This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. When his 11-year-old son was kidnapped in October 2002, Craig became very dedicated in finding his boy. 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.. Once a cold case, the Missouri Miracle serves as evidence that determination, quick thinking, and an eye for detail can bring sometimes justice. As you know, police found 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck in an apartment of 41-year-old Michael Devlin last week, along with 13-year-old Ben Ownby. By ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. The driver grabbed Shawn, put him in his truck, and left. And he said, Ill never forget this, he said, Nah, boy just get in the truck. And thats when I bolted and I ran, said Palmer. Devlin eventually allowed Shawn to go out with friends, get a cellphone and go on dates, but he didn't go to school. Devlin opened the front door to his apartment and allowed the FBI and police to go inside. Its their story to tell.. Shawn Hornbeck In 2002, Shawn was abducted while riding his bike with a friend and was found five years later. He was 14 years old at the time. She still has a scar on her forehead from the incident. 'You get so many of these messages. Shawn had taken this path many times before but this time, Shawn passed by Mike Devlin who bumped him with his truck. 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. He admitted to abducting Ownby. Sgt. (KFVS) Eleven-year-old Shawn Hornbeck went missing in 2002. Did Patty Hearst have Stockholm syndrome? Devlin pleaded guilty to all the charges and received 74 life sentences and an additional term of 2,020 years. In 1996, Burkes sister, JonBenet Ramsey, was murdered in their Colorado home. She was kept in an underground bunker for 10 days before being rescued. "Craig was a dedicated family man. 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. KIRKWOOD - Fourteen years ago today in a suburb of St. Louis called Kirkwood, Missouri, the term Missouri Miracle came about. News 4 contacted the FBI but a spokesperson said they could neither confirm nor deny a complaint had been filed and an investigation was underway. Terrified, knowing that the man would soon kill her, Alicia struggled to maintain hope that she would be found. . 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. All Rights Reserved. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. ', His father Craig said he could remember the message, telling the host:'I remember reading it, I remember thinking to myself either this is someone with that name or this is someone trying to yank my chain.'. Hornbeck, now 25, attended private school after his rescue and later got a factory job in Missouri, according to the Post-Dispatch. Using the name Shawn Devlin, he cryptically wrote, How long are you planning to look for your son?. He sat with Willett in the back seat, she told the Post-Dispatch. The second boy was Shawn Hornbeck, who had disappeared more than four years earlier from his own rural neighborhood of Washington County. Craig was a dedicated family man. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boys whereabouts. .success{color:#000; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold} Authorities are investigating pictures of Shawn Hornbeck that were apparently taken during the four years the Missouri teen was missing. The truck belonged to store manager Michael Devlin, who eventually agreed to a search by agents Lynn Willett and Tina Richter. Shawn would even reach out to his parents on a website they set up to receive tips on his disappearance. Shawn, who was missing since Oct. 2002, was. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Devlin pleaded guilty to all the counts against him and was sentenced to 72 years behind bars. 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. Once found, Natascha gave dozens of interviews, released two memoirs, and even had a film based on her ordeal. Shawn always took the same route and his parents trusted him to ride alone. In Touch Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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 falsehoods hurt the family, but may have fueled the search to find their son alive. On December 4, 1972, Stayner, age 7, was abducted in Merced, California by child molester Kenneth Parnell. #subscriptionResponse{color:#000; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold}. Crack the case in FOXNews.com's Crime Center. 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. They had been kidnapped by Michael J. Devlin. Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com. 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. Devlin was handed multiple life sentences for a total of more than 4,000 years. It was the case of Steven Stayner, who escaped from his abductor after the man took another child. Now 30, although Elizabeth has spoken out publicly several times about her ordeal, she keeps a low profile. One year after Hornbecks release, his parents told PEOPLE he was making progress. Shawn was found alive and his kidnapper arrested in January 2007. In 1987, the world watched in anticipation as Jessica, then 18 months old, was pulled out of a well after being trapped there for two days. 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. 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. 