Posted on 01/12/2007 2:39:17 PM PST by cgk
No link yet...
The information that leaps out at me from that article is the following:
Those who work with missing children's families know what such a tragedy does to their lives. Most couples divorce, others may turn to alcohol or lose their homes. Some channel their grief into a frenzied devotion to their cause. The Akers say they have depleted their savings, borrowed against their 401(k)s, talked to psychics and are ready to drop everything when someone calls them about a missing person.
When Bianca Piper, a 13-year-old from St. Charles County, disappeared a year and a half ago, Craig Akers drove a camper to the scene. He lived out of it for nearly six weeks, searching for the lost child while dragging a painful left leg. When his foot started turning blue and the pain became unbearable, he went home.
His wife drove him to the emergency room, and the next day doctors amputated his leg from the knee down. Along with cardiovascular disease, he has peripheral vascular disease, which chokes the blood supply to his legs. He expects he will lose his other leg, as well.
On Friday, the Akerses returned to the local Lions Club for an anniversary remembrance of the day their son disappeared. Craig Akers limped slightly while using a prosthetic but had worked since morning to organize the event. He baked cookies and brownies for the volunteers that have stuck by them for years. Pam put 100 photos of her son on a wall-sized display board. They unveiled an age-progressed photo of what Shawn, now 15, might look like.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I admire the Akers! What wonderful people! They deserve to have a few good things go their way.
I'm way behind I know, so apologies if this has been posted...did you hear the NYPost is reporting child porn was found on Devlin's computer?
Ohioan, I heard the same as you. A couple who lived in the complex...at least the woman, said she had heard screams just about every day but I didn't get what period of time during the 4 yrs. That she called the police more than once. They only came out one time and could not identify where in the complex the screams came from. After that they would not come because they didn't know what apt. to check out. Only now is this being connected possibly to Devlin and Shawn. I hadn't heard about anyone actually knowing that Devlin was beating Shawn.
Thanks I just know miniumu on computers. I am of the turn the knob on the tv generation.
St Louis Post Dispatch said family would be on Oprah on Wednesday.
The Akers are outstanding people and I think they if anyone can pull Shawn from the darkness. Teenagers typically are a challenge, but now they are faced with a kid who was abused, but as a type of reward I suppose was allowed to do whatever he wanted. No school, no set hours, probably pizza every day, TV, no outside activities. It is going to be a challenge to bring him back. But from what I have seen Mr. Akers is the man
Could you supply a link to the story? I am not finding it at the NY Post website.
"With Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby safe at home with their families, authorities on Sunday turned to their next most pressing task — getting some answers.
Exactly how did the two teens end up in the Kirkwood apartment of pizzeria manager Michael J. Devlin?
What were his intentions for them? Did he harm them? And why did Shawn stay with him for 4 1/2 years, apparently posing as his son, while his real family pleaded for his return?"
The St. Louis Post Dispatch actually reports this as if there is nothing wrong with taking an 11 year old child from his family, and holding him for 4 years. Amazing.
"Meanwhile, a boy who said he was Shawn's best friend for the past four years told KTVI (Channel 2) that he saw Shawn nearly every day but had no idea his friend had been abducted.
In the interview, Tony Douglas said he went to the movies and the mall with Shawn — even got stopped by police three times for being out late at night. And he said Shawn claimed that Devlin, the man he said was his father, was good to him."
Devlin seemed to be pretty bold about his actions. I've been wondering how the appearance of the new boy, Ben was explained to the Shawn's best friend, Tony Douglas this past week? I've seen several interviews with Tony Douglas, but I've never heard him asked if he ever saw Ben last week.
I can't. The FNC is reporting that the NYPost says this. I've heard it several times. They sent their Denver based reporter Carol McKinnley to MO and she was the first one I heard say it, very early on F&F First.
OK, Thanks.
St. Louis Post Dispatch
I don't know what happened to the link in my above post.
Yes this was reported this morning locally also.
As noted earlier, Shawn Hornbeck had a couple of yahoo and mindviz profiles with bits of information about him including the identical photos. One profile indicated he had a girlfriend from Kentucky, and possibly commented in her guestbook.
I found her profile through his, and her her parents need to be informed and her profile should be taken down, since it contains material that no young lady should include in a public profile. I passed this on to the local news over the weekend, and they are following the same policy of being nonspecific about her identity. It seemed to indicate they were friendly enough to telephone each other.
BTW, my web tv cannot use an adobe flash player which is required in order to see the NYP's homepage. I can go to their site but cannot access the actual page. One more thing...John Walsh was on the later edition of F&F and was extremely ticked off at all the questions of why didn't Shawn escape at some point or contact his family. Toward the end he described Devlin as "a 300 lb. Pedophile". Right after he said that the interview ended.
WOW, the Acker family will be on Oprah this week!
It has now been posted:
Cops: Child Pornography Found on Mo. Kidnap Suspect's Computer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767787/posts
I knew that certain elements of the press would try to shape this story, (see the St. Louis Post Dispatch and early in the thread Shep Smith's editorial remarks on Friday). I'm glad to see Sheriff Toelke and John Walsh calling them out on it.
The perp most likely told the boy he had a hitman hired who would kill his family if he escaped. That is what the subhuman did to the girl kept in a box below his bed for years.
this doesn't surprise me one bit!
I found this in an article posted on the thread titled "Boy told his parents didn't want him anymore" (or something similar):
Tony Douglas, who met Shawn a few weeks after he had been abducted, said they had watched a TV programme where his disappearance was discussed. When Tony pointed out that he looked like Shawn Hornbeck he said his friend shrugged and said "whatever".
Isn't that so sad, that his friend saw Shawn on TV and recognized him, but seemingly didn't tell his parents or a police officer about it?
Can you believe that so close yet so far away. Kind of like being out in the ocean water everywhere but nothing to drink
From another article: Kevin Schroeder, sheriff in Washington County, said that Devlin owned a piece of vacant property in Washington County, about 20 minutes from where Shawn was seized in the rural community of Richwoods.
I wonder if they will be searching that property for remains any time soon?
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