Parents Suspect Abducted Son Was Abused

Michael Devlin Pleads Not Guilty To Kidnapping; Authorities Say He Confessed

(CBS/AP)  The parents of a kidnapped Missouri boy said Thursday they believe their son was molested during the four years he was missing, and his grandmother claimed his captor had awakened the boy every 45 minutes, apparently as a way to control him.

The comments came the same day the man suspected of snatching 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck in 2002 pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping another boy on Jan. 8.

Michael Devlin, a 41-year-old pizzeria manager, was accused of taking 13-year-old Ben Ownby just after he got off the school bus in Beaufort. A schoolmate's tip about a white pickup truck helped lead authorities to Devlin's suburban St. Louis apartment and to the dramatic rescue of both boys on Jan. 12.

Prosecutors said Devlin, who also is charged with kidnapping Hornbeck, terrorized the boy with a handgun to get him to cooperate.

Devlin's attorneys said Thursday that they may ask for a change of venue, reports CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith.

"There's no way we can get a fair trial in this county due to the amount of attention it's gotten," attorney Michael Kielty said.

The case has prompted authorities to investigate Devlin in cases involving two missing boys and one girl in eastern Missouri dating back to 1988.

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey on a show that aired Thursday, Hornbeck's parents said they have not asked their son what happened on the advice of child advocacy experts.

"OK, I'm going to go there and ask you, what do you think happened? Do you think he was sexually abused?" Winfrey asked Hornbeck's parents, Craig and Pam Akers.

Both nodded and said, "Yes."

While it is CBS News' policy not to identify alleged victims of sexual abuse in most cases, Hornbeck's case has been widely publicized and his name is well-known. Also, the family has gone public, conducting several national interviews.

Hornbeck's grandmother, Anna Quinn of St. Louis, told the AP on Thursday that the boy has not spoken Devlin's name and that he has said little to relatives about what he went through. But Hornbeck did tell his family that at times during his captivity, he would be awakened every 45 minutes by his captor.

"Think to yourself when you don't get enough sleep," Quinn said. "He had to do something to get his cooperation."

Hornbeck, who had dark floppy hair and piercings in his face when he was found, had a cleaner look in a taped interview with Winfrey. He said he always hoped for a reunion with his family.

"If it wasn't for Ben, I might not be here right now," Hornbeck said. "I'm thankful that he held in there for those few days. I told myself a long time ago I never wanted any kid to go through what I went through."

Hornbeck said he was not ready to discuss details of his abduction and the subsequent 51 months he spent living with Devlin. Winfrey said the boy told her off-camera that he was "terrified" to contact his parents during the last four years.

Kielty declined to respond to the claim of sexual abuse, saying he hasn't seen evidence in the case. "The only thing I have is an allegation," he said.

N.G. Berrill, a psychologist and director of the consulting firm New York Forensic and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said it makes sense to look into old cases now that a suspect is in custody.

Devlin "may have tried this before and not known how to pull it off," Berrill said.

He said a serial kidnapper tends to be "an isolated, socially awkward individual ... the kind of person people say that seemed OK and people didn't get to know them.

"He looks like an average Joe," Berrill said. "I suspect he has this need to keep kids. He's sort of collecting children."

Lincoln County, Mo., authorities called Devlin the "most viable lead" in the case of Charles Arlin Henderson, who was 11 when he disappeared while riding his bike in 1991 and has never been found.

The boy, known as Arlin, was, like Ownby and Hornbeck, about 100 pounds and from a rural town about an hour from St. Louis.

After 16 years, Henderson's mother is hoping for answers, reports Smith.

"Oh my God, Arlin could come home or I could know," said Debra Henderson-Griffith.

"We can't discount him in an investigation into any missing child," Lt. Rick Harrell said.

[stnlywlkr1]

What a sense of loss there must be for both the victim and his abductor. What a sense of relief that far the one young man that the horrific scenario is now finally over!

[txrachelhd]

poor boy i feel so bad for him that man deserves thge chair!!

[txrachelhd]

he deserves the electrical chair!!!!

[schultzamanda]

How can he plead not guilty when the boys were found in his apartment...he can't get out of this one..he might as well give up now. and i am glad for that.

