Why Heather Robinson’s “brave” story of being kidnapped by a killer inspired Jana Kramer

Tiffany Stassi was snatched from the arms of her loving mother when she was only five months old. For nearly 15 years, no one knew what happened to her. It was a disturbing case that left family and investigators searching for answers until, in 2000, a disturbing revelation offered a break in the case.

That’s when it was discovered that Tiffany Stassi was actually sold to an unsuspecting family, believing they were legally adopting her. They named their baby girl Heather Robinson. At 15, Heather’s world was turned upside down when she learned the man she knew as Uncle John was, in fact, a serial kidnapper and serial killer who included the murder of her mother, Lisa Stasi.

The shocking true story of Heather Robinson’s abduction as an infant and the unsolved murder mystery of her mom resurfaces as Lifetime debuts “Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story” on June 7.

When we spoke with Jana Kramer, who plays an investigator in the new movie, she admits the details of the case were “shocking” when she first read the script.

“When I was reading it, I’m like, ‘This cannot be real. Like, this is not real, right?’ And they’re [Lifetime] like, ‘No, this is a true story.’ I’m like, Oh my gosh. This is so sad, and it’s a wild story.”

Wild indeed! For her entire life, Heather, portrayed by Rachel Stubington, knew she was adopted as a 4-month-old but didn’t know the details of how her adoptive parents gained custody of her until John Robinson, played by Steve Guttenberg, was accused of murdering multiple women in the Kansas City area. Her mother’s disappearance was added to the list of missing women he killed. In reality, Robinson, the conman, gave his brother, Don Robinson, and his wife, Frieda, Stasi’s baby.

Heather later learned her real name was Tiffany Stasi – a missing baby the family presumed was dead when Lisa went missing in 1985.

“You read it, and you’re like, this can’t be real, right?” Kramer said. “I can’t imagine being in her shoes, having that moment of, what is my life, and what lie is this, and what is real?”

WATCH: Sole Survivor | 20/20 l PART 2

Back in 2019, ABC released a 4-part series, called Sole Survivor, talking to family and detectives about the case; Heather is still on a mission to find her biological mother’s remains. Kramer says she didn’t get to meet the real Heather Robinson or the investigator her character is based on, but she would love to one day express her immense respect for both.

“I think she’s just incredibly brave for allowing us to tell her story. Because I can’t imagine how hard that is,” Kramer said.

Kramer, 41, says her character had a “gut instinct” about John Robinson being “trouble” when she was uncovering his real identity and realizing the pattern of fake letters tied to multiple missing women. The mom-of-three says she’s emphasizing to her children, sons Jace and Roman, but especially her daughter Jolie, the importance of following your intuition.

“What I will tell my daughter when she gets older is listen to your gut,” Kramer said. “It is the most powerful thing that you have in your body. If you don’t feel like something is right for you, your gut is going to tell you. It’s always going to lead you mostly in the right direction.”

Kramer reveals she found out she booked the Lifetime role during a weekend getaway to the Bahamas with her husband, Allan Russell. They cut their trip short so she could start production, which she teased on Instagram back in March.

“As a mother of three, I read things differently now, and I’m playing more motherly roles too,” Kramer shared. “She knew this man was a killer. She knew that he was trouble. And it’s like follow your intuition.”

John Robinson was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death row in Kansas. One of Stasi’s family members gave Heather a 42-page letter claiming Lisa was alive and that John Robinson would never harm her, seemingly another fake letter. Still, Heather is seeking justice for Lisa and hopes to bury her remains in an empty grave on a family plot.

Heather later developed a close relationship with her maternal grandmother, Pat Sylvester, before she died in 2018. Despite learning her family history, Heather decided not to stay in contact with her biological father, instead, she chose to be legally adopted at 18 by Don and Frieda, who raised her as their own.

‘Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story’ premieres June 7 on Lifetime.