Earlier this week Ben Ownby went missing just southwest of St. Louis. One of the tips in the Ownby case not only led authorities to Ownby earlier today, but also to Shawn Hornbeck, a kid who had been missing for 4 years.
A rare 2 for 1 deal on missing children
Full Version: 4 day old missing child case solved
Thanks be to God those kids were found. What I don't understand is how the one boy could be holed up inside an apartment for that long. Most of the apartments I've lived in had paper-thin walls, and the "super" used to come in once a month for mandatory roach spraying. You'd think, that over the course of years, someone would have had to enter the apartment for routine work. The most important thing, of course, is that these boys are safe. What a wild story...glad it had a happy ending.
QUOTE(millerbeach @ Jan 13 2007, 01:35 AM) 
What a wild story...glad it had a happy ending.
Yeah it was so wild that when a lot of people first heard of it, that Ownby was found and they found Hornbeck too, it was almost like some type of cruel joke. I'm sure Hornbeck's family felt like all that pain of losing Shawn was returning again, as Ownby's disappearance played out in the media over the last week.
There was a similar case about 25 years ago when Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped by a pedophile at age 7, turned up with a just-abducted 5-year-old that the pedophile had apparently kidnapped to replace the now-too-old Stayner.
from wikipedia:
Wikipedia entry on Steven Stayner
from wikipedia:
QUOTE
Stayner was born to Delbert and Kay Stayner in Merced, California. On December 4, 1972, while returning home from school, Stayner was abducted by Kenneth Parnell, a multiple felon and convicted child molester....
As Stayner approached puberty, Parnell began to look for younger victims. On Valentine's Day 1980, Parnell kidnapped five-year-old Timmy White in Ukiah, California. Stayner waited for an opportunity to escape with Timmy and return him to his parents. On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away at his job, Stayner left with Timmy and hitchhiked into Ukiah, turning himself and Timmy into the police. The boys were reunited with their families, and Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping Timmy and Steven in two separate trials.
As Stayner approached puberty, Parnell began to look for younger victims. On Valentine's Day 1980, Parnell kidnapped five-year-old Timmy White in Ukiah, California. Stayner waited for an opportunity to escape with Timmy and return him to his parents. On March 1, 1980, while Parnell was away at his job, Stayner left with Timmy and hitchhiked into Ukiah, turning himself and Timmy into the police. The boys were reunited with their families, and Parnell was tried and convicted of kidnapping Timmy and Steven in two separate trials.
Wikipedia entry on Steven Stayner
Wow just amazing that this came to such a happy ending! It gives a bit of hope to the countless other families out there with missing children that their kids may still be out there alive.
As to the Steven Stayner case, how freaky is it that Steven was the victim of one of the most publicized cases of pedophilia and kidnapping and ended up being such a hero while his brother was the culprit behind one of the more shocking murder cases in recent years. Undoubtedly, Steven's abduction and eventual death had a really traumatic impact on his brother Cary, who in a morbid irony, was a pedophile himself.
As to the Steven Stayner case, how freaky is it that Steven was the victim of one of the most publicized cases of pedophilia and kidnapping and ended up being such a hero while his brother was the culprit behind one of the more shocking murder cases in recent years. Undoubtedly, Steven's abduction and eventual death had a really traumatic impact on his brother Cary, who in a morbid irony, was a pedophile himself.
The "Missouri Miracle" kids and their families will be on Oprah tomorrow.
shawn hornbeck was on oprah. what a handsome young man.
he was a cute 11 year old but the nice smile he had is gone. he may say he's okay, but he looks sad. he's in deep pain.
he told oprah that he didn't contact his family because he was terrified. that pretty much sums up what he went through in four years. the "normal childhood" he had with devlin was just a facade. he needed to do that to survive.
some are suggesting that he was sexually abused. he probably was, but i hope the public and the media respect his privacy.
i wish shawn and his family all the best.
way to go to the 2 police officers! HEROES!
he was a cute 11 year old but the nice smile he had is gone. he may say he's okay, but he looks sad. he's in deep pain.
he told oprah that he didn't contact his family because he was terrified. that pretty much sums up what he went through in four years. the "normal childhood" he had with devlin was just a facade. he needed to do that to survive.
some are suggesting that he was sexually abused. he probably was, but i hope the public and the media respect his privacy.
i wish shawn and his family all the best.
way to go to the 2 police officers! HEROES!
QUOTE(gomets29 @ Jan 18 2007, 05:22 PM)
i hope the public and the media respect his privacy.
If they REALLY want their privacy respected, here's an idea: DON'T GO ON OPRAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i guess they trust oprah.
What a sick twisted freak the kidnapper is. I hope they put him under the jail. For his safety, he should hope they do too. Its more than likely he molested those boys. Its just a very interesting situation. I know they are saying that he may have threatened the one boy who walked past people and police but if that was me and I was taken outside, the first person I saw I'd be like "HEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!!!!!!!!!!!" I mean goodness...can someone really be brainwashed like that. Its scary.
Now it appears that two well-known "psychics", Sylvia Brown and James Van Praagh, have some 'splaining to do over this case. They had indicated that Shawn Hornbeck had died, with their "spirit contacts", giving such horrific news to this boy's parents.
Can you say "fraud"? I think these two charlatans posing as psychics ought to have their lack of talent exposed for all to see. How dare they offer despair where hope was required?
Can you say "fraud"? I think these two charlatans posing as psychics ought to have their lack of talent exposed for all to see. How dare they offer despair where hope was required?
This Sylvia Browne ought to be hung from the rafters using fishing hooks attached to her vaginal lips And hang all these other "psychics" (Van Praagh, John Edwards, et al) the same way.
Howard Stern played a clip of Browne from Montel Williams's show giving a reading to a woman who had lost her boyfriend and they ahd never found him. Browne then told the woman that the reason they never found him is because he's in water like Natalee Holloway in Aruba. When the grieving woman then explained that her boyfriend was a firefighter at the World Trade Center on 9/11, Browne continued to try and insist that the man had still drowned by saying something like "Well you know they used water to try and put out the fires so maybe he drowned from that. But I'm definitely seeing water". Shoot this bitch. And Montel can be heard muttering in the background "Yeah" like he thinks she made some profound discovery. Hang him with them for attempting to give her evena modicum of credibility.
According to another story I heard, after Browne had told Shawn's family that he was dead she agreed to help them. For $700 a half hour. But it's stupid (albeit vulnerable and grieving) people who give this shrew and others like her their forum and keep them rich beyond rich.
Howard Stern played a clip of Browne from Montel Williams's show giving a reading to a woman who had lost her boyfriend and they ahd never found him. Browne then told the woman that the reason they never found him is because he's in water like Natalee Holloway in Aruba. When the grieving woman then explained that her boyfriend was a firefighter at the World Trade Center on 9/11, Browne continued to try and insist that the man had still drowned by saying something like "Well you know they used water to try and put out the fires so maybe he drowned from that. But I'm definitely seeing water". Shoot this bitch. And Montel can be heard muttering in the background "Yeah" like he thinks she made some profound discovery. Hang him with them for attempting to give her evena modicum of credibility.
According to another story I heard, after Browne had told Shawn's family that he was dead she agreed to help them. For $700 a half hour. But it's stupid (albeit vulnerable and grieving) people who give this shrew and others like her their forum and keep them rich beyond rich.
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