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. His story made national headlines in 2007 as the "Missouri Miracle." In a 2013. But that wasnt his only crime. My Spidey-senses were up, almost immediately.. After Mitchell Hults report, the FBI received a tip that a truck matching the description of Devlins was parked at a pizza restaurant in Kirkwood. It was a bittersweet Christmas for Craig and Pam Akers and their 16-year-old son, Shawn Hornbeck. Abducted at the age of 10 in Austria, Natascha was kept in a secret cellar for eight years before she escaped in 2006. 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. Authorities say Devlins confession that January day ended years of abuse, threats and manipulation for Hornbeck, whom Devlin abducted in October 2002. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Your email address will not be published. After Shawns disappearance, Pam and Craig Akers dedicated every second of their lives to finding their son. He was transferred to Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri. Legal Statement. 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. On Monday night, friends and family arrive at the Mahn Funeral Home in DeSoto for the visitation of Craig Akers. Shawn Hornbeck stays close to his mother, Pam Akers, during a press conference Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, in Richwoods, the morning after he was found along with Ben Ownby in a Kirkwood apartment. Severe Weather Scroll through the gallery below to see before-and-after photos of famous kids from criminal cases. Tortured and threatened with death, Hornbeck had allowed Devlin to present him as his son. Hornbecks life suffered a severe schism when he was allegedly kidnapped at the age of 11. Speaking last week, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the boys discovery, she told the Post-Dispatch, I want the story to be theirs to tell. He spoke to reporters in 2013 following the dramatic discovery. The truck matched a description given by 15-year-old Mitchell Hults of a vehicle he spotted in the vicinity of Ownbys abduction. He glanced up once and then he didnt look at all, she said. During the investigation we found out that he did go looking for other children and he had about a sixty-mile radius around the area where he lived going over into Illinois and into Missouri, said Toelke. Have a tip? In an interview on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Hornbeck said he was too "terrified" to try to escape from Devlin's clutches. Listen Now On Jan. 12, 2007, Ben Ownby, 13, and Shawn Hornbeck, 15, were saved from Michael Devlin's apartment in St. Louis County. Who was Kenneth Parnell's accomplice? Palmer said he remembers the face of the man who tried to abduct him 22 years ago, but it wasnt until recently he put the name of Michael Devlin, to that face. Five years later, we watched together as Shawn Hornbeck was found alive. She linked the two abductions before the authorities did and even used online maps to guess as to where they were being held. In 1991, Jaycee, who was 11 at the time, was kidnapped on the street while walking home from school, and she wasnt found for another 18 years. Among them, kidnapping then 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at gunpoint, then submitting him to years of sexual abuse. For the four years that followed, Shawn believed that his family would be harmed if he tried to run. That evening, then-Fraklin County. 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. Theres hardly any place he can go that somebody doesnt recognize him and want to give him a hug, his mom said. After hearing the news of Ownbys abduction, true crime investigator and late wife of comedian Patton Oswalt, Michelle McNamara began investigating the boys abduction. When You Breathe In Your Diaphragm Does What. One of Bens friends, Mitchell Hults heard Bens cries and reported the truck to the police. , updated 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. On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck left home on his bicycle in the rural area of Richwoods, Missouri. Prosecutors in Franklin, Washington, and St. Louis counties hit Devlin with dozens of charges, including kidnapping, use of a deadly weapon, molestation, and production of child pornography. He wont be eligible for parole until hes 100. On January 12, 2007, police and FBI agents entered the apartment and located Ben Ownby and a second boy sitting on a sofa quietly. Our only wish would have been to help you sooner.. 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. Finding out, what Palmer is convinced is, the identity of the man who tried to abduct him, has taken an emotional toll. The young boy believed his family would be harmed if he attempted to escape or contact the police. Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox. Its a good feeling knowing somebody that would do good for anybody, said Hattie Wall. I just feel like its always going to be part of my life, he said at the time, of his own abduction and captivity. Their cases made national news. Shes now 25 years old, has two sons and lives in Idaho. We have some good news for you and probably some unbelievable news. 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. A description of the vehicle that was wanted in connection with Ben Ownby's kidnapping led police to an apartment complex in the 400 block of South Holmes Street in Kirkwood. 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