What happened to Detective Mat Mustard of Vallejo PD? Explained

Detective Mat Mustard was the lead detective in the Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins case that is now the focus of the Netflix docuseries American Nightmare. On March 23, 2015, a home invasion occurred involving Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn.

The kidnapper, Matthew Muller, drugged and held captive Quinn while Huskins was taken away and s*xually assaulted over a two-day period. However, Mat Mustard failed to believe Quinn's story when bringing him in for questioning.

With Denise missing, Mat Mustard reportedly accused Quinn of murdering his girlfriend and subjected him to an intense interrogation and polygraph test. In addition, he also branded it 'the Gone Girl case' and suggested it was a hoax.

“This event appears to be an orchestrated event and not a kidnapping,” the Police department told the media.

When Matthew Muller was eventually caught for the kidnapping and assault of Denise, it confirmed the couple's innocence. Despite his conduct in this case, Mat Mustard reportedly received the Officer of the Year award in 2015 from his local department.

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American Nightmare: Where is Mat Mustard now?

Mat Mustard served as the president of the Vallejo Police Officers Association from 2009 to 2019 and was reportedly promoted to sergeant in 2018. Currently, Mr. Mat Mustard serves as a detective sergeant in the Vallejo Police Department in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Notably, the Vallejo PD spokesperson accused Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins at a press conference. He said they wasted the community's valuable resources. According to the police department, they shifted attention from real victims and caused fear in the community. The statement also suggested that Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins should apologize to the community.

"Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community and taken the focus away from the true victims of our community while instilling fear among our community members. So, if anything, it is Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins that owe this community an apology."

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American Nightmare: How was Matthew Muller caught?

On July 13, 2015, the Dublin Police Department arrested Muller for kidnapping Huskins. Muller was apprehended after mistakenly leaving his cell phone at a crime scene. This mistake, in turn, gave the police key evidence. When Muller was caught for a comparable home invasion in Dublin, California, it validated the couple's experience as true.

The evidence gathered at the time of Muller's arrest verified his participation in Huskins' kidnapping and assault. On September 29, 2016, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

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American Nightmare: Did Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn file a lawsuit against the Vallejo PD?

A still from the American Nightmare documentary. (Image via Netflix)

In 2016, the couple filed a defamation lawsuit against the City of Vallejo, which was settled outside of court on March 16, 2018. The settlement awarded Quinn and Huskins $2.5 million in damages. Moreover, in a statement to ABC7 Bay Area, the city issued an apology to Huskins and Quinn.

The statement acknowledged the traumatic and malicious nature of the events experienced by Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn. It highlighted the lack of sensitivity in handling their case, which was seen as a failure on the part of the city. Consequently, the city offered an apology to both Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn for the mishandling.

"What happened to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn is horrific and evil. The Huskins Quinn case was not publicly handled with the type of sensitivity a case of this nature should have been handled with, and for that, the City extends an apology to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn," the statement said.

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American Nightmare premiered on January 17, 2024, and is available to watch on Netflix.