Investigators on Friday announced a task force of federal, state and local investigators to examine whether the man accused of abducting two boys may have snatched other children who are still missing.Ownby and Hornbeck are very lucky to be alive and reunited with their families. Many thousands of kids are never reunited with their families, who are left wondering what cruel fates struck their children.
Michael Devlin is charged with kidnapping two boys found Jan. 12 in his suburban St. Louis apartment.
The search for Ben Ownby, who vanished after getting off the school bus in Beaufort on Jan. 8, led police to Devlin's home, where they found the 13-year-old and Shawn Hornbeck, who had been missing for more than four years.
Devlin was 36 when Shawn was abducted on Oct. 6, 2002. Several experts and police have called it unlikely that someone would commit such brazen crimes without any precedent.
"There are the possibilities that there may be other kids involved," Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said.
Investigators are looking at whether Devlin may have been involved in other kidnappings or related crimes, particularly crimes within 80-100 miles of his residence. In particular, they're looking at one case that mirrors the Hornbeck abduction:
One detective called Devlin the "most viable lead" in another missing boy case, mostly because of striking similarities between Shawn's abduction and that of 11-year-old Charles "Arlin" Henderson, who vanished in 1991.I can only hope that the Oprah appearance yesterday might lead to further leads on other missing and exploited kids in Missouri, and help investigators.
Lincoln County detective Chris Bartlett said the boys were the same age when they vanished and both were taken while riding their bikes on rural roads about an hour's drive from St. Louis. Shawn, Ben and Arlin all weighed about 100 pounds.
Prior coverage here.
Technorati: shawn hornbeck, ben+ownby, michael devlin, missouri, oprah, kidnapping, abduction.
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