The Kidnapped Truth, now available to stream on Netflix, has caused the Vallejo Police Department in the United States to become the target of virulent criticism, in an avalanche of angry messages regarding Inspector Mat Mustard.
The Kidnapped Truth: From Dream to American Nightmare is the latest crime documentary series from Netflix, centering on the kidnapping dubbed “the “Gone Girl affair” . The case involves Denise Huskins and her partner Aaron Quinn, accused of creating a hoax after asking police for help following the young woman’s kidnapping in 2015.
The authorities, rather than implementing all the necessary means to search for Denise or identify the culprits, preferred to accuse the victims. First Aaron, treated as a murderer, then the couple, when Denise was released: their affair roughly resembling the scenario of the film Gone Girl by David Fincher, it was enough for the unscrupulous police officers to deviate the survey by relying on confirmation bias. The press followed the movement, and the couple, far from being safe while the culprit was still free, had to endure harassment on the networks, in addition to defamation by inspectors, humiliation by the press, and threats from the authorities.
Netflix recently released a documentary series on the case, giving voice to the victims and highlighting certain elements that were not resolved until several years later. And faced with the behavior of the police at the time, a wave of hatred swept through the social networks of the Vallejo police station, in a fierce review bombing.
Vallejo Police Department targeted by negative criticism: not a new thing?
The Vallejo Police Department in California is under intense scrutiny from internet users. Spectators took to social media to express their anger, convinced that law enforcement officers mishandled the case by refusing to acknowledge evidence that did not support their theory: that Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn had created a elaborate hoax similar to the fictional plot of Gone Girl.
Interesting fact: this is not the first time that this department has found itself burned by public opinion following a documentary. Because if social networks are flooded with recent insulting comments and messages, the opinions on Google mainly come from another report, posted on YouTube by Vice News. The title of the video is eloquent: Inside One of America’s Deadliest Police Departments, which can be translated as “In one of the deadliest police departments in America.” The incriminating video thus explains how “no officer has ever been prosecuted” for their failings.
Vallejo police social media under attack after The Kidnapped Truth on Netflix
The Kidnapped Truth on Netflix therefore put the spotlight back on the police department, including Inspector Mat Mustard. The latter was assigned the case, and the series shows archive footage of his interrogations in which the victims are always taken for criminals.
When the truth finally came out, trials against the police took place. The Huskins couple saw their names cleared, but preferred to accept the $2.5 million in compensation rather than continue to sink into the ordeal of other trials: thus, none of the officers involved in the case have received disciplinary sanction.
It is now on social networks that a new battle is taking place, with Netflix viewers having decided to make the police department pay in their own way. From requests for sanctions to simple messages of hatred, everything goes.
“We wonder if Matt Mustard still deserves your Officer of the Year award??” thus launched an Internet user on X/Twitter, while another added: “Poor investigative work – lazy, biased and a proud police department.” A thirdchimed in: “Detective Mustard should have been fired for what he did to the Quinns. Your department is the reason people don’t trust the police.”
The three episodes of The Kidnapped Truth: From Dream to American Nightmare is available on Netflix since January 17, 2024.
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