365: What if they believed you staged your own kidnapping? Part 2: Denise
This Is Actually Happening
Wondery
4.6 • 9.9K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A young woman is kidnapped, assaulted and released by perpetrators, but a far greater trauma lurks as the powers meant to protect her do not believe any of it happened.
Today’s episode featured Denise Huskins Quinn. If you’d like to reach out to Denise, please find her on Instagram @huskins.denise
Denise has written a book with her husband, Aaron Quinn titled ""Victim F: From Crime Victims to Suspects to Survivors"", available now where books are sold. You can also find it here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617482/victim-f-by-denise-huskins-and-aaron-quinn-with-nicole-weisensee-egan/
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Aviva Lipkowitz
Content/Trigger Warnings: divorce, sexual assault to a child/minor by a family friend, sexual trauma, home invasion, kidnapping, threat of violence, partner in distress, defamation of character by trust institution and media, civil lawsuit, criminal trial, explicit language
Social Media:
Instagram: @actuallyhappening
Twitter: @TIAHPodcast
Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com
Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com
Website for Aviva Lipkowitz: avivalipkowitz.com
Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happening
Wondery Plus: All episodes of the show prior to episode #130 are now part of the Wondery Plus premium service. To access the full catalog of episodes, and get all episodes ad free, sign up for Wondery Plus at wondery.com/plus
Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop.
Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com
Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott Velasquez
Music Bed: Ambient Themes
Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter
Listen to exclusive episodes of This is Actually Happening ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/this-is-actually-happening/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to exclusive episodes of This Is Actually Happening by joining |
| 0:05.7 | Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:14.0 | Hi listeners. Today we bring you part two of our two-part series about a kidnapping in Northern California, |
| 0:22.8 | the missteps by law enforcement around it and the couple caught in the crosshairs. If you missed |
| 0:27.6 | part one, please listen to last week's episode featuring Aaron Quinn, the husband of today's guest, |
| 0:33.4 | Denise Huskins. We also encourage you to watch the Netflix docu-series, American Nightmare, |
| 0:38.5 | which was released last year. If you'd like to dig deeper into the procedural details, |
| 0:42.9 | the media response, the disastrous response by the media and detectives, and the heroic agent |
| 0:48.0 | who uncovered the truth. But today, you'll hear from Denise and what happened from her perspective. |
| 0:53.1 | In today's episode, |
| 0:57.0 | what if they believed you staged your own kidnapping? |
| 0:58.9 | Part 2, Denise. |
| 1:08.3 | There's so much in that next 48 hours that I want to say, that I want to do, |
| 1:14.6 | that I just have to suppress, and I'm just playing this really fucked up game of chess where I don't know the rules. |
| 1:18.6 | He makes the rules. |
| 1:20.6 | They can change it any minute and they have life or's consequences. |
| 1:35.1 | From Wondery, I'm Witt Misseldine. |
| 1:38.6 | You're listening to This Is Actually Happening. |
| 1:44.6 | Episode 365. |
| 1:49.5 | What if they believed you staged your own kidnapping? |
| 1:51.6 | Part 2, Denise. |
| 2:02.8 | Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, the host of Wondry's American Scandal. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.