Following the murders, Closs's abductor, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, duct taped the 13-year-old girl, put her in the trunk of his car and drove her to a remote cabin in Gordon, a small town about 70 miles away. Another child, 13, went missing five years later. She was 46. Ownby, 23, lives and attends school in the St. Louis area, according to the Post-Dispatch. 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. Aided by a descriptive tip from teenager Mitchell Hults of Beaufort, Missouri, police searched Michael J. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boy's whereabouts. And were there characteristics of life with Devlin--no school, ample time for video games--that made it appealing to stay there? When the FBI came to Devlins house to question him about the kidnapping, Devlin seemed distant and nervous and kept referring to his godson named Shawn that he had to return to. Devlin decided to kidnap a 13 year old boy named Ben Ownby on January 8, 2007. Shawn Hornbeck. Hornbeck pleaded guilty to attempted sodomy, a felony, as well as possession of a controlled substance and he was sentenced to seven years in state prison in 1994. A captor can confine a child with psychological barriers as much as physical ones. On Oct. 6, 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck wanted to ride his bike to a friend's house - something his parents say he had done many times before. 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. Theres hardly any place he can go that somebody doesnt recognize him and want to give him a hug, his mom said. The white beat-up white truck that Mitchell described to police sat outside the apartment. Police went on a search for Hornbeck, but were unable to discover the boy's whereabouts. At 1:59 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2005, someone using the name "Shawn Devlin" asked in a forum on the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation Web site: "How long are you planing (sic) to look for your son?" (Devlin was given 74 life sentences). Immediately, Pam and her husband, Craig, jumped in the car and scoured . He died Monday, (July 15, 2019.). McNamara, who also led the investigation into the Golden State Killer, found many connections between the two boys. When Shawn came up missing he was 11 years old and was riding his bike alone on October 6, 2002, when Michael Devlin was patrolling quiet roads for months searching for a young victim. But a court official said the reference number on Hornbecks criminal conviction indicated the charge involved an assault on a minor. Im a bad person, she said he confessed to her. They even set up a foundation to help look for missing and abducted children which they called the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation. 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Dropped Its First Trailer, 'Outer Banks' Season 4 Is Already In the Works, 'The Last of Us' Ep. 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. from Pine, Learn the work Mary Meachum did to help slaves cross, Make St. Pattys Day cake pops from Amys Cake Pop, attacked and stabbed Devlin with a homemade ice pick, The Grinch is getting a sequel, plus other books, Everything you need to know about the Disney California, 13 stylish black tights to wear this winter, Police warn about Tiktok challenge that causing property, Busch Stadium jobs up for grabs ahead of baseball, Boy Scout trailer found, 1 arrested, 1 still at large, The floor was covered in feces, Humane Society, Execution-style murder in downtown STL caught on, Families of victims in fatal hit-and-run crash mourn, Grandmother concerned grandkids might get hurt from, Murder suspect on house arrest says system has set, Former Missouri lawmaker sentenced for fraud schemes, Venus and Jupiter come together in the western sky, Back-to-back jacks from Goldynado in Cardinals win, Ex-Mo. The .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}true crime writer spent years diving into the psyche, motive, and extensive victim list of the Golden State Killer, making headlines of her own with one of the most personal and detailed journalistic investigations of the murder, originally published in Los Angeles Magazine. 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. One of Bens friends, Mitchell Hults heard Bens cries and reported the truck to the police. (A lawyer for Devlin says his client plans to plead not guilty, but has had no other comment on the case.). 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. Posted Jan 19, 2007, 12:00PM EST. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage and give to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Drug-resistant stomach bug spreading across US: 'Serious public health alert', Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell Spare released, Jordyn Woods supports Selena Gomez amid singers feud with Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, RHONJ recap: Jennifer Aydin mocks Rachel Fudas terrible nose job, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. Eventually, Willett was able to get a confession from Devlin, and the FBI raided his apartment in search of the boys. Once it started to rain, they asked him if he wanted to sit in their car for shelter. 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. Shawn, now 15, was 11 when he was kidnapped in 2002 while riding his bike near his rural home . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage and give to Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Drug-resistant stomach bug spreading across US: 'Serious public health alert', Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell Spare released, Jordyn Woods supports Selena Gomez amid singers feud with Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, RHONJ recap: Jennifer Aydin mocks Rachel Fudas terrible nose job, Heroic bus driver saves student from passing car, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of Today After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. The boys were named Charley and Walter Ross; they were 4 and 6 years old. He spoke to reporters in 2013 following the dramatic discovery of three trapped women in Cleveland. The police came into contact with him at least four times when he was free of his alleged abductor, Michael Devlin, 41. Abductors "know how to create a paralyzing sense of fear so even when the captor is not present, the child feels he is omnipresent." Michael John Devlin (born November 19, 1965) is an American criminal convicted of kidnapping and child sexual abuse of two young boys, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby. Shawn Hornbeck, 15, watches as his parents, Craig and Pam Akers, talk to the media Saturday in Richwoods, Mo . The driver, Mike Devlin rushed to Shawn and appeared to be concerned for his safety. JOHN WALSH, HOST, AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: When he kidnapped this boy, he probably broke him down psychologically. "It's not over yet, that's for sure," says Cooper. Both Shawns mother and stepfather spent all of their money and retirement savings looking for Shawn and paying investigators to help aid the police. He was told to go in first, so as to not raise any alarm with the boys. On Jan. 8, 2007, Ben Ownby was taken while waiting at a bus stop in Beaufort, located in Franklin County. credit ichael Devlin, 41, is escorted out of the Franklin County Courthouse Monday in Union, Mo. Hornbeck had been missing since October 2002. 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. After Shawns disappearance, Pam and Craig Akers dedicated every second of their lives to finding their son. Writer Michelle McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Thats because it was the location of the infamous Ariel Castro kidnappings, which took place between 2002 and 2004 in Cleveland. Hornbeck spent most of his first month bound to Devlins futon; he was constantly sexually abused. He saved his life negotiating with him. Im not gonna lie there were times when it seemed like I was better off dead.. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Another factor that could have deepened Hornbeck's feeling of helplessness: the possibility that he was sexually molested. This time a 15 year old neighbor saw Devlins truck and knew something was wrong when he saw Ben crying and the truck peeling out from the bus stop. He got out in 1997, when Shawn was 6, but the two had no further contact, said Akers. Police were searching for 13-year-old Ben Ownby of Beaufort, Missouri, who had gone missing earlier that week. The 15-year-old who calle Ownby disappeared at the beginning of last week. Visitation officials learned that Shawn who claimed he was home-schooled was at the dance on Tuesday when word of his secret ordeal spread. While riding to a friend's house, Pam's son, Shawn Hornbeck, disappeared. Devlin will spend the rest of his life in prison, but not until one last court appearance today. No one should ever have to live through that torture. Survival of years of rape and abuse. Adding to his isolation, he was apparently never re-enrolled in school and evidently made few friends in Devlin's apartment complex. 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. 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