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Kidnap Victim Visible Via Xbox Community Site

Via Joystiq comes the confusing tale of Shawn Hornbeck. Shawn was kidnapped more than four years ago, and his absence has made his parents worry and left a hole in his friends' lives. He's been returned safely home, so there's a happy ending to this tale. Strangely, though, he has been publicly visible for over a year now - via Xbox Live. From the Joystiq post: "The GamerTagPics profile for Xbox Live user 'DevilDevlin' shows the kidnapped Hornbeck outside what appear to be [alleged kidnapper Michael] Devlin's apartment. The profile was created Sept. 4, 2005 but hasn't been accessed since early 2006. DevilDevlin's Gamertag reveals that someone played Saints Row on the account as recently as Friday. It seems likely that Hornbeck used the account -- a Washington Post story reveals Devlin's neighbors 'often spotted Shawn out and about, visiting friends on his bicycle or playing video games with the apartment door open.'"

119 comments

  1. The real travesty here by Durrok · · Score: 5, Funny

    He was possibly playing Saint's Row and he is only 15! That game has an M rating! One can only imagine what this has done to that poor child's psyche.

    --
    I keep telling myself I'm not the desperate type.
    1. Re:The real travesty here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THIS is what happened in the interim.

    2. Re:The real travesty here by MindStalker · · Score: 1

      You know that link wouldn't be so bad, if it didn't freeze your browser for a minute so you can't just close it.

    3. Re:The real travesty here by Durrok · · Score: 1

      Well I meant for everyone to get a chuckle out of it, not to be insightful, so that's perfectly fine with me. If I was going to be insightful I should have.. oh I don't know... put more then 10 seconds of thought into the post.

      --
      I keep telling myself I'm not the desperate type.
    4. Re:The real travesty here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sorry

    5. Re:The real travesty here by MindStalker · · Score: 1

      Don't be "sorry" I could see the link pointed to http://butipoopfromthere.ytmnd.com/

      So no REAL surprises, but not being able to close your browser if someone happens to pop into the room is dangerous! :)

  2. Kidnap? by Bob+Gelumph · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't sound like kidnapping to me. "Hey kid, you wanna come play video games for a few years." "Sure, thanks mister"

    --
    I'm gonna need a spec.
    1. Re:Kidnap? by Darkn3ss · · Score: 1

      HAHAHAH! That's fabulous. Why don't they subpeona Xbox live to figure out where the account was created? I'm SURE that they keep the original IP address, and using the magic of databases, you have caught the kidnapper. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

    2. Re:Kidnap? by mharms1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It will be interesting to find out what Shawn's been up to all this time. According to a report on Foxnews.com:
      "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.
      "I didn't see or hear anything odd or unusual from the apartment," Butler said. "I just figured them for father and son."

      I have also heard that Hornbeck had access to a cell phone. I wonder why he didn't just call home?

    3. Re:Kidnap? by snarlydwarf · · Score: 3, Informative

      why bother when the kidnapper is in custody?

    4. Re:Kidnap? by gregtron · · Score: 1

      I wonder he'd accept someone a bit older for his next victim. He can kidnap my xbox, too. Hey, that coupled with the fact that I don't eat much would make this a bargain kidnapping.

    5. Re:Kidnap? by The+Mysterious+X · · Score: 1
      This is not a funny post by any means.

      People, especially children (as they are much more impressionable than adults), that have been abducted, can develop what is called stockholm syndrome.

      They would feel loyal to their captors, and even believe that they are acting in their best interests.

      From the sound of the story, this could be what occurred.

    6. Re:Kidnap? by solevita · · Score: 1

      Perhaps because nobody knew what this kid looked like until after he was found and after he appeared all over the mass-media.

      Nice idea skippy, but your dumbass idea is a little late.

    7. Re:Kidnap? by Drachemorder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's probably not just Stockholm. The boy got to play games all day and didn't have to go to school. To a kid, that's about a step down from paradise. It's quite possible he didn't really want to go home because of that.

    8. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      He had seen Devlin and the teen pitch a tent in the courtyard.

      Huh. Huh huh huh. Huh huh huh huh huh.
      </Beavis>

    9. Re:Kidnap? by Fred+Ferrigno · · Score: 4, Interesting

      According to some reports he posted a couple messages on the website for the foundation created by his parents in his name. He used his captor's last name (as Shawn Devlin) and asked "How long are you planing (sic) to look for your son?" It could have been Devlin himself, taunting the parents, but Devlin would have been unlikely to use Shawn's first name.

      Other details in the AP article confirm that he was mostly free and had plenty of access to the outside world. Apparently Devlin even taught him how to drive and he was seen driving the truck unsupervised at least once. Stockholm just seems too easy or too simple of an explanation.

    10. Re:Kidnap? by Babillon · · Score: 1

      I haven't read all the way through the comments but... Why hasn't anyone concidered the fact that maybe, just maybe, the kid's gay? Maybe he ran away from home to be with this guy (which is still wrong, just posing a theory). 'Cause hey... He might of been having the time of his life.

    11. Re:Kidnap? by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1
      I haven't read all the way through the comments but... Why hasn't anyone concidered the fact that maybe, just maybe, the kid's gay? Maybe he ran away from home to be with this guy (which is still wrong, just posing a theory). 'Cause hey... He might of been having the time of his life.
      At age 11?
      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    12. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      AKA Peter Pan and Neverland?
       

