Missouri families revel in safe return of sons

‘It’s a thrilling night’
“The boys were smiling and appeared very pleased to be with their families,” Davidson said. “Obviously the families were incredibly tickled to have the boys back. It’s a thrilling night.”

Ben’s uncle, Loyd Bailie, told The Associated Press he was escorted to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department with Ben’s parents. He said Ben was delighted when he saw his parents.

“His eyes lit up like silver dollars,” Bailie said.

Everyone broke into tears and Ben’s parents embraced him as tightly as they could, Bailie said.

Ben seemed in good health, but was hungry. Sheriff’s deputies brought in sandwiches and a honey bun and Ben instantly devoured the sweet, Bailie said.

In Kirkwood, law enforcement officials congregated outside the modest brick apartment where Devlin lived. Temporary lights and trailers were set up in the apartment complex courtyard as a cold, driving rain fell.

A neighbor, Rick Butler, 43, said the FBI came to his door Thursday night and showed a picture of Ben, asking if he had seen him. He said he had not. But he had seen a boy he now believes was Hornbeck.

He said he saw no evidence that the boy now believed to be Hornbeck was scared or trying to get away. He had seen Devlin and the teen pitch a tent in the courtyard. On another occasion, he found the boy’s cell phone and returned it to him.

“I didn’t see or hear anything odd or unusual from the apartment,” Butler said. “I just figured them for father and son.”

Similarities in the disappearances
The two disappearances had similarities. Both boys seemed to vanish without a trace, both from quiet rural areas. Richwoods, Shawn’s hometown, is about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis, in Washington County. Beaufort, Ben’s hometown, is about 60 miles from the city, and about 40 miles north of Richwoods.

Huy Richard Mach / St. Louis Post-Dispatch Police escort kidnapping suspect Michael Devlin in Union, Mo., on Friday.

Shawn disappeared from his rural home when he was 11. He went for a bike ride and never returned. His parents, dozens of volunteers and sniffer dogs searched for weeks. The couple set up a Web site and listened to anyone who offered a tip.

In the years since, Shawn’s parents, Pam and Craig Akers, devoted themselves to missing child cases. They were reunited with their son in Union, the Franklin County seat and where the sheriff’s department is.

Akers, Shawn’s stepfather, quit his job as a software designer to devote his time to a foundation bearing his son’s name. They depleted their savings, borrowed against their retirement and talked to psychics. The financial strain forced both of them back to work.

On the anniversary of the disappearance in October, Pam Akers said, “It’s been four years. But for me, it’s just been one long continuous day.”

Toelke said authorities were still investigating the motive behind the abductions. Franklin County Prosecutor Robert Parks said more charges are likely.

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