Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare provides many answers to the questions raised by the bizarre case it describes, but there are other questions it can’t answer. This limited series details the disturbing case of Denise Huskins’ kidnapping, assault, and release. In 2015, after intruders entered the Mare Island home of Aaron Quinn, Huskins’ boyfriend at the time, and incapacitated the couple, Huskins was kidnapped, held hostage, and subjected to sexual violence. The kidnappers demanded a ransom that Quinn couldn’t provide, and two days later, Huskins was released.
The strange details of the case led the police, led by controversial detective Mat Mustard, and the media to jump to the unsubstantiated conclusion that Huskins had fabricated the event. The media compared the case to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. However, the relentless search for the truth by Sergeant Misty Carausu eventually led to the arrest and charging of Matthew Muller, Huskins’ kidnapper and attacker. American Nightmare allows Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn, and other people involved in the case to recall the event in their own words. This powerful and effective series provides answers to many questions, but others must be left up to speculation.
Who Were Matthew Muller’s Co-Conspirators?
Based on both Huskins’ and Quinn’s recollection in American Nightmare, there were multiple people who arrived at Quinn’s home and who were involved in the kidnapping. Huskins recalls Muller telling her that he was part of a black market kidnapping organization that held people for ransom money. She also explained that she heard several different people arrive and leave at different points while she was in captivity. Despite this, only Muller was ever arrested and charged with Huskins’ kidnapping and assault.
This raises questions as to why no other suspect has ever been identified, investigated, or charged in this case. In many ways, American Nightmare is a story about people in the justice system failing to properly investigate a crime and respect victims. Quinn and Huskins believe that Muller had co-conspirators and that they could still be out there (via The U.S. Sun). Considering this, the lack of an investigation into potential co-conspirators may be just another way that Huskins and Quinn feel the case was mishandled by the police.
Why Did The Kidnappers Release Huskins Even Though No Ransom Was Paid?
Quinn describes being emailed by a kidnapper who demanded $15,000 in ransom. Quinn contacted his bank to see how much money he would be able to get, and he found out he could only advance $3,500. After relaying this information back to the kidnapper, he stopped receiving replies. This made him concerned for Huskins’ safety, ultimately leading him to contact the police. Huskins was released two days later, even though the ransom money was never paid.
If the goal of kidnapping Huskins was to obtain ransom money in exchange for her return, it can be confusing as to why the kidnapper, or kidnappers, released her despite never receiving this ransom. There are no clear answers to this mystery, but perhaps the kidnappers freed Huskins because they knew they would never get the money they desired. Quinn couldn’t obtain the amount they wanted, and shortly after communicating this fact, he went to the police.
Huskins also recalls Muller telling her that she would be released after two days. This suggests that this was always the plan and how they operated. If this kidnapping was part of a larger operation, maybe releasing victims after a predetermined amount of time enabled the kidnappers to quickly move onto and kidnap a different target, one whom they may have more success with getting ransom money in exchange for. Two days is a truncated amount of time, giving law enforcement less time to track them down, if the loved one being asked for the ransom had even had time to go to the police at all. Quick-release hits are a good way to keep moving and avoid being caught.
Why Were The Kidnappers Targeting Andrea Roberts, Quinn’s Ex?
According to Quinn’s and Huskins’ retelling of the home invasion in American Nightmare, one of the kidnappers said that Huskins was not the intended target and that, instead, they had been intent on kidnapping Andrea Roberts, Quinn’s ex. Huskins also remembers Muller telling her while she was in captivity that the kidnapping wasn’t meant for her. Not much more detail is given about this revelation in the show. In “Part Three: The Others,” it’s stated that Muller never revealed why Roberts was the intended target.
The fact that Quinn’s ex was the target is just one thing that makes this case so strange. The fact that no answers were ever given as far as this detail leaves it open to speculation. Since Muller seemed to have a history of stalking, it’s possible that he decided to stalk Roberts for some reason and selected her as his next victim. If Muller was part of a larger, black market organization, it’s likely the organization had its own reasons for wanting to kidnap Roberts, reasons that may never be uncovered or understood.
Why Wasn’t Muller Charged With Other Crimes?
Near the end of “Part Three: The Others,” it’s explained that Muller was never charged with the attempted rapes he allegedly committed in Mountain View and Palo Alto. He also wasn’t charged with the Peeping Tom incidents he allegedly committed on Mare Island. Considering the similarity of these crimes to the crimes he committed against Huskins and Quinn, it raises questions as to why he wasn’t charged.
One reason Muller was ultimately charged with his crimes against Huskins is because there were many pieces of physical evidence uncovered that directly linked him to the crime. For example, as explained in American Nightmare, a strand of Huskins’ hair was found on a pair of blacked-out swimming goggles discovered at the South Lake Tahoe residence where Muller was staying. Unfortunately, it’s likely that Muller wasn’t charged with the other aforementioned crimes because there wasn’t enough physical evidence to definitively link him to them (via The Atavist Magazine).
How Did Muller Know His Victims’ Names?
American Nightmare eerily reveals that Muller knew personal details about his victims prior to attacking them. Huskins and Quinn note that Muller, or another alleged kidnapper, mentioned Roberts by name during the home invasion. Later, it’s revealed that Muller knew where Huskins’ childhood home was, as he released her a short walking distance from it. In “Part Three: The Others,” another alleged victim of Muller describes her ordeal in which he broke into her home in the middle of the night and attempted to sexually assault her. To calm her down, she explains, he called her by her first name.
This raises some questions about how Muller learned these details. While no clear answer is given, Muller likely gleaned these facts as a part of planning his crimes. As explained in American Nightmare, Muller was suspected to be the Mare Island Creeper, a Peeping Tom who stalked Mare Island homes. Perhaps he also stalked Tracey, Quinn, and Huskins before he attacked them, learning things about them. Since she wasn’t his intended target, it’s also possible Muller stalked Huskins’ loved ones after capturing her to learn things about her to use this information to threaten her.
What Careers Did Huskins and Quinn Pursue After The Case Concluded?
The heartfelt ending of the series gave some insight into the lives of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn following the terrifying ordeal. The pair wed and had two daughters, Olivia and Naomi. Huskins explained that they moved to the coast to start a new life together. Not much else is revealed about the paths the two went on to pursue, and some viewers may be curious as to what careers Huskins and Quinn took on as part of their new chapter of life.
Quinn explained earlier in American Nightmare that during the media frenzy, the two were too traumatized to continue to work at their shared place of employment doing physical therapy. They also feared that they wouldn’t be allowed back at work because of their status in the media as alleged hoaxsters. In the present day, Huskins works as a physical therapist, while Quinn works with high school athletes and helps train them to become professionals through a company called Apiros.