    13. Re:Kidnap? by Babillon · · Score: 1

      Ever heard of NAMBLA?

    14. Re:Kidnap? by niteice · · Score: 3, Funny

      National Association of Marlon Brando Look-Alikes?

      --
      ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
    15. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I knew what I wanted when I was in 4th grade. Why wouldn't a gay kid?

    16. Re:Kidnap? by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1
      I knew what I wanted when I was in 4th grade. Why wouldn't a gay kid?
      Gay 11 year olds want 40 year old pedophiles?
      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    17. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stockholm just seems too easy or too simple of an explanation.

      I wonder how unexamined a life must be not to understand the incredible power people can have over each other? But then, there is an explanation for Fox News viewers. They just don't like hearing it or believing it is true.

    18. Re:Kidnap? by Babillon · · Score: 1

      I only wish it was so benign...
      North American Man/Boy Love Association

    19. Re:Kidnap? by TheLink · · Score: 1, Troll

      "Stockholm just seems too easy or too simple of an explanation."

      Why? It happens all the time.

      The whole US gets told tales of terror and get exploited by Bush, then they actually reelect him and continue their usual lives playing video games, watching TV etc.

      Most US people will tell you that they are mostly free and have plenty of access to the outside world.

      Sounds pretty similar to me ;).

      --
    20. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Possibly. There are added monitary benefits for the kids if you do this.

      Kids at age 11 aren't innocent anymore, don't be naive.

    21. Re:Kidnap? by TheLink · · Score: 1

      "They would feel loyal to their captors, and even believe that they are acting in their best interests."

      Heh. Do you mean Republicans or Democrats? Or both ;).

      Stay home and watch Fox News, MTV, play video games, don't go to school, get to drive big trucks etc.

      Once in a while a figure of authority terrorizes them.

      Meanwhile the door to the outside world is wide open but unused.

      Yeah I definitely believe it can happen... :p

      --
    22. Re:Kidnap? by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1
      Possibly. There are added monitary benefits for the kids if you do this.
      Kids at age 11 aren't innocent anymore, don't be naive. While the innocence of 11 year olds is debatable and varies from kid to kid, I don't think wanting to pimp yourself out to pedophiles is a common desire for 11 year old. I find it offensive and horrifying that you would assume that a kid who may or may not have been molested wanted to be. What, when you hear of rapes do you automatically assume that she wanted it, too?
      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    23. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And I will moderate them down, again, helping the above AC out. :)

    24. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NO WAY! The AC can do what he wants to do! Just for that I'm going to mod YOU down, Mr. AC every time I see YOUR ugly face. Take that!

    25. Re:Kidnap? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      While the innocence of 11 year olds is debatable and varies from kid to kid, I don't think wanting to pimp yourself out to pedophiles is a common desire for 11 year old.

      Who said it was common?

      I find it offensive and horrifying that you would assume that a kid who may or may not have been molested wanted to be.

      I find it illogical that you would assume that a kid who may or may not have been molested didn't want to be. That doesn't mean I think you should assume that they did want to be, and it is reasonable to be prejudiced towards the belief that they don't want to be. But at the same time the human psyche doesn't necessarily operate in a logical manner. We know for example that the majority of strippers and prostitutes were abused as children (over the average.)

      Some children have definitely been known to do such things. Depending on what the molestation consists of the kid might not think it's a big deal. Even if it makes them feel bad - I mean I used to steal quarters from my mom's change stash (bus money) to play video games when I was a kid, and that made me feel a little sick, but I kept doing it because of the payoff.

      And I hate to fuel any fires but kids are definitely exposed to a lot of raunchy sexual material these days. It's pretty hard to avoid really. Repeated exposure does tend to lead to a numbing effect.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    26. Re:Kidnap? by Myopic · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that could be kinda funny, if it weren't for the probable ongoing sexual abuse.

    27. Re:Kidnap? by uufnord · · Score: 1

      So, the kidnapper's been kidnapped. That'll learn 'im!

    28. Re:Kidnap? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hear that whooshing sound? That's the joke going over your head.

  3. so now the feds are.... by ganjadude · · Score: 5, Funny

    gonna start looking through Xbox live users. You know for all the terrorist suspects and pedofiles (well you might find some of these type but) I can see it now

    bush -------- "halo is being used as a training device for the terrorists, we need access to the user database. NukeDukeum1987 has been posting terrorist threats -
    You are so Ded you think your 1337? bring it im gonna blow up your whole city than kidnap your son and make him my bitch-
    If we cant monitor these people, they have already won."

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    1. Re:so now the feds are.... by riff420 · · Score: 0

      It's not just you, man, so there's no need to be so vain. Slasdot is SWARMING with humorless fucking retards. No offense to retards, of course.

    2. Re:so now the feds are.... by Flibz · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but what about the humorless and the fuckers! You're offending them too! Hmmmf.

    3. Re:so now the feds are.... by ganjadude · · Score: 1

      i know thats why i threw in the lil hehe, i dont give a fuck really if i get modded off topic i got pleanty of karma to burn read the sig guys...read the sig

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  4. Worry? by avalys · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Shawn was kidnapped more than four years ago, and his absence has made his parents worry..."

