Mo. parents believe son was sexually abused

updated 7:56 p.m. ET Jan. 18, 2007

CHICAGO - The topic was sensitive — the sexual abuse of a kidnapped boy — yet it was broached in the most public of settings. On Oprah Winfrey’s TV show, the parents of Shawn Hornbeck disclosed for the first time their belief that he was sexually molested by his captor.

The revelation, in a show airing Thursday, raised anew the thorny problem of identifying sexual assault victims and dramatically demonstrated how the line between public and private has been redrawn in this 24-hour media world.

For Winfrey, it was a powerful interview and a scoop. For some experts on child abductions and molestation, there were qualms.

“This is a time to get to know one another and build new memories and heal, and they should be leaving these kids alone,” said Patty Wetterling, who became a prominent child-protection activist after her still-missing son, Jacob, was abducted in Minnesota in 1989.

Until the Winfrey show, there had been no public mention by any of the principals in the case of sexual abuse — even though it is a common motive for child abductions.

The alleged abductor, Michael Devlin, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Union, Mo., to charges of kidnapping another boy, 13-year-old Ben Ownby, who was found last week along with Shawn in Devlin’s apartment four days after disappearing. Devlin — who has not been charged with sexual abuse — is to enter a plea later in connection with Shawn’s abduction.

Parents suspect sex abuse
On “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Shawn’s parents, Craig and Pam Akers, said their 15-year-old son hasn’t told them directly but they believe he was sexually abused during the more than four years he was missing.

“OK, I’m going to go there and ask you, what do you think happened? Do you think he was sexually abused?” Winfrey asked the parents. Both nodded and said yes.

Rona Fields, a Washington, D.C., psychologist specializing in traumatized children, said she was troubled at how and where the issue was broached.

“It’s not something I would think a 15-year-old boy would want to have broadcast all over the country,” Fields said. “This impacts on the whole rest of his life, and it makes me cringe to think people would be so careless.”

The communications staff for Winfrey’s show responded with a statement noting that the show had been pre-taped on a closed set with no audience present.

“Oprah, who has years of experience interviewing children who have survived trauma, respectfully posed questions first to his parents and aunt — and then to Shawn with his family present — so that they could share their message of hope with other families who have missing children,” the statement said. “As with all guests. ... it was their prerogative not to answer any questions posed to them.”

Media disclosure issues
While it is a policy of The Associated Press, and many other news organizations, not to identify alleged victims of sexual abuse in most cases, Shawn’s case has been widely publicized and his name is well-known. Also, the family has gone public, conducting several interviews.

MORE FROM CRIME & COURTS

Crime & courts Section Front

2 due in court on charges of slaying Fla. couple 2 convicted murders escape from Ind. prison Jackson: Cemetery investigation should expand FBI: Alamo's followers sell suspect goods Dead woman found in building duct was killed Ex-cons help at-risk youth avert conflicts Thousands swarm desecrated Illinois cemetery Scrub tech causes major hepatitis scare in Colo. Mo. man charged in quadruple killing Young hunter who killed hiker gets 30 days Crime & courts Section Front   Add Crime & courts headlines to your news reader: