A look into one of the most twisted kidnappings in US history

ABC News Studios presents "Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert."

February 4, 2025, 6:14 AM

A shocking crime investigators say was motivated by greed and cruelty started in Newport Beach, California, and quickly became one of the most surprising cat-and-mouse stories in recent years.

In 2012, a man named Michael S. (his last name withheld) was living in Newport Beach and was one of the most successful medical marijuana dispensary owners in Southern California. According to his roommate, Mary Barnes, Michael wasn't flashy, but to some he was believed to have a considerable amount of money.

Just after midnight on Oct. 2, Michael and Barnes were in their respective bedrooms when two masked men with guns entered their rooms and kidnapped them.

"He slapped a piece of tape on my mouth, pushed a blindfold down over my eyes," Barnes said. "And then he zip-tied my hands, and he zip-tied my ankles together."

"Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert," tells the story of the events surrounding Michael and Barnes' kidnapping.
Hulu

The two men put Michael and Barnes in a white van and drove off. While in the van, the suspects demanded that Michael give them $1 million in cash. Michael told them he didn't have that type of money and offered them $100,000.

According to police, Michael was tortured by the men. They beat him, shocked him with a stun gun and burned him with a blowtorch.

"He was gagged, so it was mostly just muffled grunts of pain as they were hitting him," Barnes said. "And it just seemed to go on for a very long time."

The masked men were determined to retrieve the $1 million that Michael insisted he didn't possess, so they drove off the road into the Mojave Desert where the assailants thought the money was buried, according to court docs. They forced both Barnes and Michael out of the car and into a gully.

"Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert," tells the story of the events surrounding Michael and Barnes' kidnapping.
Hulu

One of the men then stood on Michael's chest, and they put a black zip tie around the base of his penis, which they cut off. Then they proceeded to pour bleach on his open wounds, all over his entire body, leaving footprints seared into Michael's skin.

The men didn't torture Barnes. They threw a knife near her and told her if she was able to find it, she could try to cut herself loose.

"I immediately -- I sat up, I pushed my blindfold up with my knees," Barnes said. "It was just before sunrise, so there was just enough light that I could see it glinting on the knife. I was able to scooch over to it on my butt. And I have no idea how I did it. It must've just been pure adrenaline, but I cut the zip tie between my feet."

“Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert” – the three-part documentary series from ABC News Studios launches Feb. 4 on Hulu and tells the inside story of the events surrounding Michael S. and Barnes' kidnapping and the following investigation. The series features inside access to case files and evidence, police interviews with the victims, and exclusive interviews with victims, police officers, investigators, and ABC News Contributor Matt Murphy, former homicide prosecutor assigned to Newport Beach, California.

Sgt. Steve Williams, a former senior deputy at the Kern County Sheriff's Office, was driving along the Mojave Desert when he saw Barnes crying for help.

Barnes showed officers where Michael was lying, and they immediately assisted him. Michael survived but suffered numerous injuries. ABC News is withholding Michael's last name to protect his privacy.

Ryan Peters, a now retired Newport Beach Police Department detective, and Matt Murphy, then a homicide prosecutor with the district attorney's office, worked on the case to find out who was responsible for the brutal kidnapping.

"Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert," tells the story of the events surrounding Michael and Barnes' kidnapping.
Hulu

"At the very beginning of the investigation, we basically had nothing," Murphy said. "We have this absolutely horrific crime, and they interview Michael, who's like, 'Guys, I pay my bills. I have no enemies. I'm nice to people. I've never slept with anybody's wife.' My detectives are looking for any possible angle, like, who did this?"

The first significant breakthrough in the case occurred when a neighbor of Michael's reported that she was sitting at her desk overlooking the alley near her home the day before the crime. She observed a white truck pull up, which she described as having a dent.

She told the police that she saw three men who looked like construction workers pull up. They placed a ladder against Michael's house. Suspicious of their activity, she wrote down the license plate number.

The license plate number was traced back to a local individual, Kyle Shirakawa Handley, who ran a medical marijuana business.

"Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert," tells the story of the events surrounding Michael and Barnes' kidnapping.
Hulu

"Kyle Handley was the key to the future of this investigation," Peters said. "I needed to get to him. I needed to follow him. I needed him to lead us to the next big break."

Police stopped Handley for a vehicle violation in order to have Peters interview him.

"He went immediately white and immediately started sweating and immediately said he wasn't going to talk to me without his lawyer," Peters said.

Peters then obtained a search warrant for Handley's house, his person, and cars to proceed with the search.

The first thing investigators found is the van, which is exactly what the neighbor described it as. Not only did the plate match, but it also had a big dent on the side, as she had described.

"Wicked Game: Devil in the Desert," tells the story of the events surrounding Michael and Barnes' kidnapping.
Hulu

"Then we go outside, and there are these trash bags up against his back wall," Peters said. "We slowly, methodically, kind of start going through these things. And what we're finding is that they're white towels with bleach all over them. We test these towels for blood and they're coming back positive."

Police took Handley's van back to their warehouse, where they would investigate it more thoroughly. They found a blue nitrile surgical glove underneath the seat.

Months later, DNA test results came back with an unknown male DNA profile. Further testing linked a man named Ada Hossein Nayeri to the blue surgical glove. Nayeri worked with Handley to legally grow medical marijuana.

Peters and Murphy were elated that they were on the right track, but little did they know the case had become more complicated and would have many more surprises.

Shortly after Murphy initiated a search for Nayeri, the FBI informed him, "he has already boarded a flight to Iran."

"Iran is probably the single most difficult country in the world to extradite from if you are a prosecutor in the United States," Murphy said. "And I'm thinking, 'We're done.'"

But Murphy and the team of investigators pursuing Nayeri would soon find themselves in a grim series of events that includes a prison break, another kidnapping, a wife's betrayal and an elaborate international sting operation.

Popular Reads

ABC News Live

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top