Shawn, then 15, told his 41-year-old captor that . Devlin pleaded not guilt to two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed criminal action, and is being held on $1 million bond. In Touch Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Devlin took him to an apartment in nearby Kirkwood, where he was held captive for the next four years. On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck was abducted while riding his bike in Richwoods, Missouri. Craig sadly passed away in 2019 from bladder cancer aged 57, with Pam saying she was 'so grateful he got to spend more time with Shawn'. Both boys were discovered inside Devlin's apartment shortly thereafter. A Missouri man who became part of an international story is being remembered for his selflessness. She admitted to still getting scared when walking the streets at night. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? In Beaufort, on January 8, 2007, he kidnapped Ben Ownby from a bus stop, with Shawn in the pick up truck with him. On October 6, 2002, Shawn, aged 11, was kidnapped by 41-year-old pizza shop boss Michael Devlin. The discovery that Hornbeck was still alive after his abduction near Richwoods in 2003, was dubbed, "The Missouri Miracle". Life returning to normal for Ben Ownby - TODAY.com Shawn Hornbeck was alive and had been living with Devlin as a hostage for over four years. Maybe its part of my mission, to reach out and offer hope., Hornbeck also showed off two tattoos he had, one on each forearm: faith and respect.. ", In a 2013 interview, Shawn, then 21, said, "You cant give up. The man who kidnapped Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby was identified as Michael J. Devlin, a pizza-restaurant manager. McNamara also correctly theorized that Devlin was drawn to the boys because they looked much younger than their actual ages. Visit FOXNews.com's Crime Center for complete coverage. It transpired that Devlin had kept Shawn tied up for a month in his Kirkwood apartment, and even tried to strangle him at one point, but stopped when the boy promised he would never tell anyone. He will be missed, said Dawn Robertson, a family friend. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Sweet because Shawn was back home after having been . The Oct. 6, 2002 kidnapping of Richwoods 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck while riding his bike to a friend's house, . Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Inside, Willett said, Hornbeck and Ownby were playing video games., Ben just shot up and was in that fight-or-flight [mode], Willett said. We would talk about a lot of nonsignificant things, and then, once I would steer the conversation back, our focus was on Ben, Willett said. Among them, kidnapping then 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at gunpoint, then submitting him to years of sexual abuse. Never give up hope: The Shawn Hornbeck story - Daily Journal Online 18:50 GMT 12 Jan 2021. I have them because I survived.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Their cases made national news. That was more traumatizing than the original event itself, he said. Shawn was found alive and his kidnapper arrested in January 2007. I dont remember his exact words, but he realized the time had come, Willett said. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. 10 years after the 'Missouri Miracle': Shawn Hornbeck speaks Devlin told FBI agents the reason he began looking for another boy was that Shawn was getting too old. Kirkwood and Glendale police spoke with Shawn Devlin on more than one occasion in the years prior to Michael Devlins arrest. Kidnapped boy recounts 4 years of captivity - NBC News Upon learning the 22-year-old blogger died by strangulation three to four weeks before her body was found in Grand Teton National Park, Smart shared her thoughts onRed Table Talk. He wont be eligible for parole until hes 100. Sgt. But this time, Devlin was seen kidnapping the boy. The white beat-up white truck that Mitchell described to police sat outside the apartment. Willett and the others saw two boys playing video games in the apartment: Ben Ownby, whom they immediately recognized, and a now 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck. McNamara, who also led the investigation into the Golden State Killer, found many connections between the two boys. 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See the 'Counting On' Kids' Houses, Look How Much the Little Couple's Kids Will and Zoey Have Grown Up, Every Look From the Kardashian-Jenner Family at the 2021 Met Gala, Take a Tour of All the Houses (and Apartments) the Duggars Call Home, Smart spoke out after Gabby Petitos missing person case, Janelle Loves How Christines Boyfriend David Treats Her, Return to Amish's Sabrina and New BF Are 'Happy' After Baby No. He said a police report was filed at the time, but years passed and it became a distant memory. Washington. That fall Devlin pleaded guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and sexual assault and was sentenced to 74 life sentences in Missouri and 170 years of federal time. California. It has touched everyone, what this familys been through, and what Craig did for other families also, said Todd Mahn, the owner of the funeral home. Police called his parents, who had never given up hope, and gave them the miraculous news that after four years, their son had been found. He was 14 years old at the time. The Hornbecks hope that the photos can be used as evidence to build a case against Devlin, Sherman said. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Shawn Hornbeck (center) talks with the media about missing women found in Cleveland during interviews in downtown St. Louis on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Akers served in the United States Air Force and was a member of Patriot Guard. FBI and Police from across Missouri started searching four days earlier for Ben Ownby who was kidnapped from his rural bus stop in Franklin County, Missouri. I just wanted to walk away and the guy got upset, I dont know, irritated. Throughout her captivity, Alicia was chained by the neck, sexually assaulted, and her torture was live-streamed. On Monday night, friends and family arrive at the Mahn Funeral Home in DeSoto for the visitation of Craig Akers. Is dumpster diving legal in Missouri and Illinois? In Gabbys case in particular, I mean, I was alive, and I came home, and hers tragically has not ended that way, Smart said during a sit-down interview with Jada Pinkett Smith and Jadas mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, which aired in October 2021. According to Palmer, while walking back from a video rental store, a man in a pickup pulled up and tried to get Palmer to accept a ride. One of the most disturbing of the more than a dozen images obtained by KTVI appears to show Hornbeck with his face shrouded in a red bandana pointing a gun at the camera. In 2011, she described her kidnapper as a cool mom.. Who Can Benefit From Diaphragmatic Breathing? Palmer told News 4 that his father married a woman from Robinson, Illinois and in December 1998 he traveled there with his father and stepmother. Photo: AP Photo/Tom Gannam; AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, 24 Years After White Supremacists Lynched Her Dad, Daughter Speaks Out About Trauma and Journey to Peace, Daughter Sues Hospital for 'Assault, Battery, and False Imprisonment' of Kidney Patient Father, Retired Mo. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Both he and Ben Ownby still live in the St. Louis area. Shawn, who was missing since Oct. 2002, was. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. Crack the case in FOXNews.com's Crime Center. Three days later, two Kirkwood police officers answered another unrelated call at Devlin's apartment building, but as they were leaving, spotted the truck outside. Shawn Hornbeck's father, Craig Akers, passes away at 57 Ownby was taken for five days in January 2007 and the search for him inadvertently solved both cases. From Elizabeth Smart to Jaycee Dugard, these kids from famous crime cases are both horrifying and inspiring. What happened to Kenneth Parnell? - BIO-Answers.com For Smart, she was able to turn her traumatic experience with being kidnapped at 14 into an advocacy career. He spoke to reporters in 2013 following the dramatic discovery. He would just sit and look at it and stare at it, and he would just talk about these women, and then when he was done, he would turn and look at me, and he would be like, Now were going to do this,' she said in a video about her convicted abductor, Brian David Mitchell. VICTIM'S FATHER SERVED TIME AS A PERV - New York Post Severe Weather Chris Jewers For Mailonline Shawn was also made to pose as his abductors son. That is, until April 2020 after he started volunteering for a non-profit in Canada called, Operation Underground Railroad, that works to combat human trafficking. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It was the case of Steven Stayner, who escaped from his abductor after the man took another child. Just one day before the miraculous discovery, McNamara theorized Ownby was targeted because of his youthful appearance. The agents asked for Devlins permission to search his truck, which he gave. He was 57. Shawn Hornbeck hugs his family after being rescued from the home of Michael Devlin. FBI/GettyThis undated handout photo provided by the FBI shows Shawn Hornbeck as he was pictured on a missing person poster from 2002. Hornbeck, now 25, attended private school after his rescue and later got a factory job in Missouri, according to the Post-Dispatch. They've changed, but I could recognise them in 20 more years, instantly,' he told Winfrey, before adding that while he had access to the internet and a phone, he was unable to contact them. Friends still worry about Shawn Hornbeck - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier He admitted to abducting Ownby. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It is hard to even come up with words to express the feeling. So, today, at the age of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. I remember yelling out, I was scared of waking up my dad, Thats, thats him, Thats the same guy from Robinson.'