    It's only January, and we already have a solid nomination for understatement of the year!

    This sounds like something a third-grader would say while giving a book report.

    --
    This space intentionally left blank.
    1. Re:Worry? by zcubed · · Score: 3, Funny

      Father: Hey, didn't someone else used to live here?
      Mother: I recall someone that use to eat all the food and leave a pile of dirty clothes, but I am trying to remember who that was.
      Father: Was he our son?
      Mother: Oh, that's right! Our son, I wonder where he is? I guess I should be worried about him, but it is nice not having to do all that laundry and cooking.


      Understatement indeed calling the parents worried after what was surely the most horrifying four years of their lives.

    2. Re:Worry? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From the above I can gather you are formerly fat but still ugly.

      Have a nice day.

  5. pretty cool story, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hiring psychics and losing a leg in the search of another missing person? parents with priorities so far out of whack could not have possibly taught their son the one thing that he set out to learn: how to respect a man's parking space.

  6. common by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is more common then you would think.

    It has to od with how a child determins whats safe and whats not. In the beginnibg, he was probably afraid and wishing to be rescued. After a while the attacker becomes the protector and it seems somewhat normal. also, the attacker does things to remind the victom they are the provider and protector, maybe slipping in some things about how his real parrent gave him away durring a poker game or something. After time this will lead to the kid/victom not thinking anything is wrong.

    Don't believe me, just look at all these teen mothers who get stuck with some looser who refuses to get a job and provide for the family, they often get abused in the process too. They know it sucks yet they refuse to leave. It is the same thing. It happens quit often! and it usualy isn't because of the guy having a big dick either.

    Of course i could be wrong and the kid wanted to stay for other reasons. Maybe a sexual relationship or something. I doubt it though. Even that would require some sort of conditioning simular to the previous to get the kid to stay. Especialy when another kid was introduced.

  7. 2 + 2 != 5 by pla · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Devlin's neighbors 'often spotted Shawn out and about, visiting friends on his bicycle or playing video games with the apartment door open.

    Y'know, call me crazy, but... Does anyone else find this entire situation somewhat unbelievable as a "kidnapping"?

    In child kidnapping cases that don't involve a parent or close relative, they either:
    A) Recover the child within a few days, or
    B) Recover the body within a few months.

    Yet, in this case, we have a kid missing for four years, found in good health, who had the freedom to leave the apartment and hang out with friends?

    Not to take a "blame the victim" stance here, but did running into a friend's house and begging the friend's parents to call the police never cross this kid's mind? Hello?



    Personally, I suspect the kid ran away and eventually hooked up with some random guy that let him live there. As for the second kid, well, I can't explain that one so well, but the "kidnapping" angle just doesn't sit right with me.

    1. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by posterlogo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's actually quite common for young kidnapping victims to (1) initially be too afraid to even attempt escape or indicate to other strangers that they are being held against their will, and (2) to eventually get accustomed to their kidnapper(s). Of course (2) can happen to anyone, e.g. the Stockholm syndrome. It doesn't necessarily imply that the kidnapped child was previously in a unhappy situation which he/she wanted to get away from. I'm not sure what you're implying by "hooked up", but it seems unreasonable for you to even be making these points now given that the man obviously kidnapped again, as you pointed out.

    2. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Wolfstar · · Score: 1

      Obviously, you fail to comprehend Stockholm Syndrome. First they rule through physical threat, then offer treats and do their best to seem nice and friendly. Eventually the victim becomes so confused they they start believing the one constant in their world - the kidnapper - is the only anchor they can cling to and take anything said as stone truth.

      This doesn't even begin to cover the threat of force - "Try getting in touch with your parents or running away from me, and I'll kill you and them."

      Learn2psychology.

      --
      You thought that this sig was what you think that I thought you wanted me to think. I think.
    3. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Johnny+Mnemonic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not to take a "blame the victim" stance here, but did running into a friend's house and begging the friend's parents to call the police never cross this kid's mind?

      How about the kidnapper told the victim that his parents hated him and gave him away? Proof was that they failed to come for him--if they wanted him back they would have asked for him back. If he was fed and taken care of, like one does a pet, one could put up with a lot--and I'd guess he put up with a lot, as he wasn't allowed to compare it with normalcy to see how his situation differed.

      You may forget how impressionable an eleven-year old is, and what they can be led to believe.

      --

      --
      $tar -xvf .sig.tar
    4. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by hutchy · · Score: 1

      I take my cue
      about you
      by how you add
      2+2 ha 5 indeed

      I find you to be incredibly dense, and an insensitive clod.

    5. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by pla · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I guess you were out hunting crocodiles and working as a mercenary in the Civil War of Congo when you were eleven?

      No, just fish, rabbits, and game birds, and only within a few miles (ie hiking distance) of my parents' house. From your question, I suppose Nintendo's "Duck Hunt", from the living-room floor, about did it for you, then?

      Every response to me so far has take the stance that 11YO kids count as completely helpless idiots. They don't. They have the presense of mind to get help when they direly need it. They don't consider "bad men" omnipotent evil deities that can kill them and their parents. They understand the difference between "Wierd uncle Joe" and "Some guy that dragged me into his car at the mall one afternoon".

      Hell, I don't think most of the responses so far would have applied to me at six. By eleven, I truly believe that if I couldn't have outright escaped, I would have killed the guy in his sleep.



