Shawn Hornbeck

 


Shawn Hornbeck went missing in 2002 at the age of 11. He was riding his bike to a friend’s house when he was abducted by Michael Devlin and was held captive in Michael’s apartment for the next four and a half years. The best documentary I can find on Shawn is here. 

The most noteworthy aspect of Shawn’s case is his rescue. In January of 2007, his captor abducted another boy named Ben Ownby. There was one witness to Ben’s abduction, a teenage boy who was getting off the school bus with Ben. This teenager had a very intense obsession with trucks and gave the police such a detailed description of the truck that it nearly made him look suspicious. Law enforcement still decided to publish the detailed description, which is what ultimately led to the discovery of both Ben and Shawn alive in Devlin’s apartment. 

Another noteworthy part of Shawn’s rescue was the victim blaming by Bill O’Reilly. Shawn made it very clear in interviews later on how his captor had complete control over him, even when not physically present. Shawn has never written a book about his ordeal, and I believe the victim blaming was the main reason for that. Because he never wrote a book, details of his captivity aren’t well known. 

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