Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn Survived an 'American Nightmare' and Rebuilt Their Lives

So many things can put strain on a relationship. Little things like one person being more clean than the other can result in an argument that could last for days. Perhaps one of you is good at planning and logistics, while the other preaches spontaneity and adventure. Larger issues can also drive a wedge between a happy couple, such as losing a child. Many parents can't find their way back from something like that. Trusting your heart to another person certainly isn't easy.

Not many people have lived through what Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn have survived. It's a harrowing story that begins with a kidnapping and assault, and ends with the couple suing local police for defamation and infliction of emotional stress. Coming out of the other end of this type of situation could destroy many relationships. It's a lot to deal with. Are Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn still together? Here's what we know.

According to PEOPLE, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn got married on Sept. 29, 2018. They also settled their lawsuit with the city of Vallejo for $2.5 million in 2018. A little less than two years after tying the knot, they welcomed their daughter Olivia in March 2020. Before their second daughter was born in November 2022, Huskins and Quinn put out a book detailing everything they went through which was written with "former PEOPLE senior writer Nicole Weisensee Egan."

In January 2024, they were able to share the traumatic story of Huskins getting kidnapped in March 2015 in a Netflix documentary titled American Nightmare. In it, Huskins revealed that she felt as if her family was complete. This documentary is the final chapter in a series of horrifying events that have plagued them for nearly a decade. About her daughters, Huskins said, "I want them to know their value and to never let anyone dictate that or determine that for them." Quinn just hopes they turn out like their mother.

After Huskins was kidnapped by the masked intruder, it took Quinn nine hours to contact police because he was bound, gagged, and sedated. Her captor would go on to rape Huskins twice, claiming the incidents were being recorded. He threatened to release the videos if she wasn't cooperative. True to his word, he let her go two days later and left her in Huntington Beach, Calif., 400 miles from where Huskins was kidnapped. Her kidnapper said he would always be watching.

Before taking Huskins, the kidnapper told Quinn he would kill her if police were contacted. Fearing for her life he called his brother, an FBI agent, when he woke up the following morning. Authorities immediately treated Quinn like he was a suspect, and questioned how long it took him to contact them. Quinn was held for 18 hours and was administered a lie detector test which was deemed inconclusive, though police told him he failed.

When Huskins reappeared, police acted as if she and Quinn had lied about everything. They were accused of using valuable community resources that took authorities away from actual crimes. Vallejo Police Department spokesman Lt. Kenny Park said in a statement that "Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins that owe this community an apology." Because of this, they were both subject to online harassment and feared losing their jobs.

When Huskins's captor, a man by the name of Matthew Muller, was caught in June 2015 after attempting another kidnapping, the couple was only partially relieved. They still had to deal with their tarnished reputations brought on by the Vallejo Police Department's campaign against them. Hopefully winning the lawsuit helped ease their pain.