California Kidnapping No Hoax, Police Told

A woman who police claim staged her own kidnapping was a victim and is cooperating with police to clear her name, her lawyer has said.

Denise Huskins met with Vallejo Police detectives for several hours on Thursday.

Her lawyer Doug Rappaport said she has been emotionally and physically broken and hurt even more by being considered a suspect.

"This is no hoax," he said, denying a police claim that the woman and her boyfriend had concocted the whole thing to collect a ransom.

Ms Huskins has been talking to police "with the hope of clearing her name because she is absolutely, unequivocally, 100%, positively a victim", Mr Rappaport said.

The alleged kidnapping took place in the pre-dawn hours on Monday, but the 29-year-old's boyfriend Aaron Quinn did not report it until around 2pm.

She turned up on Wednesday outside her father's home. Hours later, police revealed they found no proof of a kidnapping and believed it was a hoax.

The delay reporting the abduction was part of what aroused suspicions, Vallejo police Lieutenant Kenny Park said.

A lawyer for Mr Quinn also denied the kidnapping was a hoax.

Lawyer Dan Russo said his client could not immediately call police when his girlfriend was abducted because two kidnappers bound and drugged him.