The American Nightmare: Uncovering the Vallejo Police Department's Controversial Case

The True Crime Saga

With American Nightmare now streaming on Netflix, the Vallejo Police Department has been hit with some shocking reviews, as well as floods of angry messages about Detective Mat Mustard.

Detective Mat Mustard interrogating Denise Huskins, as shown in American Nightmare

American Nightmare is Netflix’s latest true crime saga, centering on the so-called 'Gone Girl kidnapping.' The case involves Denise Huskins and her partner Aaron Quinn, who were accused of creating a hoax after Huskins was kidnapped from their California home in 2015 for two days.

But perhaps most eye-opening of all is what followed – the press and the authorities refused to believe Quinn and Huskins, despite substantial evidence suggesting that they were victims of an attack. Officers from Dublin, California, had to fight to prove they had caught the perpetrator before Quinn and Huskins were finally believed.

Vallejo Police Department under Scrutiny

The Vallejo Police Department in California is under intense scrutiny. Viewers have taken to social media to express anger over their belief that the force’s officers mishandled the case by refusing to acknowledge any evidence that didn’t support their theory: that Huskins and Quinn had created an elaborate hoax akin to the fictional plot of Gone Girl.

At the time of writing, Vallejo PD has just 1.3 stars on Google Reviews, with one writing: 'Look how they treated Denise Huskins. They didn’t look for her after she was kidnapped, when she was released they told the media that she faked the whole thing. How much did you guys pay for that one? 2.5 million? Good thing Dublin cops actually know what they are doing and caught the guy that you idiots claimed didn’t even exist.'

Tweet directed towards the Vallejo Police Department

'So disgusted with how they treated that poor couple. Those officers should have been fired,' said another, while a third added, 'I’m disgusted by the actions of the so-called investigators. Seeing the tape of the interrogation of Aaron by Det. Mustard made me feel nauseous. Mustard took away Aaron’s phone and neglected to monitor for the ransom demand? Easier to pin the crime on Aaron than actually doing any work, I guess.'

Calls for Accountability

Viewers are now also taking to social media to flood Vallejo PD’s account with calls for Mustard and other officials involved to face consequences. The department’s latest X post was shared in 2022, but it’s since received dozens of angry replies, with one sharing the photo of Bidou and Mustard alongside the caption: 'I’m just leave a picture of Sargent Mat Mustard here.'

'Wondering if Matt Mustard is still deserving of your Officer of the Year award??' said another, while a third added, 'Trash detective work – lazy, biased, and proud PD.' A fourth chimed 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.'