      So yeah, if it makes me an "asshole", I have trouble believing this as a simple kidnapping.

      For one, how about a motive???

    6. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1
      Y'know, call me crazy, but... Does anyone else find this entire situation somewhat unbelievable as a "kidnapping"?
      The guy was probably molesting the kid. Why else would you keep some random pre-teen in your house for four years without ever sending him home or calling child services? He was only 11 at the time, so the guy probably bribed him with games and threatened him with force until the kid got used to it and thought it was "normal". I imagine the parents would much rather the world think that he spent four years playing video games (even if they do "blame the victim") than tell the world their kid was molested for four years, so they're not talking. That's what I think makes the most sense, anyways.
      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    7. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by ElleyKitten · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Y'know, call me crazy, but... Does anyone else find this entire situation somewhat unbelievable as a "kidnapping"?
      The guy was probably molesting the kid. Why else would you keep some random pre-teen in your house for four years without ever sending him home or calling child services? He was only 11 at the time, so the guy probably bribed him with games and threatened him with force until the kid got used to it and thought it was "normal". I imagine the parents would much rather the world think that he spent four years playing video games (even if they do "blame the victim") than tell the world their kid was molested for four years, so they're not talking. That makes the most sense, I think.

      Goddamit I hate it that you can't edit posts.
      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    8. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Read the story of Natascha Kampusch, and you'll find that the whole kidnapping game is not as straightforward as you might think. Natascha was taken out by her kidnapper to shops, even introduced to third parties as a friend, and could have run away many times during her kidnapping. Wolfgang Priklopil, the abductor, had threatened her with suicide if she escaped, as well as telling her that the house was booby trapped. It was an extremely unusual situation for all concerned, especially when Natascha expressed grief over her kidnapper's suicide.

      --
      Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
    9. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Obviously, you fail to comprehend Stockholm Syndrome.

      As do you. Stockholm Syndrome is a coping mechanism wherein one submits to authority in order to stay alive, then to resolve the cognitive dissonance of the situation. It's not something that lasts for years and years.

      My guess is the guy convinced the kid that his parents didn't love him and didn't want to see him.

    10. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Schraegstrichpunkt · · Score: 1

      It happens all the time with custody cases. One parent gets full custody of the child, and then the other parent abducts the child. The child isn't necessarily going to run away, but it's still kidnapping.

    11. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Pink+Tinkletini · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Well, you could check Wikipedia for details.

      Except that, as usual, a twelve-year-old aspie decided that anything he hasn't heard of doesn't belong in Wikipedia, and so the article—like so many others that could have provided information—is up for deletion. Because said twelve-year-old aspie is, like all other twelve-year-old aspies, a Wikipedia administrator. No wonder those fucktards are having problems raising $1.5M. How long was that fundraiser supposed to last again, three weeks?

    12. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by sho222 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Goddamit I hate it that you can't edit posts.
      There is a handy preview feature though... Maybe it's disabled in IE7 - contact your tech support.
    13. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by nightfire-unique · · Score: 1

      Nothing to do with the current story at all, really... who knows the details? But, it always surprises me how many people think kids are stupid.

      Naive, yes. Learning, and devoid of much factual knowledge, yes. But stupid?

      It seems more a reflection of the person making the supposition. I clearly recall my youth, and I certainly was not stupid. I was hacking 8080's, dialing BBSs, "dating" girls (the horror!), riding bikes with my friends as we pretended the FBI was on to us for swearing on a CB radio...

      I know I'm not alone, and I feel sorry for anyone whose childhood was so retarded or stunted by their parents that they could not enjoy it.

      --
      A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
    14. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Exactly.. children are highly impressionable. In the face of conflict, they tend to believe the most recent thing they were told, or saw. They may believe that mommy loves them one minute, but if they get in trouble 5 minutes later, they may think that mommy hates them. Arguments such as "Your parents wouldn't punish you if they really loved you," and "Other kids' parents don't do that," are irrefutable for children, and readily believable. There are multitudes of examples of the coordinated exploitation of children's ignorance, from child spies in the Soviet Bloc to child soldiers in Africa.

      At any rate, even if the parents were flat-out bad parents, kidnapping (or harboring a child runaway) is not the correct answer.

    15. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by godscent · · Score: 0, Troll

      Hell, I don't think most of the responses so far would have applied to me at six. By eleven, I truly believe that if I couldn't have outright escaped, I would have killed the guy in his sleep.
      So yeah, if it makes me an "asshole", I have trouble believing this as a simple kidnapping.


      No, you're not an "asshole." You're clearly superhuman and you have trouble relating to us mortals. Or perhaps you just think very highly of yourself. But my guess would be that you don't understand psychology as well as you think you do. I'm no expert myself, so I won't try to teach you. If you're interested, I'm sure you can teach yourself by doing a little googling.

    16. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by pla · · Score: 1

      You're clearly superhuman and you have trouble relating to us mortals.

      I didn't plan to respond any more on this topic, but given this comment and your handle, I couldn't resist. ;-)

      I don't see how doing the things a normal, health 11YO boy should do makes me so unbelievable. As the only "unusual" circumstance from my childhood, we lived in the middle of nowhere, so I mostly only saw my friends at school; resultingly, I learned to entertain myself, and can thank my current self-sufficience on that part of my life (though at the time, I certainly would have much rather lived within walking distance of a few friends' houses).

