Missing California Mom Found Alive After Captor Abandons Her in Restraints, Sheriff Says

A California woman who went missing in the beginning of November has been found safe after being released by her captor or captors this morning, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office announced today.

Sherri Papini, 34, was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2016, after she went for a run in the afternoon and didn't return home. She was last seen jogging alone on Sunrise Drive in Redding, according to a poster that was distributed in the search effort. Papini, the mother of two young children, was described by her family as a "super mom."

"We are very ecstatic to report that Sherri Papini has been located and has been reunited with husband and family on this day of Thanksgiving," Sheriff Tom Bosenko said at a news conference today. "I am happy to say that Sherri is now safe and that she has been treated at an area hospital outside of Shasta County for non-life-threatening injuries."

He did not specify the nature of her injuries.

Bosenko said Papini was released early this morning by her captor or captors on a rural road in Yolo County, about 150 miles from her home. "She was bound with restraints but was able to summon help from a passing motorist," he said.

He said that this is still an active investigation and that authorities are "looking for a dark-colored SUV with two Hispanic females armed with a handgun."

Papini is being interviewed today by detectives from the major crimes unit of the sheriff's office.

"This is a new chapter in this investigation. Sensitive information has yet to be disclosed," Bosenko said.