Inside The Terrifying Kidnapping And Miraculous Rescue Of Shawn Hornbeck. Later, Devlin admitted he kidnapped Ben because Shawn was getting too old for his liking, unwittingly confirming McNamaras theory. The guy tried to entice me to his vehicle. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Shawn Hornbeck, his mother Pam Akers, left, and step-father Craig Akers, greet friends as they walk into the press conference Saturday, January 13, 2007 at Richwoods School. 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. By When his 11-year-old son was kidnapped in October 2002, Craig became very dedicated in finding his boy. Alicias Law directs $5 million of leftover state lottery funds to locate and prosecute people participating in the sexual exploitation of children. 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On this day in 2007, Shawn Hornbeck was finally reunited with his parents after he vanished without trace while riding his bike in Missouri four years earlier. The bill was sponsored by Arizona Representative Paul Boyer. Authorities are investigating pictures of Shawn Hornbeck that were apparently taken during the four years the Missouri teen was missing. Shawn always took the same route and his parents trusted him to ride alone. Sheriff in 'Missouri Miracle' kept in touch with Ben Ownby The young boy believed his family would be harmed if he attempted to escape or contact the police. 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. 90 Day Fiance's Hamza's Green Card Status 'Battle' Amid Memphis Divorce. Life returning to normal for Ben Ownby - TODAY.com The second boy was Shawn Hornbeck, who had disappeared more than four years earlier from his own rural neighborhood of Washington County. Palmer told News 4 that his father married a woman from Robinson,. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But he was able to send them a message on a website that had been set up to help find him, using his real name. Akers served in the United States Air Force and was a member of Patriot Guard. How to get started raising backyard, attacked and stabbed Devlin with a homemade ice pick, Windshield covers and other handy gear you need for, 18 trendy cowboy boots to wear this winter, 18 books youll want to read on Dr. Seuss Day, STL Co. stakeholders look for juvenile crime solutions, STL County school district still recovering from, Block party kicks off history making weekend for, Woman shot in Schnucks parking lot in St. Peters, Mo lawmakers back ban on Chinese ownership of land, Lawsuit: Muslims praying at Missouri prison pepper-sprayed, Local organization host fundraiser for Janae Edmondson, Heavy rain, wind slam St. Louis region on Friday, Man shot and killed on his front porch in Illinois, New contract, pay raises expected soon for STL police, Warren County man charged in counterfeit money scheme, TSA at Lambert warns travelers about flights ahead. (KFVS) Eleven-year-old Shawn Hornbeck went missing in 2002. They had been kidnapped by Michael J. Devlin. "Craig was a dedicated family man. 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. Today, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby have found some sense of normalcy, living peacefully with their families in St. Louis. 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. He spoke to reporters in 2013 following the dramatic discovery of three trapped women in Cleveland. When Devlin told Shawn Hornbeck he was going to kidnap a new boy, Shawn fought the man who had tortured, isolated and manipulated him since 2002. Visit FOXNews.com's Crime Center for complete coverage. He and Ben Ownby, another kidnapped boy, were found in the suburban St. Louis apartment of. Shawn would go on to recount his experience on television where he detailed his abuse, the lies he was forced to tell, and his years in the apartment. 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. Contests & Promotions, 2023, The Networks of Mid-Missouri Columbia, MO USA, JC Public Works announces more street closures, Federal grand jury indicts man on hate crime charges after he allegedly shot 2 Jewishmen in Los Angelesin February, All flights grounded at airport near Penn State University over suspicious device, 100 passengers bused to campus, Fire at Indonesian fuel storage station kills at least 16, A string of gruesome cat killings has this Japanese city on edge. Sherman said the Hornbecks were unaware of the photos until they were contacted by KTVI, but said that the family is prepared to deal with any trauma their son might have experienced during his time in captivity. .error{color:#000; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold} When then-FBI Special Agent Lynn Willett went to a pizza shop in Kirkwood, Missouri, 10 years ago, she did not expect to leave with a kidnapper in custody. "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. Driving his pickup, he knocked Hornbeck off his bike and kidnapped him. What Is Shawn Hornbeck Doing Now? - FAQS Clear Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. 