      But hunting and hiking and learning how the world (not the human world, the real world) works? It saddens me greatly to think that ALL boys don't learn those things. As much as I disapprove of the BSA for their rabidly anti-gay stance, perhaps they really do serve a much-needed role reagardless of their bigotry.



      If you're interested, I'm sure you can teach yourself by doing a little googling.

      Yes, 6-8 people so far have mentioned "Stockholm Syndrome". I would bet that perhaps one of them has ever seen the term used in a more formal context than Dan n' Connie's blathering.

      SOME people come to identify with their captors in long-term hostage situations.

      Some.

      Others will patiently comply until their captors grow complacent, then do whatever it takes the moment the captors turn their backs.

      In that I simply cannot imagine falling into the first category, I will admit that I do not understand the psychology of the willing victim.

    17. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by ericlondaits · · Score: 5, Funny

      I completely agree with you.

      I once met this kid, couldn't have been more than eleven at the time, that was accidentally left home alone when his parents and brothers took a trip to France. During the first days the kid managed to do the cooking, cleaning and shopping all by himself, no problem. But then, he found out that some burglars had targeted the house assuming it was empty for the holidays, so this brilliant kid first tried to make the house appear occupied by a full family through some clever tactics and minor inventions (like cardboard cut-outs which he animated with ropes and then projected through the curtains).

      Eventually the burglars found out the house was just occupied by a very small kid and did the same as the GP here, and assumed 11 year olds are helpless morons. They found they were wrong the hard way, when the kid rigged the whole house making it a lethal burglar trap by using the coolest rube goldberg contraptions you can imagine.

      I could also tell you about very young kids who found a pirate's gold while exploring some sewers... but I think I made my point.

      --
      As a Slashdot discussion grows longer, the probability of an analogy involving cars approaches one.
    18. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      I could also tell you about very young kids who found a pirate's gold while exploring some sewers... but I think I made my point.

      Yep - You have a marvelous grasp of the "strawman" device. Congratulations.

      I particularly like how you framed it, via sarcasm, as a seemingly stronger argument than the original. That shows real talent. You should run for public office!

    19. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by spickus · · Score: 1

      Whoosh!

      --
      Indecision is the key to flexibility.
    20. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by elrous0 · · Score: 1
      Who knew child abandonment could be so amusing? We should leave these adorable scamps home alone more often.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    21. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't recommend it. Think about what all that did to the house!

      --
      Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
    22. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by godscent · · Score: 1

      I don't see how doing the things a normal, health 11YO boy should do makes me so unbelievable.

      It's not about what you were like when you were 11, it's what an 11 year old boy is like after going through what this boy may have gone through. Maybe this boy had the same skills as you had, and at first he would have killed his captor if he had the opportunity. But maybe the captor made sure that couldn't happen until the boy was broken. Maybe it was Stockholm, or maybe he just convinced the kid that trying to escape would go badly, with him getting killed or his parents getting killed.

      But this is all just speculation. Maybe the kid did go along willingly. I'm just trying to say that it's not as easy as waiting for the right moment, killing your captor, and escaping. Eventually almost anyone would break to some degree, especially kids.

      I'm also no lawyer, but I'd guess it's legally called kidnapping, regardless of what the child wanted.

    23. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Chemisor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      > Personally, I suspect the kid ran away and eventually hooked up with some random guy that let him live there.

      Or may be he really was kidnapped, but wasn't too fond of his family.

      When I was a kid I had a sincere fantasy, hoping to be kidnapped by pirates and spend my teenage years robbing spanish galleons, courting lovely young ladies, and counting my piasters (yeah, I had been reading Captain Blood :) Life as a regular nerd in a big city just couldn't compare to the glory of the high seas...

    24. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell, I don't think most of the responses so far would have applied to me at six. By eleven, I truly believe that if I couldn't have outright escaped, I would have killed the guy in his sleep.

      The problem is that you assume that every other 11 year old is as mature and cunning and well educated as you were.

      I'm glad to hear you had a great childhood and that your parents taught you well. This kid's life was not like yours, even before he was kidnapped.

      I suppose Nintendo's "Duck Hunt", from the living-room floor, about did it for you, then?

      OK, forget "RTFA". Did you even read the SUMMARY to this story??? The kid's online video gaming profile was found online. He was seen playing video games in the apartment frequently. So "Duck Hunt" may or may not have been his game, but he was an avid video game player.

      It does not appear that he was an avid hunter.

      So yeah, if it makes me an "asshole", I have trouble believing this as a simple kidnapping.

      Actually, what makes you an asshole is that you are using your own great childhood to explain your position about someone whose childhood was very different from yours.

      Not everybody has the benefit of a great childhood or great experiences. Not everyone was born with such a high level of testosterone and competence as you either.

      For one, how about a motive???

      Are you that dense? Do you know what a pedophile is? There's been little mention in the news of the possibility of molestation (only alluding), but that is the most likely motive.

      The guy had two kids in his apartment that didn't belong to him. One was missing for four years and the other was missing for four days.

      There's a lot of details missing. A lot of things that could have been going on that we don't know about yet. But to say that this kid wasn't kidnapped because 11-year-olds can't be broken is absurd.

