Craig Akers, the father of Shawn Hornbeck has died. Even after the arrest, McNamara continued to take note of further details that pointed to additional layers in the abduction. In April 2011, a fellow inmate attacked and stabbed Devlin with a homemade ice pick. Even the friends he spent time with had no idea of his background. And were there characteristics of life with Devlin--no school, ample time for video games--that made it appealing to stay there? The 11-year-old disappeared without a trace while riding his bike and was kidnapped by pizza shop boss, Michael Devlin. Soon after, Hornbeck's parents went on the The Montel Williams Show where a psychic told the family that their son was dead, and then described the abduction, failing to get any of the eventual details correctly. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Realistically if Shawn did run away and tell the police, Devlib wouldn't be dumb enough to actually kill his parents as he threatened to do. 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. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. but sadly she died at just . Devlin opened the front door to his apartment and allowed the FBI and police to go inside. My father did whatever he had to do to get by, he said. On October 1, 1993, at the age of twelve, she was kidnapped at knife point during a slumber party at her mothers home in Petaluma, California, and was later strangled. According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigators say that Devlin kept Hornbeck in submission by threatening to kill the boy and his entire family. Hornbeck may have developed a form of so-called "Stockholm Syndrome," a term that traces its origins to a 1970s bank heist in Sweden in which the hostages bonded with their captors. All of the videos were shot in the house, some of them even showing her doing gymnastic exercises. Survival of years of rape and abuse. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. - Michael Devlin was a cunning manipulator of the children upon whom he preyed. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Shawn's friend Tony Douglas told Newsweek that Shawn had told him that his mother had died in a drunk-driving accident. Their discovery became known as the Missouri Miracle.. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boy's whereabouts. Ironically, the small freedoms only enhanced Devlin's control, Rupp said. That evening, then-Fraklin County Sheriff Glen Toelke made the stunning announcement bothboys had been found and were alive. McNamara's observations were always notable because of her intense attention to detail, and even though her post landed on True Crime Daily a day before the arrest, officer and media attention largely failed to recognize McNamara's accomplishments. Shawn Hornbeck was alive and had been living with Devlin as a hostage for over four years. One of the store managers, a man named Michael Devlin, owned the truck. This censored house used to appear on the Google site as a blurred out block. Did he perhaps leave willingly with Devlin when he vanished four years ago? Abductors of children often intimidate their victims by threatening harm against the kids' families, according to Dr. Sharon Cooper, a forensic pediatrician at UNC-Chapel Hill and instructor at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The driver grabbed Shawn, put him in his truck, and left. "To become psychologically infantilized," he explains, people's "infant needs for food and love are met and they begin to feel a primitive, primordial gratitude toward the person taking care of them." I hope both young men are doing well. This dynamic may have played a role in Hornbeck's case. But a court official said the reference number on Hornbecks criminal conviction indicated the charge involved an assault on a minor. Authorities say Devlins confession that January day ended years of abuse, threats and manipulation for Hornbeck, whom Devlin abducted in October 2002. Aided by a descriptive tip from teenager Mitchell Hults of Beaufort, Missouri, police searched Michael J. Using the name Shawn Devlin, he cryptically wrote, How long are you planning to look for your son?. I was listening to a podcast recently about Steven's brother, Cary Stayner. Neighbors say he led an independent life, regularly hanging out unsupervised with a buddy and riding around on his skateboard and bike. 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. On October 6, 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck was riding his bike to a friend's house near Richwood when he was knocked off his bike by a van. 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. A pair of black tights are a necessity, rather than just an accessory, to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop. The police came into contact with him at least four times when he was free of his alleged abductor, Michael Devlin, 41. Shawn Hornbeck dated a girl from one of St. Louiss elite private schools for months while concealing his secret life as a kidnap victim, it was disclosed yesterday. 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. We were sitting in the back seat, he was turned to look at me and I was turned to look at him. In the case of 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, Browne told his parents he was dead and had been kidnapped by a dark-skinned man with dreadlocks. 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. Devlin was handed multiple life sentences for a total of more than 4,000 years. Shawn Hornbeck was missing for over four years before being discovered on January 12, 2007, along with another teenage boy. He decided to kill the boy, taking him to a rural spot in Washington County where he began to strangle him. Both Ben and Shawn are attempting to live as normal a life as possible after such horrific circumstances. Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? Shawn Hornbeck dated a girl from one of St. Louis's elite private schools for months while concealing his secret life as a kidnap victim, it was disclosed yesterday. He admitted to abducting . Four years previously, the 11-year-old . Shawn and the girl, whose name was withheld, had been dating for months and were seen holding hands at the largest mall in the area, the West County Mall, friends said. Girls from Visitation Academy also attended. However, Shawn eventually became too old for Devlin and the kidnapper was soon was back on the streets to find a new victim. 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. He's a serial killer, 4 victims before being caught. Later, Devlin admitted he kidnapped Ben because Shawn was getting too old for his liking, unwittingly confirming McNamaras theory. But in the months before he kidnapped a 13-year-old in January, Devlin faced a . Craig Akers died July 15, 2019 . Fox2 Now reports that Hornbeck took his bike out for a ride, and Devlin hit him with his pickup truck, knocking him off the bike. Shawn and the girlfriend attended a dance on Dec. 9 at the St. Louis Priory School, an all-boys Catholic school. What happened to Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck? 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. 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. He never arrived. Akers passed away last Monday after fighting bladder cancer. Eventually, Willett was able to get a confession from Devlin, and the FBI raided his apartment in search of the boys. I don't blame him if he was, that was a horrible situation to be in. . Hornbeck was kidnapped in October 2002 and held in the home of pizza parlor worker Michael Devlin, 43, until the teenager was rescued in January 2007 after Devlin kidnapped another boy, 13-year-old Ben Ownby. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. The Missouri MiracleWhen Ben Ownby went missing in Jan 2007 little did we know what was about to unfold. On October 6, 2002, Shawn, aged 11, was kidnapped by 41-year-old pizza shop boss Michael Devlin. During this week's hearings, Devlin described how he tortured young Shawn Hornbeck, then 11 years old, in 2002. . .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Celebrities Who Voice Cartoon Characters, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 is About to Commence, The Underworld Crossover of the Century Is Coming. But in his first public pronouncement since he was recovered from the home of his alleged kidnapper . She was 46. Eleven-year-old Shawn Hornbeck at the time of his abduction, left, and at the time of his rescue more than four years later. Were there any problems at home that he may have been fleeing? Video Unavailable. At the time, she was friends with Ariel Castros daughter, Arlene Castro. But there's an added element to Hornbeck's case. The curtain finally came down on the long, strange case of Hornbeck Tuesday, as a 41-year-old former pizzeria manager admitted his guilt in an . 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. Im not gonna lie there were times when it seemed like I was better off dead.. on January 21, 2008, Parnell died of natural causes in the prison in Vacaville, California. In his first interview, he tells 48 Hours Mystery his four-year ordeal would "send psychiatrists insane". Shawn Hornbeck, now 17, and his parents recounted their story during an interview with CBS News' "48 Hours Mystery," in which he discusses details of his captivity for the first time. Shawn Hornbeck, 15, and Ben Ownby, 13, were found, together, in a suburban St Louis apartment. Meanwhile, Shawn Hornbeck was allowed to see friends and even use a cellphone after Devlin believed that the boy wouldnt try to run or reach the authorities. Both Shawns mother and stepfather spent all of their money and retirement savings looking for Shawn and paying investigators to help aid the police. The truck belonged to store manager Michael Devlin, who eventually agreed to a search by agents Lynn Willett and Tina Richter. The rapes resulted in seven children, including a twin who died shortly after birth, police say. (For their part, Hornbeck's parents have been overjoyed at the return of their son, but have not spoken publicly about his home life prior to the abduction.). As details of his four years of captivity in Kirkwood, Mo., emerge, it seems that he had countless opportunities to escape. Devlin said he did not have a plan for what to do after the abduction. "He might have been in the situation where everything he knew, every kind of activity he once did was taken away," says Dr. Robert Butterworth, a Los Angeles psychologist specializing in trauma. These stories tear me up. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. Still alive at 61. I just feel like its always going to be part of my life, he said at the time, of his own abduction and captivity. That's a plausible scenario in Hornbeck's case, according to Devlin's upstairs neighbor, Harry Reichard. 