[midmoruss]

I agree this guy should get Life or something close to it. BUT There are some strange things going on in this case though. SCH had a pickup truck he drove around, a Cell phone, and was picked up by the police and returned "home" on multiple occasions, he went to school, had friends. Something doesnt add up. The younger one, and possibly the missing one though... This guy needs to be put away.

[natfire]

A strong message needs to be sent to other would-be predators of our nation's children..this freak definetly deserves a death sentence. %u201CThe Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006%u201D is a step in the right direction. We need congress to fully fund this bill and we still need stricter sentencing guidelines..Life sentences and/or death penalty will stop repeat offenders.

[Ginger Gargoyle]

Faithe2007--

Before I read your comment I have to say that judging from the boys behavior/demeanor on camera this past week I would never have guessed that there had been abuse or sexual assalt going on.

I'm wondering if any of the authorities have noticed yet that there seems to be a regular interval between kidnappings.

The first suspected one was 10 yrs before Shawn's, there was 5 yrs between Shawn and Ben...I think they may be missing one child taken around 1995.

All the boys look somewhat alike, all were approximently the same age...it seems like this man is trying to "replace" someone from his life--until the abuse allegations, I would have thought it a younger brother, or son...so the question becomes what happens to the "old" victim once he gets a "new" one? Does he let them go, or do they upset his fantasy to the point to where he would harm them?

Yes I know this sounds like its a set-up for the insanity plea, but then he would still have to prove that he was demented enough NOT to know what he was doing was wrong...I don't think he could do that.

Pass my best wishes on to the family.

[elkcreek3]

To Family Member: Please keep your allegations to yourself. These assumptions do nothing but create gossip and is harmful to the other boy who obviously did not go on his own with the perpetrator, but was also abducted. I would expect more compassion than self serving comments from family members of the other child. Compassion for both is what is needed, not more gossip that to date has no basis in fact.

[dasil27]

I find it appalling that anyone would level accusations of the magnitude of torture and sexual abuse at a 15 year old boy who was himself a victim, and on an internet forum where your comment can come back to haunt him over and over again as if his life is not complicated enough. Shame on you Faithe2007! While it may be very difficult for any of us to understand why SCH remained in captivity with escape seemingly possible it would do all of us well to remember that we have not walked a mile in his shoes, we have no idea whatsoever what that child (who was only 11 when taken)had to live through, post traumatic stress disorder is very real and is a coping mechanism and his is not the first case we have seen this in. While rare it is not unique in and of itself. We should all also remember that the true monster here is the adult who preyed on young boys with a five year or so cycle replacing one with another as they "aged out" of his depravity. Thank God for the boy who spotted the truck and made such detailed note of it, he probably ultimately saved two boys lives.

[gmond]

I am always appalled at not guilty pleas in such obvious cases. It is a total waste of taxpayers' money to have such trials, but that is our legal system, take it or leave it, until laws are changed.

[Ginger Gargoyle]

Speaking of the internet...have you seen where Shawn went on the family webpage for Ben and made comments? Even used his REAL name? To me this WAS a cry for help!! I have to wonder how many times he mentioned it to people and got ignored or overlooked as a "troubled" teen?

I heard one of the questions he asked was "how long will you look for him?"...probable translation "are my parents still looking for ME?"...poor kid.

[dasil27]

I did see he had posted a message on his own missing website. What an awful position to be in. The dichotomy of psychological survival is such an interesting thing and unfortunately so often linked with tragedy. Hopefully for both boys they will be able to heal and move on, a task that I am sure is easier said than done and I am not entirely sure that putting it on the talk show circuit is the appropriate forum at this time.

[ecuadoriana]

He's got some big nerve to plead "not guilty" when he's caught "red handed"! Symptomatic of our society to not want own up to our **** ups.

This piece of excrement will probably try to claim that Shawn "wanted it" & that kidnapping Ben was Shawn's idea. He will try to place the blame on the kids & make himself out to be the victim. I can just hear him now: "I did every thing for Shawn, let him stay out of school, fed him, clothed him...I was like a father to him..."

The fact that he hesitated when asked how he pleads, is enough evidence of his guilt for me. "Not guilty" yeah, right. That lying sack of...

[luvny-2009]

In these cut and dry cases why do we have to spend money and time on this a$$hole. The one kid has been through enough and a trial will make him go through it again, it's BS.

[ammermantm]

Everyone is garunteed a trial no matter how much of a scum bag you are.