    25. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by camg188 · · Score: 1

      How about the kidnapper told the victim that his parents hated him and gave him away?
      He may have posted messages on the website his parents created to try to find him. If he did, he was well aware they thought he was abducted and wanted him back.
    26. Re:2 + 2 != 5 by Myopic · · Score: 1

      sadly, you have forgotten an option, which seems likely in this case

      C) Child is sexually abused for years and years, then finally killed or gotten rid of, or in a lucky case found and reunited with his parents

  8. It's still kidnapping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    In some places, harboring an 11 or 13 year old runaway for that long is still kidnapping in the eyes of the law.

    Even with the most benign explanation there is no excuse to have a kid in your house for that long without informing the family or CPS. It's just wrong on so many levels.

  9. I really want more info. by kabocox · · Score: 1

    I'm sorry, but there seems to be some thing missing from this. Sure the kid was there for four years, but how hard would it have been for him to pick up a phone call 911 and say that I've been kidnapped. In the article, they said neighbors said the kid wasn't physically contained. He was often see playing with other kids and playing video games with the door open. The more that I read; the more I wondered what was missing. O.k. the kid didn't go to school, but other than that he seems to have been o.k. This is more surreal or freaking wierd than anything else that I can think of. When you think kidnapping, you think hey we have about a week or less to recover them if you are lucky the kid is still alive. If you aren't the kid was raped and left for dead some where. Most kidnappings are family custody things that I can't really swing one side or the other without alot more info than a tag line. I almost thought that was what this was. It wasn't a family custody thing though. This kid just appears to have been picked up when he was 11 and seems to have been happily living with the other guy for 4 years. WTF? I hope my kids would have enough sense to let me know not to worry about them or call 911 if they are given a chance: hopefully I'll never find that one out.

    1. Re:I really want more info. by jesup · · Score: 1

      Hold the speculation - there have been cases before of kidnap victims (including adults) who were either brainwashed or threatened or both into not reporting it and not running away from the kidnapper when they could. ("I'll kill your parents...") In the right setting, they can end up believing it.

      Without the new kidnap case, the odds might tilt to runaway. With the new case and the circumstances (not similar to a runaway situation), the odds may tilt towards kidnapping/etc. Or maybe the guy 'befriended' these kids somewhere (physically or online) and offered them a "safe" way to get away from home.... (how "safe" it was might be a question...).

      So, can the speculation for now - because that's what it is, speculation.

    2. Re:I really want more info. by cephyn · · Score: 1

      Still, something Just Doesn't Sit Right in this case. No one is asking questions it seems. What the hell went on for 4 years? Why was this kid so hard to find? How did this guy explain the sudden appearance of an adolescent son?

      Nothing about this one makes any sense. The parents are acting way too nonchalant about his return. They don't seem to want to know what happened. Maybe they're in shock. And this kid has a lip piercing - who did that? Was it a home piercing? If it was done professionally, they're required to get parental approval - how did that get faked?

      --
      Moo.
    3. Re:I really want more info. by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1

      I'm sure the parents are asking questions, they just don't want the answers all over the media.

      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    4. Re:I really want more info. by jamar0303 · · Score: 1

      Probably the "kidnapper" (not so much really- at his age I wished that I could get 4 years off of school) pretended to be his parent. Maybe he really is a relative of some sort- why else would the parents not collapse into fits of hysterics after they finally found their kid after 4 years?

      --
      OSx86 FTW
    5. Re:I really want more info. by whoop · · Score: 1

      The trouble with these cases is we (the general public) never find out what really happens in years-long kidnappings. I guess even you paranoid Slashdotters forget about this thing called "privacy." Just because the media doesn't know all the gritty details, doesn't mean the police, psychologists, etc aren't asking these kids the right questions.

      Inevitably, the guy will accept a plea to avoid the death penalty, so there won't be any trial or anything more public.

    6. Re:I really want more info. by Cheeko · · Score: 1

      This guy would never get the death penalty. Kidnapping in and of itself isn't a capital crime. Its not even a life sentence.

      Now assuming nothing else happened (abuse, etc) I'd say the guy maybe serves the better part of a decade on the kidnapping and then a bunch of time on parol/probation.

    7. Re:I really want more info. by whoop · · Score: 1

      Yes, I was meaning to say once they weigh in all the crimes associated with the two kidnappings. News reports this afternoon say he is being looked at for an unsolved kidnapping of a similar age boy in 1991. And they are saying he allegedly used a gun to kidnap the kid four years ago, so that's gonna add on quite a few more years.

      He may not be up for the death penalty by the state, but you know how the other alleged criminals in prison take to violent crimes against children... He'll likely plea bargain for something better, protective custody, 25 instead of life. My main point is these sort of big national cases rarely see a full trial, let alone the public finding out what sort of depravity he commits on the boys.

  10. Since someone has sand in their vagina.... by ganjadude · · Score: 0

    Ill try to be serious.
    what does this prove other than the chances of it being a legitimate kidnapping are a little off

    FTFA:

    Authorities charged Michael Devlin, 41, a pizza shop worker who moonlights at a funeral home, with one count of kidnapping but revealed little of what they know. Publicly, they marveled at the rescue of two teenagers kidnapped four years and 40 miles apart, one of them all but given up for dead.