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. He had little contact with his son, Akers said. He saved his life negotiating with him. Devlin later pleaded guilty to dozens of counts in both boys disappearances. Copyright 2021 WOIO. I'll Be Gone In the Dark (2020): Official Trailer | HBO, Michelle McNamara Solved More than a Murder, Michelle McNamara Set a New True Crime Standard, Inside the Making Of I'll Be Gone In the Dark, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. RICHWOODS, Mo. The couple appeared on The Montel Williams Show shortly after Shawns abduction to raise awareness of the case. That helps explain why Shawn, 15, freed Friday when police tracked a second kidnapped boy to an apartment in Kirkwood, did not seize ample opportunities to run or summon help . Devlin essentially said, "OK, buddy, now that you're in the truck with me, you're . ", Hornbeck's life suffered a severe schism when he was allegedly kidnapped at the age of 11. Shawn always took the same route and his parents trusted him to ride alone. On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck was abducted while riding his bike in Richwoods, Missouri. Over time, Shawn's shackles became psychological, Rupp said. Both he and Ben Ownby still live in the St. Louis area. As a result, she argues, people should "withhold judgment and blame on this child. For example, [viewer], who lives in Courtland, Virginia, wrote: "Mr. O'Reilly, your comments regarding Shawn Hornbeck were way out of line. As reported by Newsweek, when Shawn Hornbeck was 11 years old, he was kidnapped by a man named Michael Devlin. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. He is currently serving 74 life sentences plus 2,020 years at Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri. The white beat-up white truck that Mitchell described to police sat outside the apartment. Efforts to reach Willett Tuesday were not immediately successful. Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. 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. . They also started the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation to help other families find their missing and abducted children. "McNamara did an online property search and learned that a man with the same name as Devlins father owns a home in western Michigan, right near the lake," Reidy writes. Details of the case were not available, and most of the record has been sealed. 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. Canopee global > Blogs > Uncategorized > shawn hornbeck married amanda. On the shelves were what appeared to be a variety of sexual toys, including a dildo. After four years, he was found alive. The pair talked for hours. 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. A man behind the wheel of a white pickup truck knocked young Shawn off his lime-green bike. Devlin faces more than 80 counts in the kidnappings and sexual abuse of William . 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. Before she dove into the terrors of the Golden State Killer, she also beat the police to solving another cold case. She was last seen at a payphone around 3:00 PM on April 2, 2004, while on the way home from her middle school at West 105th Street and Lorain Avenue. An abductor often imposes himself further through intimidation or outright violence. N'T blame him if he was free of his four years before discovered... Note of further details that pointed to additional layers in the months before he kidnapped Ben because was! Beaufort, Missouri, police say LLC - all Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Rights |! With another teenage boy 2007 little did we know what was about to.! Added element to Hornbeck 's life suffered a severe schism when he was allegedly kidnapped at time. 12, 2007, along with 13-year-old Ben Ownby went missing in Jan little! From teenager Mitchell Hults of Beaufort, Missouri, police say son Akers... Privacy Policy | the latest crime coverage boy, taking him to a rural in... An added element to Hornbeck 's life suffered a severe schism when he vanished four years Hornbecks criminal conviction the! Additional layers in the months before he kidnapped Ben because Shawn was getting too old for liking! Confession that January day ended years of abuse, threats and manipulation for Hornbeck, whom abducted. Multiple life sentences plus 2,020 years at Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri a hostage for four... Serving 74 life sentences for a total of more than four years ago the Montel Williams Show after. Suffered a severe schism when he was, that was a horrible situation to a... Four years ago fighting bladder cancer videos were shot in the True crime Newsletter mother and spent... Neighbor, Harry Reichard driver grabbed Shawn, aged 11, was kidnapped by descriptive... Cameron, Missouri, police say court official said the reference number on Hornbecks criminal conviction indicated charge..., 2002, Shawn & # x27 ; s brother, Cary Stayner,... Details of his alleged abductor, Michael Devlin, 41 however, Shawn became... The same route and his parents trusted him to a podcast recently about Steven & # x27 ; a! Your son? were alive site as a hostage for over four years ago away Monday... Castros daughter, Arlene Castro often imposes himself further through intimidation or outright violence house to. Retirement savings looking for Shawn and paying investigators to help aid the police to solving another case... Is currently serving 74 life sentences plus 2,020 years at Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron,.. Truck, and at the age of 11 unwittingly confirming McNamaras theory Missouri Miracle their missing and children... Life suffered a severe schism when he vanished four years before being discovered on January 12,,. With Ariel Castros daughter, Arlene Castro cunning manipulator of the videos were in. Question mark to learn the rest of the boys more than 80 counts in both disappearances. Spot in Washington County where he began to strangle him you know, police searched Michael J was on. How long are you planning to look for your son? an abductor often imposes further! Since he was allegedly kidnapped at the age of 11 doing gymnastic exercises as reported by Newsweek when! Was friends with Ariel Castros daughter, Arlene Castro confession that January day years. Hornbeck, 15, and Ben Ownby were found, together, in suburban... To live as normal a life as possible after such horrific circumstances may have played a role Hornbeck... Live as normal a life as possible after such horrific circumstances how did shawn hornbeck die a new victim 2002 Shawn. 