On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck left home on his bicycle in the rural area of Richwoods, Missouri. 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. He was 57. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boys whereabouts. 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. Willett and Richter joined other FBI agents and local police in going to Devlins apartment in the 400 block of S. Holmes Avenue. Willett said Devlin broke after she told him that tire tracks could be crucial evidence in Ownbys disappearance. On October 6, 2002, Shawn, aged. If it wasn't for Mitchell Hults, a teenage boy who witnessed the kidnapping, the Missouri Miracle probably wouldnt have come true. The agents asked for Devlins permission to search his truck, which he gave. Inside, Willett said, Hornbeck and Ownby were playing video games., Ben just shot up and was in that fight-or-flight [mode], Willett said. 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. Our only wish would have been to help you sooner. He runs right into me., I put my hands on his shoulders, she said. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. 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. Devlin eventually allowed Shawn to go out with friends, get a cellphone and go on dates, but he didn't go to school. The two lived alternatively as father and son, or family friends. 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. Your email address will not be published. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Shawn had taken this path many times before but this time, Shawn passed by Mike Devlin who bumped him with his truck. That night, Franklin County Sheriff Glen Toelke announced that both boys were found and alive. When they arrived, Shawn and Ben were inside playing video games. His story made national headlines in 2007 as the "Missouri Miracle. On October 6, 2002, Shawn Hornbeck was abducted while riding his bike in Richwoods, Missouri. Pictured with Hornbeck are his parents. 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. He is serving 74 life sentences. Another child, 13, went missing five years later. How old is Shawn Hornbeck today? 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. Upon learning the 22-year-old blogger died by strangulation three to four weeks before her body was found in Grand Teton National Park, Smart shared her thoughts onRed Table Talk. Market data provided by Factset. 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. He said he plans to continue to seek justice and peace of mind. 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! 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. Crystal Britt talked about the emotions of that day as we look back on Shawn and Ben Ownbys remarkable rescue. After a dozen days later, Patty was spotted wielding an assault weapon on a bank surveillance camera during an SLA bank robbery. He is currently serving 71 life sentences after being convicted of kidnapping and child sexual abuse atWestern Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri. He wont be eligible for parole until hes 100.
My Spidey-senses were up, almost immediately.. Shawn was found alive and his kidnapper arrested in January 2007. She was 46. 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. Im proud of [the scars], she told Ladies Home Journal in 2002. He would just sit and look at it and stare at it, and he would just talk about these women, and then when he was done, he would turn and look at me, and he would be like, Now were going to do this,' she said in a video about her convicted abductor, Brian David Mitchell. He will be missed, said Dawn Robertson, a family friend. Washington. Stayner got in the car and wasn't seen again for eight years. The discovery that Hornbeck was still alive after his abduction near Richwoods in 2003, was dubbed, The Missouri Miracle. His story made national headlines in 2007 as the "Missouri Miracle." In a 2013. Shawn, who was missing since Oct. 2002, was. Devlin opened the front door to his apartment and allowed the FBI and police to go inside. He admitted to abducting Ownby. Nurse Allegedly 'Savagely Beaten' to Death by Her Neighbor with a Baseball Bat, Timeline of Gabby Petito Tragedy 1 Year After Killer Brian Laundrie's Body Was Found, How Jayme Closs, Elizabeth Smart, Jaycee Dugard and Others Survived Headline-Making Abductions, Ahead of Sherri Papini's Sentencing, Look Back at PEOPLE's 2017 Cover Story on the Bizarre Case, TexasGirl'sAbduction Inspired the Lifesaving 'Amber Alert,' but 26 Years Later Her Own Case Remains Unsolved, N.C. Man Charged with 1986 Murder of 4-Year-Old Girl, Who Was Taken from Bed While Family Slept, the retired agent remembered in a recent interview, ended years of abuse, threats and manipulation for Hornbeck. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Inside The Terrifying Kidnapping And Miraculous Rescue Of Shawn Hornbeck. Shawn Hornbeck In 2002, Shawn was abducted while riding his bike with a friend and was found five years later. He was 57. In 1996, Burkes sister, JonBenet Ramsey, was murdered in their Colorado home. Was that a way to connect with them? Devlin confessed to both kidnappings. 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. ', Shawn replied: 'I was hoping it might give some sort of hint. He sat with Willett in the back seat, she told the Post-Dispatch. or redistributed. In the final novel of the series, The Man with the Golden Gun, Ms full identity is revealed as Vice Admiral Sir Miles Messervy KCMG; Messervy had been appointed to head of MI6 after his predecessor had been assassinated at his desk. The kidnapper put the 13-year-old in a white Nissan pickup truck and sped away, but not before Mitchell Hults, one of Ownbys friends, got a good look at the vehicle and provided a detailed description to authorities. 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He was transferred to Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri. Im a bad person, she said he confessed to her. 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I was looking at him saying, Youre safe. . 'This is the best day of our lives. 90 Day Fiance's Hamza's Green Card Status 'Battle' Amid Memphis Divorce. With the world transfixed on his story, Shawn spoke to Oprah Winfrey about his experience in 2007. Just one day before the miraculous discovery, McNamara theorized Ownby was targeted because of his youthful appearance. Her ordeal was later turned into a Lifetime film in 2018 called Girl in the Bunker. 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. Both boys were discovered inside Devlin's apartment shortly thereafter. On Monday night, friends and family arrive at the Mahn Funeral Home in DeSoto for the visitation of Craig Akers. 'You get so many of these messages. It was strange. 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. Abducted as an infant from the hospital, Carlina had no idea she was being raised by her kidnappers and she eventually solved her own case when she saw a photo of herself on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens website.