    Also in the article it said the parents did all the talking, so ATM we don't know if he was kidnapped or ran away. Its just to difficult to believe that one can be held yet be allowed to roam free, ride his bike, and play with friends.
    i got a feeling we will be seeing alot of interesting info turn up on this case.

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    1. Re:Since someone has sand in their vagina.... by mdobossy · · Score: 1

      The one charge of kidnapping is for the other boy found, who was snatched 4 days before they caught Devlin. The second kidnapping charge (for kidnapping Shawn) is still pending/under investigation according to the latest news stories.

    2. Re:Since someone has sand in their vagina.... by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 1
      We may not see much for a while.
      The Ownbys said authorities had asked the families of both boys not to speak about their time in captivity. That left open the mystery of how their captor kept them from escaping.
      http://www.knx1070.com/pages/184857.php?contentTyp e=4&contentId=290070
    3. Re:Since someone has sand in their vagina.... by westlake · · Score: 1
      Authorities..revealed little of what they know.

      the first thing they teach you is to keep your big mouth shut.

  11. A city in sweden by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

    Y'know, call me crazy, but... Does anyone else find this entire situation somewhat unbelievableas a "kidnapping"?
     
    In child kidnapping cases that don't involve a parent or close relative, they either:
    A) Recover the child within a few days, or
    B) Recover the body within a few months. Ok: You're crazy.

    You forgot the very usual C) The kid just vanished and is never heard from again.

    You also fail completely to take the Stockholm syndrome into account, not to mention the fact that the kid was found after someone tracked down the van that was seen speeding away from where another kid was abducted, along with that other kid.
    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  12. Mod Up by SnowZero · · Score: 1

    Well said. Too bad I don't have any points.

    1. Re:Mod Up by Amouth · · Score: 1

      too bad it was posted AC - i wish i could give it my karma

      --
      '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  13. Um...why is this a Slashdot story? by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No, really. Some kid who was apparently kidnapped has his picture online. The only possible reason I can imagine is that there is an 'online' aspect to this story. But seeing as everyone and their granny is online these days I don't see why this story is interesting. Look on youtube, you'll see plenty of more interesting pictures than a picture of a kid who wasn't kidnapped.

    --
    Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
  14. Peter Pan? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    More like MJ and Neverland

  15. Kidnapper was president of local Mac user's group by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I saw this news item. Apparently the kidnapper was president of the local Mac users group. The FBI claims that Mac users are frequently involved in pedophilia.

  16. Not surprising he kept quiet by the+Gray+Mouser · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Talk to any victim of sexual abuse you know. Most of them don't report it, especially while it's happening.

    Fear and shame are very, very powerful forces.

    What is truly scary is the thought that he kidnapped Ownby as a "replacement" for Hornbeck. Hornbeck had grown older, and was starting to look like an adult. Ownby is a very young looking boy.

    Even more scary is the thought that Shawn may have been a replacement for someone else.

    1. Re:Not surprising he kept quiet by concept14 · · Score: 1
      Even more scary is the thought that Shawn may have been a replacement for someone else.


      I'm afraid you may be right. And for those who doubt that this was a real kidnapping, check into the true story of Steven Stayner at http://www.amazon.com/Know-My-First-Name-Steven/dp /0786011041/ or http://imdb.com/title/tt0097553/. He was kidnapped at age 7, and was finally able to alert the police 7 years later when his kidnapper rounded up the next boy. What I've heard about the current case sounds a lot like this.
      --
      Quis metamoderunt ipses metamoderatores?
  17. Officers brought him "home"? by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 2, Informative
    Larry Douglas said his younger brother, Tony, and Shawn were best friends and often went skateboarding and biking. He said Tony had no idea of Shawn's real identity. Larry Douglas said his family was not allowing his brother to speak to reporters.

    Before Tony Douglas' family made him unavailable to the media, he told Fox News that on three occasions, police stopped the two for being out beyond curfew. Officers gave the boys a lift home, unaware of Shawn's real identity, Tony said.

    The Post-Dispatch cited another encounter between Shawn and police that occurred Sept. 29 when an officer stopped the boy, who was riding his bike about 11:20 p.m., about a mile from the apartment.

    The police report stated that Shawn told the officer his name was Shawn Devlin and gave a birth date of July 7, 1991 - 10 days off his actual birthday. Shawn told the officer he was biking to the apartment after visiting a friend's home.

    ''He was wearing dark clothing and didn't have reflectors on his bike,'' Glendale Sgt. Bob Catlett told the newspaper. ''The officer stopped him to find out who he was.

    ''He said he was Shawn Devlin, and we had no reason to doubt him.''

    Tony sometimes spent the night at Shawn's apartment, but rarely spoke with Devlin. Larry Douglas said his brother saw no indication of abuse, or clues that Shawn was a captive.
    Source
  18. Re:Kidnapper was president of local Mac user's gro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm certain that using a Mac doesn't make you crave sex with children. Perhaps pedophiles as a group recognise the superior security of Mac OS X?

    But in that case why aren't terrorists using Macs? ... oh, I know it's that export ban on G5 processors. We should see a rise in terrorist Macintosh usergroups now that Apple has moved to Intel chips.

  19. Maybe now I can find MY son! by Gerocrack · · Score: 3, Funny

    His name is XXmastorCheefRoxorsXX (it's a family name, on my mother's side.) I hope I can find him on Live...