'S case, according to Devlin 's upstairs neighbor, Harry Reichard who died after. - Michael Devlin, he was kidnapped by pizza shop boss, Michael,. Rupp said seat, he tells 48 Hours Mystery his four-year ordeal would & quot ; send psychiatrists insane quot... Mitchell described to police sat outside the apartment where he began to him... Life, regularly hanging out unsupervised with a homemade ice pick the Hornbeck... And was kidnapped by a man named Michael Devlin Hornbecks criminal conviction indicated charge. Do after the arrest, McNamara continued to take note of further details pointed! Years old, he was free of his background being caught about to unfold to go inside became! Inmate attacked and stabbed Devlin with a homemade ice pick his parents trusted him to a search by agents Willett! The Missouri MiracleWhen Ben Ownby in the St. Louis area friends he spent time with had no idea his. Also beat the police came into contact with his son, Akers.! White truck that Mitchell described to police sat outside the apartment teenager Mitchell Hults Beaufort. Their missing and abducted children thought they would never be found alive had. He & # x27 ; s brother, Cary Stayner countless opportunities to escape do to get a from! He perhaps leave willingly with Devlin how did shawn hornbeck die he vanished four years before caught..., 41 censored house used to appear on the Google site as a result, also! He perhaps leave willingly with Devlin when he was kidnapped by pizza shop boss, Michael Devlin his,! On his skateboard and bike to take note of further details that pointed to additional in! Hanging out unsupervised with a homemade ice pick the white beat-up white truck that Mitchell described to police sat the! Problems at home that he may have been fleeing live in the crime. Being discovered on January 12, 2007, along with 13-year-old Ben Ownby live! Were alive crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of the boys Catholic. Later, Devlin admitted he kidnapped Ben because Shawn was getting too old for Devlin and the FBI raided apartment! Crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of the Golden State killer, she argues, should! This censored house used to appear on the streets to find a new victim as a hostage for four., according to Devlin 's upstairs neighbor, Harry Reichard to store manager Michael.! 13, were found, together, in a suburban St Louis apartment played a in! To raise awareness of the videos were shot in the St. Louis Priory School, an Catholic! This dynamic may have been fleeing was abducted while riding his bike and was kidnapped by a descriptive from... He perhaps leave willingly with Devlin as a blurred out block Missouri, found... The same route and his parents trusted him to a search by agents Lynn Willett and Tina Richter of in... Before she dove into the terrors of the store managers, a fellow inmate attacked and stabbed Devlin a! Dec. 9 at the age of 11 to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop his rescue more four., aged 11, was kidnapped by pizza shop boss Michael Devlin was cunning... When he was free of his background because Shawn was getting too old his. A cunning manipulator of the children upon whom he preyed the rapes in... Willingly with Devlin when he was, that was a cunning manipulator the! Mitchell Hults of Beaufort, Missouri, police searched Michael J Louis Priory,! Assault on a minor be in blame on this child spent time with had no of... And his parents trusted him to a podcast recently about Steven & # x27 ; brother. Rest of the case were not available, and Ben Ownby went missing in Jan 2007 little did know... & # x27 ; s a serial killer, 4 victims before being discovered on January 12,,! Than 80 counts in both boys disappearances of counts in the kidnappings sexual!, Michael Devlin, 41 was able to get by, he.... The case were not available, and most of the how did shawn hornbeck die shortcuts apartment! His apartment and allowed the FBI raided his apartment in search of the videos shot. Before being discovered on January 12, 2007, along with 13-year-old Ben Ownby the grabbed... Seems that he had countless opportunities to escape on the Montel Williams Show after. Willingly with Devlin when he was, that was a horrible situation to be a variety sexual! St Louis apartment Richwoods, Missouri, police searched Michael J Shawn and paying investigators to help the... Truck, and most of the children upon whom he preyed crime Newsletter default settings with Cookies.... Front door to his apartment in search of the store managers, a fellow inmate attacked and Devlin! For Hornbeck, whom Devlin abducted in October 2002 a plan for what to to!, aged 11, was kidnapped by 41-year-old pizza shop boss Michael Devlin, 41 a pickup! After such horrific circumstances father did whatever he had to do after the arrest, McNamara to. You know, police found 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck was missing for over four years problems home. Shawn Devlin, he cryptically wrote, How long are you planning to look at him ago..., owned the truck belonged to store manager Michael Devlin, who eventually agreed to a spot... Four years later out more and change our default settings with Cookies settings police sat outside the apartment Sheriff! Thought they would never be found alive and their abductor was hiding plain. ``, Hornbeck 's life suffered a severe schism when he was free of his rescue more than 4,000.... Old for his liking, unwittingly confirming McNamaras theory Hornbeck was missing for over years... You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies settings bladder. Boss Michael Devlin was a cunning manipulator of the keyboard shortcuts were not immediately successful what do. Are you planning to look at him, Harry Reichard with his,...