Netflix viewers praise ‘real hero’ of ‘blood-boiling’ true-crime series American Nightmare

Viewers of Netflix hit American Nightmare can’t get enough of one particular person in the documentary due to a “blood-boiling” reason.

The true-crime documentary, currently number one on the streaming service, tells the story of a woman’s abduction and police’s ensuing refusal to believe it was real.

In the shocking series, it’s revealed that Denise Huskins was abducted and held for ransom after being drugged in her home in 2015. However, when her boyfriend Aaron Quinn went to the police for help, they didn’t believe him – and the couple were both falsely suspected of faking the disappearance.

While viewers watched on in shock as they learned about Huskin and Quinn’s story, they also found time to praise a figure who is being called the real hero of the story: police woman Misty Carausu.

Carausu, who features in the three-part series, is revealed to have been the only person who believed the couple – and only solved the crime while working on a similar case – her first working as a detective with the police department in Dublin, California.

“Sgt Carausu is an absolute champion! Misty Carausu went out on her FIRST case as detective with Dublin police department. If not for her, busting her ass, they would be accused as faking this?” one aggrieved viewer wrote.

Others called her a “queen”, with one user stating: “God, that had me BAWLING. Just took ONE female police officer doing her job and seeing things for what they truly were. Misty Carausu you are a HERO.”

Another added: “Never has a documentary made my blood boil like #AmericanNightmare has. Leave it to a woman to get s*** done. Misty Carausu is a hero.”

Find more reactions below.

Carausu, who is married and has two young daughters, is said to have remained close friends with Huskins and Quinn after cracking the case of their ordeal. She works at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and, as highlighted by The Tab, she was promoted earlier this month.

A statement on the department’s official Instagram revealed she is now a Lieutenant.

Speaking about their recovery from the incident in 2021, Huskins told ABC News: “You can go through any kind of trauma to where it leaves you devastated and in a place where you just think, ‘This is impossible to move forward from. What do I do next?’”

American Nightmare is available to stream on Netflix now.