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. Willett retired from the FBI in 2010. My Spidey-senses were up, almost immediately.. Authorities say Devlins confession that January day ended years of abuse, threats and manipulation for Hornbeck, whom Devlin abducted in October 2002. On Jan. 8, 2007, Ben Ownby was taken while waiting at a bus stop in Beaufort, located in Franklin County. Finding out, what Palmer is convinced is, the identity of the man who tried to abduct him, has taken an emotional toll. They also started the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation to help other families find their missing and abducted children. #subscriptionResponse{color:#000; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold}. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Looking at the side of his neck, I could see the pulse quicken, I could see a physiological change, when we would talk about the abduction.. One of Bens friends, Mitchell Hults heard Bens cries and reported the truck to the police. What is Shawn Hornbeck doing today? In the interview, Oprah asked: 'I had read that you had gone to the Internet site to asked 'how long will you be looking for your son'. California. O'Reilly: Abducted child "liked his circumstances," had "a lot more The discovery that Hornbeck was still alive after his abduction near Richwoods in 2003, was dubbed, "The Missouri Miracle". 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. But this time, Devlin was seen kidnapping the boy. Only 9 years old at the time, the older brother, along with his parents, became a prime suspect in the death of his sister, a crime that today is still unsolved. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. Craig was a dedicated family man. And Devlin would later admit to prosecutors that Shawn was getting too old for him, and he abducted Ben because he looked younger, which proved McNamaras theory. Revisiting the 'Missouri Miracle' two decades after Shawn Hornbeck After 13 hours, and with the help of their bus driver, they managed to break free and were rescued. That was more traumatizing than the original event itself, he said. Bens abduction and Hults quick thinking would eventually turn out to be Shawns salvation. In 2013, she said that she has moved on.. Franklin County Sheriff talks day Shawn Hornbeck was found 20 years ago 00:00 / 07:16 Hornbeck suffered physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hand of Delvin, who reportedly was once a friendly and outgoing person but became more reclusive after some issues with his health. Today, shes 33 and admits to still visiting the house where she was kept prisoner. Shawn Hornbeck was an 11 year old boy who was kidnapped while riding his bike to a friend's house near Richwoods, Missouri. Shawn had taken this path many times before but this time, Shawn passed by Mike Devlin who bumped him with his truck. Pam Akers watched her son, Shawn Hornbeck, leave their home in Richwoods, Missouri, about 55 miles southwest of St. Louis, on the afternoon of Oct. 6, 2002. Shawn told no one about his situation, and nobody in Kirkwood suspected that he was the missing boy from Richmond - 50 miles away. Hornbecks life suffered a severe schism when he was allegedly kidnapped at the age of 11. 18:50 GMT 12 Jan 2021. She still stays in touch with her colleagues who helped solve the case. Theres hardly any place he can go that somebody doesnt recognize him and want to give him a hug, his mom said. Shawn would even reach out to his parents on a website they set up to receive tips on his disappearance. Listen Now On Jan. 12, 2007, Ben Ownby, 13, and Shawn Hornbeck, 15, were saved from Michael Devlin's apartment in St. Louis County. "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. Find out where she is today following the death of her daughter, Caylee. Desperate for help, they appeared on an episode of The Montel Williams Show, where the self-proclaimed medium Sylvia Browne told the couple falsely that their son was dead. "The family looks at it like this: With what they've been through in the last four and a half years in getting Shawn back, they can deal with anything," Sherman said. Shawn was with him in the pickup. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Today, St. Louis Talks spoke to then Franklin County sheriff Gary Toelke, who led much of the investigation after Ownby was taken four days earlier. The truck belonged to store manager Michael Devlin, who eventually agreed to a search by agents Lynn Willett and Tina Richter. In the interview, he revealed what he really thought about suspicions that he and his parents were involved with his sisters death. His story made national headlines in 2007 as the "Missouri Miracle." In a 2013. Terrified, knowing that the man would soon kill her, Alicia struggled to maintain hope that she would be found. 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. What nobody knew at the time was that Shawn was still alive and had been taken to an apartment in Kirkwood, where hed live with his kidnapper for the next four years. 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