I know, I haven't been on in a while. Sorry! But I live in Missouri and have been following up on Miracle in Missouri. The story of how, last week, two kidnapped boys were finally found. One boy was gone for four days, and another, for four years.
Thirteen year old Ben Ownby went missing last Monday. He was getting off his bus near his home, when he suddenly dissapeared. Ben's friend and local hero Mitchell Hult reported seeing a white Nissan truck speed away at the time of Ben's dissapearence. Mitchell described the truck with such amazing detail, officers thought at one point he was making it up! The search was on to find Ben Ownby. Prayers and flyers flooded the community, as Ben's close family and friends cried for Ben to come home.
Ben Ownby
Hundreds of possible spottings of the truck filled police stations. On Ben's fifth day missing, police officers went to a run down apartment when a young man pointed out a Nissan truck that fit the exact description. Police officers asked the suspect if they could come in, but he said no. So officers sat outside the door all night, not wanting to put lives at stake. Finally, they stormed the apartment. Suspect Michael J. Devlin was standing in the apartment along with two boys. Ben Ownby said, "Are you going to take me home?" They looked over to another boy and asked him to identify himself. The boy said, "I am Shawn Hornbeck."
Shawn Hornbeck at 11 years old (He's all grown up now!)
Reporters were in tears and officers were in shock. Almost five years of hell had finally come to an end. Shawn Hornbeck was only eleven when he was kidnapped. He was riding his bike when suspect Michael Devlin pulled him into his car. Police strongly believe he used a gun. Shawn Hornbeck is now almost 16 and he is very happy to be home. He appeared on Oprah with his parents today and said, "I prayed every night that I would be with my family again. I crossed myself every night. We're a very Christian family." No one knows exactly what poor Shawn went through. An apartment neighbor says he heard Shawn being physically and verbally abused. But let's be positive, Shawn and Ben have been reunited with their families and are very fortunate. I ask everyone of you to not ask why Shawn did not get help if he had come in contact with others. He was terrified and we have no right to ask this question. Shawn has been through too much terror to be questioned. We should only have one thing to say, Welcome home Ben and Shawn!
**Thank you police officers and kind citizens and volunteers for making Miracle in Missouri real. We just can't thank you enough!!**
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