[luvny-2009]

Ammermantm - I know just feel bad for the boy to have to go through a trial

[threefarmers]

I'll bet it will never get to trial. His lawyers will plea it out.

[yoopermom]

Faithe2007,

Why would a "family friend" feel the need to make comments like that? Some friend you are!

[cryonbrian]

Yeah right! This kid is so traumatized that he is making the talk television circuit! Ok right, he can leave clues on the internet but can%u2019t walk 15 yards to tell someone he has been kidnapped! Trust me there is way more to this story! Next he will be signing a book deal and a made for television special! Typical Americans! LOL

[besttyper]

The parents of this boy have affirmed that stupid people shouldn't breed. Here they have, gone on Oprah, and said that although their son hasn't said so, they believe he was sexually abused during his ordeal. Don't they realize that by broadcasting this to the entire world that their son is going to be belittled, harrassed and treated differently by his peers aqt school? Too bad they didn't follow the example set by Elizabeth Smart's parents and realize that some things just need to remain private for the welfare of the CHILD. But, I suppose they wanted their 15 minutes of fame. And, for those who blame the boy for not calling for help, well, they need to research Stockholm Syndrome and they will understand why it was not possible for him to alert the authorities to his captivity.

[bobgee_1999]

Talk about trauma, have your parents take you on national TV and claim (without evidence by the way, since the kid apparently isn't talking)that you've been buggered by some perverted geekmo. Maybe the parents are why the kid was in no great rage to get home.

[cryonbrian]

Well he could have not been suffering from Stockholm syndrome because he apparently was trying to get attention via the internet! And no I am not blaming him; I just get a kick when I see what Americans are made of! LOL

[britthawkey]

I agree w the earlier comments of stupid ppl should not breed and the parents taken their son on oprah and announcing to the world that they think that he was sexually abused.
Anyone who can kidnap a child and do anything to them deserves to rot in hell and suffer horribly.

[asor1-2009]

Shame on those parents to put this young man through a television appearance when they claim that he has said nothing to them of the "ordeal".
Even MORE shame on Saint Oprah, she should be way above this sensationalism. She has used very bad judgement/taste in airing this show.
I wish this young man peace, no more of this kind of show. Ugly stuff!

[gaye5]

dasil27 you said...... preyed on young boys with a five year or so cycle replacing one with another as they "aged out" ....
I wonder if what you say here is the key to their silence... and at this stage all people can do is wonder.... if a child saw the evidence of the last child being fazed out, then wouldnt that be enough to keep him silent...then and now...he would not want to recount the horrors he might have seen himself...

[susanhelit]

Saying publicly that you've been raped should be no more startling, shameful, traumatizing than saying you've been robbed - were people not holding to some degree to the obsolete notion that a person who is raped is partly to blame for it, that a man raped by another man is gay because of it. Shawn and his parents have nothing to be ashamed of in anything they said, and no reason for them to stay silent.

Not that it isn't obvious anyway - young boys abducted and held by older men - only one reason.

[besttyper]

Susan,
You and I, as adults, know the boy has done nothing to be ashamed of, but children have not reached that same level of thought. My 10-year-old niece was raped. The day he was sentenced to prison for 10 years, she made the choice herself to tell a classmate who was her friend, who told another, who told another, etc. My niece was teased by her classmates, who didn't understand that my niece was an innocent victim. They laughed at her and made fun of her. She cried and felt that maybe she did do something to deserve being laughed at. By the end of the day, the principal, who had been keep in the loop throughout, had to hold a meeting with her classmates to try to explain the situation. Childrens' ignorance, age and inexperience can make them appear cruel. There's no reason why adults should provide avenues to promote problems and stress.

[susanhelit]

Shawn is past the point where your neice was - everyone knows. Any cruel teenager inclined to be hurtful knows. No reason not to say it, to act as though it is indeed something to be ashamed of.

[tdl_cfisdedu]

everyone keeps talking about a web site that Shawn used to communicate with his parents. What site and where do I locate it at? I am happy that the boys were returned. I am confused as to why Shawn kept starring at his step-dad and not his mother during the Oprah show.Did anyone notice that?

[faithe2007]

My $0.02 is that SCH was not abducted outright, that he enjoyed his 4-1/2 yrs. hanging-out at Devlin's, playing videogames and not going to school. Anyone with good intuitive skills at reading people could tell from his eye movements and body language on Oprah today that he is being untruthful and evasive; nor does he truthfully welcome being back in his parents' company. Clear as day!!!