. "It's disturbing, but it's not unexpected that there are going to be things revealed from the course of Shawn's captivity that are going to be upsetting to the family," Hornbeck family lawyer Scott Sherman said. Its a good feeling knowing somebody that would do good for anybody, said Hattie Wall. Speaking at the time, Craig said: 'It is the phone call I will remember most for the rest of my life. Willett said Devlin broke after she told him that tire tracks could be crucial evidence in Ownbys disappearance. LOUIS - Six months ago, Shawn Hornbeck disappeared again. Today, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby have found some sense of normalcy, living peacefully with their families in St. Louis. Due to lack of funds and time, The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation was closed, but members helped found the Missouri Valley Search and Rescue Team to continue the work. Devlin pleaded guilty to all the counts against him and was sentenced to 72 years behind bars. A child abductee's journey back | The Seattle Times When investigators confronted Devlin, he finally confessed to Ben's kidnapping - and stunned the detectives when he said he also had Shawn. KIRKWOOD - Fourteen years ago today in a suburb of St. Louis called Kirkwood, Missouri, the term Missouri Miracle came about. On December 4, 1972, Stayner, age 7, was abducted in Merced, California by child molester Kenneth Parnell. . We located Ben this afternoon in the City of Kirkwood and we also located Shawn Hornbeck, who was at the same residence. The news spread all across the world. Hornbeck, now. Now 30, although Elizabeth has spoken out publicly several times about her ordeal, she keeps a low profile. Devlin was sentenced to 74 life sentences and 170 years of federal time after the 2007 kidnapping of Ben Ownby and 2002 kidnapping of Shawn Hornbeck. Another child, 13, went missing five years later. ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV) A Canadian man learned the man who tried to abduct him years ago, was Michael Devlin. The man who fathered kidnapped teen Shawn Hornbeck was a convicted sex offender who did three years in a Missouri prison on drug and sodomy charges, The Post has learned. Click here to watch the original report from KTVI. Today, shes 33 and admits to still visiting the house where she was kept prisoner. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boys whereabouts. Ownby, 23, lives and attends school in the St. Louis area, according to the Post-Dispatch. He and Ben Ownby, another kidnapped boy, were found in the suburban St. Louis apartment of. While aiding the investigation of finding the Golden State Killer, Michelle McNamara passed away at the age of 46, just a short time before the killer was found. Legal Statement. Investigators say the images show a "different side" of Hornbeck, and they hope that they will help them piece together the teen's puzzling disappearance. What Is Shawn Hornbeck Doing Now? - FAQS Clear Shawn Hornbeck, left, the boy who was held captive for over four years and finally freed in January from the St. Louis area apartment of Michael Devlin, makes a putt as his dad Craig Akers watches . Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Shawn Hornbeck: FBI Agent Reveals How Mike Devlin Confessed - Peoplemag Today, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby have found some sense of normalcy, living peacefully with their families in St. Louis. Two federal agentsLynn Willett and Tina Richterasked permission to search the truck, which Devlin allowed. In the interview, he revealed what he really thought about suspicions that he and his parents were involved with his sisters death. Devlin pleaded guilty more then 70 times Tuesday to a litany of horrific crimes. Chris Jewers For Mailonline, Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy says he opposes impeachment but tells House caucus Donald Trump DOES bear 'some responsibility' for MAGA mob and floats censure motion, Reprieve for only woman on federal death row after judge grants 11th hour stay of execution for womb raider killer Lisa Montgomery pending a competency hearing, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Beaming Harry and Meghan enjoy date night at private members' club, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Hes into video production and has shown me some of his work.. [He] is doing really well, a retired sheriff who worked on his case told the paper. They said they stayed close to him to help with his transition. She and another agent headed to the Kirkwood pizzeria because its manager, Michael Devlin, owned a truck that looked suspiciously similar to one that had been seen near the site of Ownbys abduction. I dont know what to say to that, because I know thats not what happened, he said. Patty Hearsts Stockholm Syndrome became a talk of the nation as she was from one of the wealthiest and powerful families in the country. They had been kidnapped by Michael J. Devlin . In 1996, Burkes sister, JonBenet Ramsey, was murdered in their Colorado home. Thats when he said he came across a story on Shawn Hornbeck and he says he saw a photo of Michael Devlin. A year after ordeal, kidnapped boy doing well - TODAY.com Alicias Law directs $5 million of leftover state lottery funds to locate and prosecute people participating in the sexual exploitation of children. But despite his ordeal, Hornbeck remains optimistic about his future. Shawn always took the same route and his parents trusted him to ride alone. Kidnap Victim Shawn Hornbeck Opens Up About Captivity Hell - Peoplemag Palmer was confident that he now had the identity of the man who tried to abduct him 22 years ago, so he contacted police in Robinson but they suggested he reach out to the FBI since Devlin would have crossed a state line to commit the crime. Since then, Shasta has struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, but in a 2015 interview, said she was getting her life back on track and was on her way to being a mother. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. On Monday night, friends and family arrive at the Mahn Funeral Home in DeSoto for the visitation of Craig Akers. ', Shawn replied: 'I was hoping it might give some sort of hint. But that wasnt his only crime. In 2013, the now 26-year-old gave her first interview since the kidnapping where she said she was attending college and planning to be a veterinarian. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Jessica O'Connor is a public historian focusing on Deep South Black History with degrees from Winston-Salem State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Revisiting the 'Missouri Miracle' two decades after Shawn Hornbeck My Spidey-senses were up, almost immediately.. Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google or Facebook password. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. He was sexually abused, with Devlin later telling FBI agents that as Shawn got older, he had begun looking for a younger boy to take. In response to the tragedy, Shawns parents, Pam and Craig Akers, founded the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation and the Hornbeck Search and Rescue Team to assist in searches of abducted children. After a dozen days later, Patty was spotted wielding an assault weapon on a bank surveillance camera during an SLA bank robbery. The officers questioned Devlin, but he refused to let them search his apartment. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. "We're not just looking at the person in the picture, but obviously you look at everything in the background or the quality of the film or of the digital picture. Hornbeck and Ownby were discovered after police noticed Devlins white pickup truck in the apartment complex parking lot. Hornbeck, now 25, attended private school after his rescue and later got a factory job in Missouri, according to the Post-Dispatch. 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman Is a Proud Mom of 14: See Her Kids Today! In a split second, Devlin kidnapped Shawn, telling the boy that he, was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Five years later, Devlin kidnapped 13-year-old Ben Ownby in the same truck. . You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Was that a way to connect with them? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 'This is the best day of our lives. She was rescued by her adoptive parents who worked with the troubled girls social interaction issues. Both he and Ben Ownby still live in the St. Louis area. Stepfather of Shawn Hornbeck, boy found 4 years after abduction, dies That evening, then-Fraklin County. Shawn Hornbeck, 15, gets a hug from his mother Pam Akers as his stepfather Craig Akers touches his head Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007 in Richwoods, Mo. Shawn planned to ride his bike to a friends house. Craig Akers dies 12 years after his missing son, Shawn Hornbeck, was Tortured and threatened with death, Hornbeck had allowed Devlin to present him as his son. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Task force officials say the images are a top priority, but are not sure at this point how important they will be to their ongoing investigation. Driving his pickup, he knocked Hornbeck off his bike and kidnapped him. The falsehoods hurt the family, but may have fueled the search to find their son alive. On Jan. 12, 2007, police serving an unrelated warrant at the apartment complex where Devlin lived in Kirkwood, Mo., spotted a white pick-up truck that matched the description of the one reportedly used in the abduction of Ownby four days earlier in Beaufort, Mo. One year after Hornbecks release, his parents told PEOPLE he was making progress. Their discovery would become known as the Missouri Miracle. Some thought they would never be found alive and their abductor was hiding in plain sight. Authorities are investigating pictures of Shawn Hornbeck that were apparently taken during the four years the Missouri teen was missing. Her ordeal was later turned into a Lifetime film in 2018 called Girl in the Bunker. In 2014, it appears Hornbeck tweeted about Willett by name, writing, Thank you to Lynn Willet for giving me back freedom., She later replied, on the 2015 anniversary of his freedom, Today will always have great meaning for me and my team. When You Breathe In Your Diaphragm Does What. Authorities are investigating pictures of Shawn Hornbeck that were apparently taken during the four years the Missouri teen was missing.
