Boy Found Alive After Being Missing for 4 Years

#1

Boy Found Alive In Apartment With Another Missing Teen

Two very relieved and beaming families hugged their sons at news conferences Saturday, the day after the two missing boys were found -- one after four days, the other after four years.

Police had been searching for Ben Ownby, 13, who disappeared Monday, when they found him with another teenager in a man's apartment in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. That boy told the officers that he was Shawn Hornbeck, who was last seen riding his bike in 2002, when he was 11.

The apartment owner, Michael J. Devlin, 41, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping, according to Franklin County Prosecutor Robert Parks.

He is being held on $1 million bail and may also face federal charges

Shawn's mother, Pam Akers, and his stepfather, Craig Akers, said they had never given up hope.

"We've got a lot of catching up to do," said a tearful Pam Akers. "He's grown up on me, that's for sure."

"Shawn is a miracle here," she said.

"This is one of those rare, rare things. To have one missing child found is just extraordinary," Craig Akers told reporters. "To have two found at the same time is one of those things -- you don't even read about things like that."

Shawn sat at a table close to his mother, exchanging hugs with her and smiling as he watched his stepfather talk excitedly to reporters. At one point, he put his forehead on the table in mock embarassment as Craig Akers relayed, to much laughter, that Shawn's first request was a hamburger from McDonald's.

The Akers, who have spent the past four years helping in other missing children cases, said they wanted to give hope to those parents. Craig Akers said he remembered the day he heard Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart was found -- on March 12, 2003, nearly a year after being kidnapped.

"I remember how much that raised our hopes, how much fuel that gave us to keep going," he said.

The boys were found in Kirkwood, Missouri, about an hour away from the Akers' home in Richwoods.

The break came after reports of a sighting of a rusty white Nissan pickup truck that matched the description of one sought in the disappearance of Ben, last seen getting off his school bus in Franklin County, near St. Louis.

Two police officers in suburban Kirkwood went to the apartment complex to serve an unrelated warrant and spotted the pickup, Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke told reporters Friday.

Craig Akers described driving home from work and getting the call that Shawn might have been found. "It took a minute to find a suitable place to pull over," he said.

"The words -- 'We think we found Shawn, we're 95 percent sure that we found Shawn and that he's alive' -- were the sweetest words I ever heard in my life," he said.

Driving to see their son was "the longest drive we ever had to do," he said.

When the parents and Shawn saw each other, there were no words, he said.

"Just a split second of shock," Akers recounted. "The last time we saw him, he was yea tall and 11 years old. It kind of throws you for a second. But ... once we saw the face, we said, "Oh, my God, that's my son...

"That was pretty much where we were the first five minutes. Not a lot of words spoken, except a lot of 'I love you's,' kisses, and 'We're so glad that you're home.' "

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/13/boys.found/index.html

#2

Gotta love that...

#3

thats a great story,

wow after 4 yrs.....

i cant help but wonder how messed up that kid is gonna be cos of what happened.....

#4

what a crazy story...elizabeth smart was only gone for like a year. I bet there will be major issues with the kid.

#5

Man, this is a weird ass story...

The dude that supposedly kinapped them was living a 'normal' life...And I even heard one of the kids say that he saw wanted pictures of himself over town...He even joked about it...From what I heard over the news, this just...I don't know...I even think I heard some of the people around say they asked the kid if that's who he was, and he never replied...

If you kidnap someone, you put a fucking hood over their heads and keep them in the dark about where they are...How are you kidnapped, out in public where there are people, and not fucking escape unless you didn't want to..?

#6

QUOTE(AYHJA @ Jan 15 2007, 03:19 PM) Man, this is a weird ass story...

What is even weirder is the kid has been all over Xbox Live, including his picture.

QUOTEThe GamerTagPics profile for Xbox Live user "DevilDevlin" shows the kidnapped Hornbeck outside what appear to be Devlin's apartment. The profile was created Sept. 4, 2005 but hasn't been accessed since early 2006. DevilDevlin's Gamertag reveals that someone played Saints Row on the account as recently as Friday. It seems likely that Hornbeck used the account -- a Washington Post story reveals Devlin's neighbors "often spotted Shawn out and about, visiting friends on his bicycle or playing video games with the apartment door open."

Damn, if that is all he had to go through; Somebody come kidnap me for the next 4 years!!!

Something smells pretty scooby about this, if its true.

#7

Yea....this is starting to get a little wierd

QUOTEPeople in Kirkwood, a St. Louis suburb, said they had seen Shawn spend time biking on his own and hanging out with friends, apparently unwatched by Devlin.

Investigators are looking into why Shawn did not use that apparent freedom to tell authorities who he was or to contact his parents.

Bill Romer, Devlin's landlord, said the suspect had identified Shawn as his son and listed him as a second occupant in the unit.

QUOTERomer said other residents also believed the story. "They actually said, 'You look exactly like Shawn Hornbeck.' Shawn blew it off and said, 'Whatever.' It is all really strange," he said.

And no one thought that maybe they should call the cops just to make sure it wasn't him?

Bot · #8

I agree with AYHJA and raum. Something just doesn't seem right. I remember reading about that girl in Europe who was kidnapped for 8 years. She was locked in a dungeon under the guy's garage or some shot.

These kids were living in an apartment located about an hour away from their home? I don't know... It doesn't really sound like they had it rough at all.

Shit, if it meant I could play games all day, not work, and not go to school, I'd like to be kidnapped too. lol

Bot · #9

Parents believe abducted son sexually assaulted

What's a kidnapping without a little sexual assault...

#10

That guy should be sent to Iraq for a quick hanging.