In 2013, with the help of a local radio station, she attended her first prom. The truck matched a description given by 15-year-old Mitchell Hults of a vehicle he spotted in the vicinity of Ownbys abduction. 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. The man who kidnapped Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby was identified as Michael J. Devlin, a pizza-restaurant manager. 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. He admitted to abducting Ownby. Today, shes 33 and admits to still visiting the house where she was kept prisoner. 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 . Both boys were discovered inside Devlin's apartment shortly thereafter. This time it was from the lives of those who had known and cared for him during the four years he was missing, those who had unwittingly. Send it to us! Abducted at the age of 10 in Austria, Natascha was kept in a secret cellar for eight years before she escaped in 2006. I remember yelling out, I was scared of waking up my dad, Thats, thats him, Thats the same guy from Robinson.'. On October 6, 2002, Shawn, aged. 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. You look at a lot of things," Nothum said. 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. One of Bens friends, Mitchell Hults heard Bens cries and reported the truck to the police. Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. Devlin pleaded guilty to all the charges and received 74 life sentences and an additional term of 2,020 years. He bound Shawn Hornbeck, tied him to a futon or a couch inside the apartment and duct taped his mouth closed, assistant prosecutor Rob Livergood told the court. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. .error{color:#000; font-size:14px; font-weight:bold} They spent every penny they had to find Shawn, and made multiple media appearances to raise awareness. 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. Im not gonna lie there were times when it seemed like I was better off dead.. Shawn would even reach out to his parents on a website they set up to receive tips on his disappearance. The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation ceased operations in 2013. 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. Legal Statement. Driving his pickup, he knocked Hornbeck off his bike and kidnapped him. On January 12, 2007, police and FBI agents entered the apartment and located Ben Ownby and a second boy sitting on a sofa quietly. Your email address will not be published. 1, 'Welcome to Plathville' Kim Plath's DUI Case Closed: Fine, More Details, Sister Wives Kody, Robyn Were With a Mystery Blonde: Identity Revealed, Megan Fox and MGK's Relationship Is 'Toxic': 'There Is Concern for Her', Farrah Abraham Slams Mom-Shamers Over Daughter Sophias Piercings, Jon Gosselin Is 'Open' With Kids Collin, Hannah About Their Dating Lives. He said he plans to continue to seek justice and peace of mind. It was a bittersweet Christmas for Craig and Pam Akers and their 16-year-old son, Shawn Hornbeck. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. When Shawn came up missing he was 11 years old and. Other members of the organization founded the Missouri Valley Search and Rescue Team to continue the mission of helping families of missing children and adults. Another child, 13, went missing five years later. I have them because I survived.. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 15. Al Nothum of the Missouri Highway Patrol said the first thing police want to know is who took the photos. ", In a 2013 interview, Shawn, then 21, said, "You cant give up. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boys whereabouts. 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. Ownby was kidnapped in January of 2007 in Beaufort and it was during that investigation that Ownby and Hornbeck were found in Devlins Kirkwood apartment. Though Ben was two years older than Shawn, he looked young for his age, and both. 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. That evening, then-Fraklin County. It was 1980. Speaking out for the first time, Shawn Hornbeck says his four years of being held captive . Find out where she is today following the death of her daughter, Caylee. Shawn Hornbeck was missing for over four years before being discovered on January 12, 2007, along with another teenage boy. I dont remember his exact words, but he realized the time had come, Willett said. We were sitting in the back seat, he was turned to look at me and I was turned to look at him. He never arrived. 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. The driver grabbed Shawn, put him in his truck, and left. Efforts to reach Willett Tuesday were not immediately successful. Your email address will not be published. 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Some thought they would never be found alive and their abductor was hiding in plain sight. He will be missed, said Dawn Robertson, a family friend. 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. Sweet because Shawn was back home after having been . 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. 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. Did Patty Hearst have Stockholm syndrome? Devlin went to Beaufort, Missouri, where he kidnapped Ben Ownby from his bus stop. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I was looking at him saying, Youre safe. . Shawn Hornbeck (center) talks with the media about missing women found in Cleveland during interviews in downtown St. Louis on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. He sat with Willett in the back seat, she told the Post-Dispatch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved When Craig Akers son, Shawn Hornbeck, went missing, Akers also helped other parents find children who had disappeared. Their discovery became known as the Missouri Miracle.. