vallejo, demanding an $8,500 ransom. He had waited eleven hours to report it, spurring questions of why there was such a delay.
Vallejo Police Lt. Kenny Park said Wednesday night to media that investigators now believed the story was completely fabricated.
“The statement that Mr. 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,” Park said.
Thursday morning, Quinn’s attorneys, Amy Morton and Daniel Russo of Moron & Russo LLP of Vallejo, held a press conference at noon to “dispel the misinformation that has been widely reported to date.” In the letter to media, they followed with, “As long standing members of the Vallejo community, the law firm of Morton & Russo will set the record straight that Mr. Quinn is not involved in any form of a “hoax,” and that there should continue to be concern until law enforcement has finalized a full and thorough investigation leading to the arrest and conviction of those personally responsible.”
Vallejo police confirmed that Huskins has also hired an attorney, Douglas Rappaport based out of San Francisco.
Kane said he was horrified after hearing the Vallejo Police Department’s Wednesday night press conference, adding he is standing 100 percent behind his 29-year-old niece, who works as a physical therapist along with Quinn at the Vallejo Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.
Park said that soon after Huskins showed up safe near her father’s Huntington Beach apartment Wednesday morning, police lost contact with her and her family.
“Vallejo Police Department and the FBI made arrangements to have Ms. Huskins flown up to Northern California in a jet and as of now we don’t know where Huskins is,” Park said. “We are no longer in contact with family members.”
Kane countered that the family has been more than cooperative with police, staying at the Vallejo Police Department headquarters till 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“She’s not hiding. She’s been through one of the most horrific ordeals anyone could possible go through and to not feel like jumping on a plane and going back to where this all started, that’s not very hard to believe,” said Kane. “To vilify her for that, it’s unfair, and I think it’s reckless.”
Police are not mincing words. They say Huskins and Quinn both owe the community an apology for draining resources in the searches in the water and on foot around Mare Island for something they now believe was a lie. Kane said the police department will be “changing its tune” within the next 48 hours.
“Lieutenant [Park] or whatever is going to have an apology for the Huskins family," Kane said.
