The driver, Mike Devlin rushed to Shawn and appeared to be concerned for his safety. He was 11 years old. How to get started raising backyard, 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. All rights reserved. But that wasnt his only crime. A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more. The shocking photos appear to show Hornbeck, now 15, inside or near the apartment of Michael Devlin, the 41-year-old man charged with kidnapping him and 13-year-old Ben Ownby. 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. Hes into video production and has shown me some of his work.. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. She was found six years later with the help of a grocery store clerk who called the police for her. Though Ben was two years older than Shawn, he looked young for his age, and both. Market data provided by Factset. He said, I have Shawn [Hornbeck, missing since 2002]. I said, Take us to him. , Willett told the Post-Dispatch that Devlin took the agents to his ground-floor apartment nearby. Lynn Willett (@lynnwillett9) January 13, 2015. In the same interview, Shawn said he spent his days sleeping and playing video games and was instructed to tell people he was being homeschooled. 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Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call theNational Sexual Assault Hotlineat 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). So, today, at the age of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. Another child, 13, went missing five years later. Shawn was also made to pose as his abductors son. In the interview, he revealed what he really thought about suspicions that he and his parents were involved with his sisters death. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Required fields are marked *. 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. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Shawn Hornbeck (center) talks with the media about missing women found in Cleveland during interviews in downtown St. Louis on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. 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. TwitterShawn Hornbeck hugs his family after being rescued from the home of Michael Devlin. . Im not gonna lie there were times when it seemed like I was better off dead.. Shawn Hornbeck was missing for over four years before being discovered on January 12, 2007, along with another teenage boy. Is Every Duggar Ridiculously Messy? When Craig Akers son, Shawn Hornbeck, went missing, Akers also helped other parents find children who had disappeared. 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. "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. Devlin remains at the state prison in Cameron under protective custody. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Hes gotten to where it doesnt bother him anymore., There wasnt a day when I didnt think he was just gonna kill me, Hornbeck told CBS in 2008. Sweet because Shawn was back home after having been . Among them, kidnapping then 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at gunpoint, then submitting him to years of sexual abuse. On Monday night, friends and family arrive at the Mahn Funeral Home in DeSoto for the visitation of Craig Akers. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey just days after being reunited with Shawn, the Akerses said they believed their son was sexually abused during his captivity. Sgt. Willett said Devlin broke after she told him that tire tracks could be crucial evidence in Ownbys disappearance. The discovery that Hornbeck was still alive after his abduction near Richwoods in 2003, was dubbed, The Missouri Miracle. Alicias Law directs $5 million of leftover state lottery funds to locate and prosecute people participating in the sexual exploitation of children. In May of that year, the Akers family determined they didnt have the time and resources necessary to commit to the foundation and rescue team. Have a tip? He was held by his abductor 200 miles away in Mendocino County, California until he was 14, when he managed to escape with another of Parnells victims, Timothy White. Ownby had been missing for four days when police entered a small apartment in Kirkwood, Missouri, to find both boys. Legal Statement. 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. It has been like a dream, and we are afraid that we are going to wake up.'. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, BEFORE YOU GO: What to know for CITY SCs home opener, Win a Midday Makeover from Studio STL and West County, Hold my beer its time to sign up for the St. Patricks, Tims Travels: Dreaming in silestone and slabs its, Downtown is turning green for St. Patricks Day Parade, The 7brew Crew brings kindness, joy and of course,, Freshen up finds: Give your skin a slug-hug, What the Cluck! Among them, kidnapping then 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at gunpoint, then submitting him to years of sexual abuse. After years of unimaginable dread, his parents were finally able to welcome their son home after Devlin was caught kidnapping another boy-13-year-old Ben Ownby. The couple appeared on The Montel Williams Show shortly after Shawns abduction to raise awareness of the case. Shawn Hornbeck was an 11 year old boy who was kidnapped while riding his bike to a friends house near Richwoods, Missouri. 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. On Oct. 6, 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck straddled his lime green bike and headed to a friends house near Richwoods, Missouri, a small town just outside of St. Louis. 'We knew the world knew the answer to that, we had been saying all along we would never stop looking for our son. Today, Jessica is now 35 years old and lives in Texas with her husband and two children. 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. Shes now a spokesperson for the anti-pornography group, Fight the New Drug. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Since then, Elizabeth, now 34, has been a vocal advocate for child safety rights. Although he did not attend school during the time he was missing, Hornbeck was apparently allowed to leave the apartment unsupervised while Devlin worked as a manager at a local pizza parlor. Retired Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke was heavily involved in the search for Ownby and subsequent investigation of Devlin since Ownby was kidnapped in Beaufort. In 2013, with the help of a local radio station, she attended her first prom. Shawn would even reach out to his parents on a website they set up to receive tips on his disappearance. 10 years after the 'Missouri Miracle': Shawn Hornbeck speaks out about his ordeal. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Both he and Ben Ownby still live in the St. Louis area. Once found, Natascha gave dozens of interviews, released two memoirs, and even had a film based on her ordeal. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The Oct. 6, 2002 kidnapping of Richwoods 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck while riding his bike to a friend's house, . He was 57. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck left home on his bicycle in the rural area of Richwoods, Missouri. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Teenage kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart has given birth to her third child. But thats exactly what happened, the retired agent remembered in a recent interview looking back on the Missouri Miracle, when two missing boys were discovered abducted by the same man. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Adding to his isolation, he was apparently never re-enrolled in school and evidently made few friends in Devlins apartment complex. Authorities are investigating pictures of Shawn Hornbeck that were apparently taken during the four years the Missouri teen was missing. 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. But a chance encounter, the dedication of the boys parents, and the work of a now-famous true crime writer would lead to a remarkable rescue that became known as the Missouri Miracle.. The driver grabbed Shawn, put him in his truck, and left. What did you feel doing that? Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.