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Following Ownbys abduction, true-crime writer and internet sleuth Michelle McNamara examined the case and discovered a connection between Ownbys kidnapping and Hornbecks disappearance. He even reportedly attended a local school dance in December with a girl students described as his "girlfriend.". Its their story to tell.. In Beaufort, on January 8, 2007, he kidnapped Ben Ownby from a bus stop, with Shawn in the pick up truck with him. During the show, self-proclaimed psychic Sylvia Browne told them Shawn was dead and provided details about the crime that were later proven to be falsehoods. Ill. coroner explains how wife didnt notice body, Check out these new must-see Missouri attractions, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Hornbeck was eleven years old on October 6, 2002, when he was kidnapped while riding his bicycle near his home in Richwoods, Missouri. In 2009, a story about a girl simply called Danielle who was raised in deplorable conditions and treated like a wild animal by her biological mother made headlines. 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On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck left home on his bicycle in the rural area of Richwoods, Missouri. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. 'This is the best day of our lives. For Smart, she was able to turn her traumatic experience with being kidnapped at 14 into an advocacy career. The late Walter. She linked the two abductions before the authorities did and even used online maps to guess as to where they were being held. As he peddled through the small-town streets he was bumped by a white truck. Shawn had taken this path many times before but this time, Shawn passed by Mike Devlin who bumped him with his truck. 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'. 10 years after the 'Missouri Miracle': Shawn Hornbeck speaks out about his ordeal. The discovery that Hornbeck was still alive after his abduction near Richwoods in 2003, was dubbed, The Missouri Miracle. Thats what many folks remember about Craig his selflessness. Since her ordeal made headlines in 2009, Jaycee, now 41, has published two memoirs and continues to speak publicly about her experience. Click here to watch the original report from KTVI. The driver, Mike Devlin rushed to Shawn and appeared to be concerned for his safety. 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. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. 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. But this time, Devlin was seen kidnapping the boy. Both boys allegedly had been kidnapped by Devlin . 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.. You have to stay strong the whole time and you have to just have that strength and just know one day you will be reunited with your family.. 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. In 2016, Burke, now 34, broke his silence and gave his first interview on Dr. Phil. In 1976, 26 children and their bus driver were kidnapped and buried alive in an underground van that survivors would later describe as a "coffin." She still stays in touch with her colleagues who helped solve the case. Among them, kidnapping then 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at gunpoint, then submitting him to years of sexual abuse. @shawn_hornbeck Today will always have great meaning for me and my team. Now 34, Carlina goes by Netty and her story has been turned into a Lifetime movie, Abducted: The Carlina White Story. 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. 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. 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. Inside The Terrifying Kidnapping And Miraculous Rescue Of Shawn Hornbeck. 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. His story made national headlines in 2007 as the "Missouri Miracle. When investigators confronted Devlin, he finally confessed to Ben's kidnapping - and stunned the detectives when he said he also had Shawn. After 13 hours, and with the help of their bus driver, they managed to break free and were rescued. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Since then, Tanya, now 40, has released a memoir, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid: The Tanya Nicole Kach Story, and lives in Pennsylvania. 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. 10 years after the 'Missouri Miracle': Shawn Hornbeck speaks Loaded Progress 0:00 / 2:40 Video Quality 576p 540p 360p 270p Video: Ten years after the 'Missouri Miracle', ex-FBI agent recalls. 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. On December 4, 1972, Stayner, age 7, was abducted in Merced, California by child molester Kenneth Parnell. He said a police report was filed at the time, but years passed and it became a distant memory. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A Missouri man who became part of an international story is being remembered for his selflessness. KIRKWOOD - Fourteen years ago today in a suburb of St. Louis called Kirkwood, Missouri, the term Missouri Miracle came about. The second boy was Shawn Hornbeck, who had disappeared more than four years earlier from his own rural neighborhood of Washington County. Retelling of the case of Shawn Hornbeck, who as an 11 year old, was kidnapped, and miraculously survived several years of abuse. About 19 years (January 2003)Shawn Hornbeck Foundation / Age. Stayner got in the car and wasn't seen again for eight years. That fall Devlin pleaded guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and sexual assault and was sentenced to 74 life . He remains on death row as of July 2021, but there have been zero executions in the state of California since a 2006 court ruling on the flaws found in the management of capital punishment. In 2002, Shawn was abducted while riding his bike with a friend and was found five years later. It's one of the most perplexing questions to emerge from the tale of the two missing Missouri boys who were found last Friday: why didn't Shawn Hornbeck, 15, the older of the two, simply flee?. 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. Shawn Hornbeck was an 11 year old boy who was kidnapped while riding his bike to a friend's house near Richwoods, Missouri. Theyre doing good. Market data provided by Factset. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. Shawn had taken this path many times before but this time, Shawn passed by Mike Devlin who bumped him with his truck. The young boy believed his family would be harmed if he attempted to escape or contact the police. 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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.