Dateline: Ransom - A complete timeline of Quinn Gray's fake kidnapping, revisited

Dateline, the NBC episode titled "Ransom," revisits the infamous fake kidnapping case of Florida resident Quinn Gray. Quinn Gray's disappearance back in September 2009 prompted investigators from St. John's County Sheriff's Office, as well as the FBI, to get directly involved in the search, thereby investing thousands of dollars.

What initially appeared to be a case of abduction turned out to be much more on further digging, and the name Jasmin Osmanovic (a local mechanic) came up. On further digging, per Dateline, the authorities learned that Quinn Gray was never actually kidnapped but planned the whole thing with her apparent lover, Jasmin. The history of her tumultuous married life with husband Reid Gray was later revealed.

A complete timeline of Quinn Gray's fake kidnapping revisited by Dateline

September 4, 2009

According to Dateline, Reid Gray, a rich health care official and Quinn's better half, returned to his Florida mansion to find his wife MIA. Things took an unexpected turn when Reid stumbled upon a shocking message from his wife written on a piece of paper that read:

"There are three men holding me right now and they want $50,000 cash. Do not do anything stupid. NO COPS!"

September 5, 2009

As reported to Dateline, a command center was set up at St. John's County Sheriff's Office to monitor the investigation of Quinn Gray's kidnapping. Reid was himself present at the center, and the first call he got from his wife was about the demand for $50,000.

As per Dateline, Reid was initially instructed to leave the cash in a nearby food joint called Chick-fil-A. But later, another call from Quinn Gray revealed that the ransom exchange could not happen, as the kidnappers had spotted police officers in the area.

September 6, 2009

A ransom exchange of $50,000 went wrong after Quinn's mother left the cash at the designated place, and it made its way back to the police through some local college goers. As per Dateline, they reported to the authorities about a potential "dope deal," but it was only followed by a major turn in the investigation.

September 7, 2009

An unexpected turn of events happened on September 7, per Dateline, when a missing Quinn Gray appeared out of the blue at a parking lot near Orange Park. Later, while being questioned at the Jacksonville office of the FBI, Quinn reported to the investigators that her husband was caught up in a case of loan repayment with a loan shark.

Quinn had reportedly mentioned in a statement:

"It was a complete nightmare. I keep revisiting that room every time I close my eyes. I thought that’s where I would die."

According to Dateline, Quinn added different layers to the story she narrated each time, as she later mentioned to the FBI officials that she was a victim of s*xual assault. To quote her words:

"I was crazy then, I was just doing what I was told to do."

As per her statements, Quinn was kidnapped by a young man (mid-twenties) named Jasmin Osmanovic. Jasmin owned a Volkswagen Jetta, and thanks to Quinn's detailed description, the officials learned that the kidnappers were keeping her captive in a local warehouse.

September 14, 2009

The investigators were on time to catch Jasmin Osmanovic at the warehouse mentioned earlier. According to Dateline, the 25-year-old car mechanic was taken into custody, where his version of the story left the investigators shocked.

As per his statement:

"I met Quinn Gray about a month and a half ago. We met at a gas station."

Jasmin went on to say that Quinn had opened up to him about her tumultuous married life. Quinn had drinking problems and also had to go to rehab for a time.

Jasmin also reported spending time with Quinn at her residence, where the two would talk about the latter's problems with her husband, Reid. Moreover, the biggest shock came when Jasmin told the detectives that the whole kidnapping was staged.

As per Dateline, Quinn and Jasmin were together in a hotel on the weekend of Labor Day. According to a statement by Sheriff Shoar, Jasmin had doubts about his lover's motives and thus secretly recorded their conversation using an audio tape.

The authorities got in touch with the tape through Jasmin's then-girlfriend, and the recording eventually revealed the plans both of them had made together while also bringing to light their s*xual encounters. To further quote Sheriff Shoar's words about Jasmin, per Dateline:

"He is not a dumb guy. He is a very smart guy. He wanted some proof and reassurance in case she tried to hang him out to dry."

September 16, 2009

The authorities brought in Jasmin, thereby placing charges of extortion on his head, to which he pleaded guilty. As per Dateline, he was later shifted to the prison in St. John's County. Furthermore, Quinn faced the same charges, but her history of mental illness eventually came to light.

She was later sent off to a psychiatric institute, and following her treatment, Quinn was fined one-half of the amount, $43,000, that was spent on the whole investigation (the other half was a fine from Jasmin). Jasmin heard a sentence of six years on probation, per Dateline.

2011

As reported by Dateline, Quinn Gray was accused of extortion as well as threats, while she pleaded no contest to the charges and received a sentence of seven years on probation. Later in the same year (October), Quinn (then separated from her husband, Reid Gray) failed to comply with the terms of her probation and was accused accordingly.