Official: Boy Guarded Other Teen

By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD

ST. LOUIS – Abducted teen Shawn Hornbeck was ordered to guard fellow captive Ben Ownby and hide him from police after they were repeatedly left alone in their captor’s apartment, an official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Thursday.

Shawn’s cooperation with Michael Devlin was the result of what Shawn experienced during his first 30 days of captivity after Devlin allegedly kidnapped the boy in 2002, said the official who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Shawn’s isolation and abuse during that first month were so intense that the then 11-year-old’s identity was torn apart, the official said. Over time, Shawn began to see Devlin as his protector and surrogate parent in a pattern common to many abuse victims, the official said.

"He’s a victim. He was kidnapped. He was taken from his parents. He was forced to live with this guy. He was forced to accommodate," the official said.

The source would not elaborate on what happened to Shawn during the 30 days, but said details of the abuse and captivity would emerge soon in the case against Devlin. Devlin, a 41-year-old pizzeria manager is charged with kidnapping Shawn and Ben in separate remote Missouri towns four years apart.

In a televised interview, Shawn’s parents have said that while they have not asked their son about his ordeal, they believe he was sexually abused.

Shawn, now 15, was 11 when he was kidnapped in 2002 from near his home in Richwoods. Ben was abducted in Beaufort on Jan. 8, and a white pickup seen speeding away led police to Devlin.

The boys were found Jan. 12 at Devlin’s apartment in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, about an hour from the towns where the boys were taken.

The night before they were discovered, the official said, Shawn answered the door when authorities arrived to question Devlin. Before Shawn answered the door, he and Devlin told Ben to hide behind the door of Devlin’s bedroom and to remain silent. Shawn spoke with the authorities, as did Devlin.

Devlin refused to let authorities enter his home, and officers did not have probable cause at the time to force their entry. The next day, officers raided the home and found the boys.