[mdc76082]

Faithe2007, I concur 110% with you. We are definitely a minority.

[susanhelit]

Thank goodness for that!

[susanhelit]

NAMBLA party line - "They like it!"

[susanhelit]

Abducted at gunpoint, raped, threats made against you, and everyone you've ever known. Lies, beatings, mindgames - and people figure he liked it!

[mgpm-2009]

For anyone, especially at this early stage, to assume that this boy enjoyed being kidnapped at 11 years of age and stayed with his kidnapper because he liked being with him more than being at home is almost as sick as what Mike Devlin did himself. Why is anyone passing judgement on this child? We have NO idea of what he has been through. Leave him alone. He's been through enough without you armchair psychologists pecking at him like a bunch of vultures!

[faithe2007]

And you _know_ with 100% certainty that he was abducted vs. ran away...how?

[nothappyatall]

"The parents of a kidnapped Missouri boy said Thursday they believe their son was molested during the four years he was missing,"

They can "believe" anything they wish, but believing doesn't make it fact, till the proof is presented in a court of law and found valid, this was an abduction and kidnapping.

[susanhelit]

Keep up with the case, and you'll know the facts.

He's already been charged - abduction with a weapon, and a police spokesperson has already said (with a little heat and contempt for those requiring him to answer so stupid a question, imho), that Shawn was abducted at gunpoint and there was no previous contact between them.

Threats have also been confirmed by Shawn's parents. Being human, they're not pressing him to relive all the details so quickly after he's finally escaped his 4 year nightmare.

[nothappyatall]

The parents of this boy have affirmed that stupid people shouldn't breed. ... gone on Oprah, and said that although their son hasn't said so, they believe he was sexually abused during his ordeal. Don't they realize that by broadcasting this to the entire world that their son is going to be belittled, harrassed and treated differently by his peers aqt school?
Posted by besttyper


Exactly right, and THIS whole media circus on this, the allegations, rumors and all the rest are making this WORSE, it reminds me of the nwspaper story here about a mom whose young TEEN AGED daughter opened the mail and catalogues and one of them was a catalogue for mild pornography tapes etc. The article went on to say that the girl screamed and ran to mom and was ALL upset. Why? because she saw a NUDE man on the cover of the catalogue.

SCREAMED AND RAN to her mommy all upset and crying because she saw a PICTURE of a nude man on the cover of a catalogue. Sounded to me like mom was teaching major PARANOIA because that level of reaction is NOT normal.
We are rapidly turning kids into paranoid babbling morons who scream and run if anyone so much as LOOKS their way.
This was a teenager not a 5 year old, a TEEN never saw a picture of a nude man before? where was mom's *** ed years before?

[tdl_cfisdedu]

Dasil27, you said that Shawn posted comments on his own missing web site? Where did you see this poster?

[tdl_cfisdedu]

gingergargoy,where on the internet did you find his family web page?( in your comment posted jan 18-12:44pm)

[porion]

Let's just thank our stars that this boy is home where he belongs. Devlin had no right to take him. At the least he kidnapped the child at the worst he abused, degraded, threaten and tortured the boy at gun point and maybe worse...the boy is what, 110 pounds tops and is being assaulted by a 290 pound pervert, frightening, abusive man??? Elizabeth Smart, in less time, walking the streets clost to her home did not try to run...she did NOT enjoy her captor, she FEARED him....maybe they threaten to kill parents and then in a time period....it becomes reality to the child, and their spirits are fearful and they surrender to the awfulness of their captures...let's just be human for a moment and be grateful, that one child (thankfully 2 in this case) is home...let's remember to thank the real hero, and that's a child who survives captivity at any cost. And the other hero, the young boy who was able to account for the white truck leaving a the area at the time of a child's abduction, without truly knowing what he was witness too! ALL of this is a miracle if they exsist for abuducted children...now what I want to know is "where in the world is Jason Wetterling"?

[billzor]

His parents shouldn't breed? He liked being held against his will, (and God knows what else?) What is the purpose of saying things like that? This child has done nothing to deserve such pathetic and useless cynicism. Mean people suck.

