A new Investigation Discovery docuseries titled Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie explores her side of the story and filmmaker tells In Touch exclusively that it challenges the narrative surrounding ’s infamous kidnapping hoax case.

“There’s a conventional narrative out there that is based largely on ’s telling and what we understand the government’s case was,” Rittenmeyer says. “But nobody had ever heard Sheri’s side of the story.”

“You know in our culture, traditionally, where you get sort of closure and sort of the comprehensive understanding of a criminal case is usually the trial. But this case didn’t go to trial,” Rittenmeyer further explains to In Touch.

The explosive four-part docuseries includes never-before-seen information about Sherri’s background, history, childhood and marriage plus reenactments on what transpired back in 2016 when she disappeared for 22 days.

At the time, her worried husband, Keith, reported her missing to authorities after Sherri, now 42, didn’t return home from an afternoon jog near their house in Redding.

A bruised and emaciated Sherri was later discovered by a motorist 150 miles away from where she lived. Her ankles and wrists were bound by a zip tie and hose clamps and she had marks on her back.

After telling investigators that two masked Hispanic women had abducted, tortured and branded her, Sherri later confessed it was nothing but a hoax and it emerged that she had actually been at the apartment of her former boyfriend in Costa Mesa, California. In the doc, she alleges that he abducted her without her consent and held her at his apartment.

Sherri previously pleaded guilty in 2022 to making false statements and was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $310,000 in restitution to cover the cost of the multi-state police investigation.

Days after Sherri’s plea deal, Keith filed for divorce in April 2022 and now has sole custody of their son and daughter, but she has since gained visitation rights.

“[Sherri] is an admitted liar,” Rittenmeyer points out to In Touch. “She does not deny having lied to the FBI for years.”

“So, you know when you have a situation like that, you basically have an incredible, unreliable narrator, which means you have to check everything she tells you,” Rittenmeyer adds, noting she had five producers tasked with scrutinizing every claim that Sherri made while filming.

When asked if Sherri appeared to be honest and authentic while sharing her story, Rittenmeyer tells In Touch that her “lying is connected to her personality disorder. It’s a defense mechanism.”

Rittenmeyer highlights that Sherri has undergone “a lot of therapy” and that prison seemed to be “an incredible growth experience for her,” noting that Sherri was a “very warm” and “very likable” person to be around albeit “anxious” while going through this process.

“What you hear and see in commentary on social media is she’s a sociopath and she’s a narcissist. Well, she’s never been diagnosed with narcissism. She has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, but it’s not narcissism,” the filmmaker adds. “And she’s had no fewer than three psychiatrists evaluate her and conclude in writing; she is not a sociopath.”

“So, that means if there’s lying happening, it’s not for the reasons that sociopaths lie. It’s not for the reasons that narcissists lie. So, that was when we disproved ourselves.”

“My purpose is not to sort of push any kind of agenda or carry water for her or be an advocate for her,” Rittenmeyer tells In Touch. “It was more to let her tell her side, vet it as thoroughly as I can, and let viewers decide for themselves.”

Sherri prides herself in being a mother and was adamant about not including her children in the doc, opting to have their faces blurred.

Reyes was also contacted prior to filming. He previously denied any wrongdoing and was not charged with any crimes by the police.

“We had a brief conversation with him,” Rittenmeyer says. “It’s included in the film. He has not responded either through his attorneys or any other way. He just said he didn’t want to participate.”

Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie will premiere across two nights on Monday, May 26, and Tuesday, May 27, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT on ID. Episodes will be available to stream on Max.