Vallejo kidnapping suspect investigated for other attacks

VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- While the Vallejo Police Department claimed a kidnapping in March was a hoax, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office was working a case that would prove it was real. And now Sheriff Greg Ahern is calling a Dublin homeowner who fought off the suspect in another home invasion a hero.

VIDEO: Vallejo police address kidnapping they'd called a hoax

An attorney for the Harvard-educated lawyer accused of kidnapping a Vallejo woman is revealing new information about mental health issues his client faces as police are answering questions about why they originally called this case a hoax.

The sheriff believes the suspect, 38-year-old Matthew Muller of Orangevale, Calif., may be responsible for even more attacks. And just to be sure, his investigators are looking at similar unsolved crimes.

"In 35 years, this is about as bizarre of an investigation that I've been involved with," Ahern said.

On Tuesday, Ahern commended his deputies on cracking the bizarre case and proving the Vallejo home invasion and kidnapping was not a hoax.

"This certainly, however, ranks at the top of the strange scale," said Chronicle reporter Henry Lee.

VIDEO: Vallejo 'Gone Girl' kidnapping suspect tied to other home invasions

Local authorities are digging into whether a Harvard-educated lawyer, who's charged in the bizarre abduction of a Vallejo woman that police called a hoax, may have been behind several home invasions on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.

Lee also says it's one of the most bizarre stories he's ever covered.

It was the work of a sheriff's investigation into another home invasion in Dublin that led authorities to Muller, the Harvard-trained former lawyer who's charged in that kidnapping of Denise Huskins.

The sheriff also gave credit to the Dublin homeowner who fought Muller when he broke into his house.

"Making that decision spontaneously probably saved them all from being victimized further," Ahern said.

Lee even became an unwitting participant when he began receiving emails from someone claiming to be the kidnapper, containing details of the attack.

The first one, the day after the incident, said, "Victim 'F' (Denise Huskins) will be returned safely tomorrow."

VIDEO: Email sent by alleged kidnappers of Vallejo woman threatens police

Questions loom over the mysterious disappearance of a Vallejo woman and whether she was the subject of a kidnapping for ransom or part of a hoax.

The four emails to Lee said there were several kidnappers involved. One states that they are, "... professional thieves... more than 2 and fewer than 8 in number... hold at least bachelor's degrees..."

The email sender said the group ran an elaborate car theft operation on Mare Island and had burglarized several homes as well. He said it was like a game or a movie adventure.

Talking about the emails, Lee said, "We're like a gentlemanly 'Ocean's Eleven' type group where we are responsible for all these car thefts and then we branched out to kidnapping. So yeah, obviously it was very stunning."

The sender also expressed anger when Vallejo police called the kidnapping a hoax, writing, "Ms. Victim 'F' was absolutely kidnapped. We did it... travesty that is the police response to Ms. Victim 'F's' kidnapping..."

The emails contained in this affidavit are very specific. In fact, the sender outlines in detail how the home invasion went down and the kidnapping.

And finally, remorse. The sender said he regrets, "Our slide into criminality.

Authorities have not said whether Muller had accomplices.

Click here for full coverage on the Vallejo "Gone Girl" kidnapping.i]ABC7 News reporter Janet O and The Associated Press contributed to this report.