[glidescube]

"The parents of this boy have affirmed that stupid people shouldn't breed. ... gone on Oprah, and said that although their son hasn't said so, they believe he was sexually abused during his ordeal. Don't they realize that by broadcasting this to the entire world that their son is going to be belittled, harrassed and treated differently by his peers aqt school?
'Posted by besttyper'"

What are you talking about. The kid's won the lotto! Soon there'll be books out and then a movie deal. The kid is financially set for life! Unfortunately he's paid a vey high price for his fame.

[book54552134]

It is amazing the degree to which Americans are obsessed with aberrant sexual behavior. To many, it is a glaring defect in the American social structure.

[jeannec3]

MidMoRuss,
You've got your facts wrong. Shawn didn't have the truck when he got picked up for being out late with his friend. The boys where out late riding BIKES ! The truck belongs to the abducter. I'm sure the abducter would NEVER let Shawn drive his car. And Shawn's neighbor friend said that Shawn didn't go to school. I think the abducter was letting Shawn run free because Shawn was over the age limit he wanted. Maybe by the time he was done with him,he was hoping Shawn would run away.

[meswin]

i am kind of on the fence on this one. yes people who are free to do what they want day after day can sit here and ask why he didn't run or contact his parents or the authorities. but who knows what this boy really went through? would any of you risk the lives of your families, your loved ones, to break free from a captor who is threatening them? would you run for your life if it meant your child, your mother, your father, your family, would die if you did? or would you stay in a place where you were fed, clothed, had reasonable access to the outside world, to keep your family safe? i don't believe they should have dragged that kid on oprah to talk about his experience so soon though. oprah showed poor judgement to grill this kid on the past 4 years on national television only a week after he was found. i don't know if the kid ran away. i don't know if he was abducted, but wanted to stay with the abductor. nobody but abductor and abductee know what went on behind closed doors for 4 years. i think the one thing that we all need to remember and be thankful for is that tonight, this kid is back with his family.

[liz19792006]

I agree with Meswin I would not risk my family's life....And in time he will come out and tell his family what happened you know he might be waiting on Devlin to be behind bars for good before he speaks...So that he can insure his family's safety...if you ask me leave the kid alone let him feel safe for once ..he can't because of everything going on....Can't everyone be thankfull that he is alive and Safe now...And Shawn needs to deal with this situation the best he knows how and hopefully intime he can come to trust people once again.....

[yoopermom]

To those of you that feel Shawn ran away%u2026
You are talking about an eleven-year old child. Even if he ran away, why would any grown man bring him into his home and let him live there without notifying someone? I also thought going on National TV was a poor judgment on both families part, but until we are put in that situation we can%u2019t judge them. Who knows how we would react. I don%u2019t think they should have told the world that they thought he had been sexually abused and I think it was in poor taste for Opera to even ask. Unfortunately, as proven on this message board, even though he is a victim, people will find a way to blame him.

I also thought Shawn was acting funny, but again, how can I say how someone should react when I have never been put in that situation. Who knows what things this man told him. Until you have been in this type of situation, leave the analyzing too the experts!

My thoughts and prayers are with both families.

[faithe2007]

Notice that no one has said anything negative about Ben; SCH is the one in question. If people on here expressing their views of his unusual behavior and explanations were merely malicious, wouldn't they also be sharing some of that with Ben?

Then perhaps the reason they're not is because it's reasonable to hold a 15 y.o. to a higher standard. Persons younger than 15 have been tried as adults for murder and sexual crimes; obviously several states consider a 15 y.o. to have the mental capacity of an adult when it comes to making common-sense decisions about one's behavior.

SCH had 4.5 years to escape. By his own admission, he didn't try once. Instead, he played video games, stayed out after curfew, lost the cell phone that Devlin gave him, rode bikes all over kingdom come with his friend from the apartment bldg., went to the Mall to get lip and ear piercings and God knows what else.

If SCH *had* called 911 on Devlin, then Ben wouldn't have been abducted. But SCH's deeds went beyond that: He *assisted* Devlin in holding Ben captive while Devlin was away at work. At some point, SCH stopped being a victim (assuming he ever was one) and crossed the line to become a co-conspirator.

This is no different than the '70s case involving Patti Hearst.

15 y.o. is definitely old enough to be held accountable for one's actions or *lack* thereof. SCH is less a victim we should take pity upon than a suspect who should not be spared hard-line questioning by the police and his parents.