  20. Re:Kidnapper was president of local Mac user's gro by gijoel · · Score: 1

    Fuck I hope you're joking.

    Uncyclopedia is an open wiki humor page. It is not Wikipedia!

    Some of it is quite amusing, most of it is barely coherent Leeroy Jenkins jokes.

  21. Smarter money would be on molestation by patio11 · · Score: 1

    Two pre-teen males abducted by same kidnapper? I rather doubt he was aiming at starting his own gaming group. I won't speculate on why the kid didn't call home the first chance he got, but I rather doubt "paradise" is an accurate description of where he has been kept for the last couple of years.

    1. Re:Smarter money would be on molestation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I won't speculate on why the kid didn't call home the first chance he got

      Uh-huh.

      but I rather doubt "paradise" is an accurate description of where he has been kept for the last couple of years.

      a) It may have been a relative paradise compared to his real home, and b) there are many indications that he wasn't 'kept' there at all.

    2. Re:Smarter money would be on molestation by Drachemorder · · Score: 1

      You could very easily be right, but you know, sex isn't the only motivation for people to do bad things. Even so, I agree with you on one point --- anything that would motivate someone to commit a kidnapping like that can't be very good.

  22. Re:Kidnapper was president of local Mac user's gro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Here is more corroborating evidence, hot off the wire. They found this on the kidnapper's Mac:

    Dear Apple,
    I am a homosexual. I bought an Apple computer because of its well-earned reputation for being
    "the" gay computer. Since I have become an Apple owner, I have been exposed to a whole new world
    of gay friends. It is really a pleasure to meet and compute with other homos such as myself. I
    plan on using my new Apple computer as a way to entice and recruit young schoolboys into the
    homosexual lifestyle; it would be so helpful if you could produce more software which would appeal
    to young boys. Thanks in advance.

    With much gayness,

    Hugh G Rection


  23. Reminds me of the Elephant Trap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    (from wikipedia)

    Elephant traps

    A method of confining elephants practiced in the Indian Subcontinent is far less physical and brutal, and more psychological, than earlier means. It is called the "elephant trap". The following is taken from a newsletter:

            From when an elephant is a baby they tie him for certain periods with a rope to a tree. The young elephant tries his hardest to escape, he pulls and wriggles and jumps and crawls yet the rope just tightens and to the tree it remains tied. Learning that, the elephant doesn't try to escape and accepts his confinement. A couple of years pass and the elephant is now an adult weighing several tons. Yet the trainer continues to tie the elephant to the tree with the same rope he's always used, for the simple reason that the elephant has the concept in his mind that the rope is stronger than him. Abiding to this conditioning the elephant is trapped for life. To break free all the elephant has to do is erase that limiting thought for in fact he is free to go.

  24. Re:Poor Kid - Shitty Xbox Online Service by CK2004PA · · Score: 0
    --
    "I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator"-Adolf Hitler or George W Bush?
  25. Was is good. by MikeFM · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You mean the guy that actually has the balls to stick out an entire war without whining and giving up because we could be hurting the bad guys' feelings? Or the guy that listened to the American people screaming for vengence after 9/11 and actually did something about it?

    I'm not a Bush fan. His domestic policies tend to really suck. But at least he'll follow through with what he starts and not listen to all the wusses out there who have the retarded belief that the bad guys are just like us and can be reasoned with over coffee and donuts. The same people totally disregard what the civilians in the areas we're freeing tell them, namely had much they appreciate us, so that they can listen to the professional pull-it-out-of-your-ass opinions of their choice political ranting jerk off tell them that we're hurting these people. Sure pull out of the war effort so that thousands of innocent civilians are left to sort out a civil war for themselves while trying to keep any other evil dictators from taking over. We're Americans so we don't give a damn right? Just let the innocents die so that we don't have to hurt the feelings of the bad guys or take any kind of a moral position.

    The war is the number one issue for me in the next election. I will not vote for anyone that is going to pull the troops out or otherwise undermine the war effort. We've spent time, money, and lives on this effort and I want to actually see results and not giving up. If anything, we need to step up and do something about Iran next. Clean that whole area out and occupy them for the next fifty years until we've finished resocializing their children and grandchildren.

    A President that had the balls to win the war and the brains to create good domestic policy would be awesome. If any party can produce such a canidate I'll probably vote for them. Manage to find a canidate that is a good natural leader that can pull the parties together to get good things done and you'd have something pretty damn good. To bad the chances of that happening are almost nil. It seems only very polarized people can make it very high in office. People like me that are center don't have many options we like.

    --
    At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
    1. Re:Was is good. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the guy that actually has the balls to stick out an entire war without whining and giving up because we could be hurting the bad guys' feelings? Or the guy that listened to the American people screaming for vengence after 9/11 and actually did something about it?


      Yeah, but then he starts a *completely unrelated* war and sends lots of troops there (to die), INSTEAD of having everyone go searching for Osama.

      I'm all for getting rid of Saddam, but he's way down the list in terms of who we should've gotten rid of. After we catch/kill Osama, THEN people can have a debate about going after someone else.
    2. Re:Was is good. by TheLink · · Score: 0, Troll

      "Or the guy that listened to the American people screaming for vengence after 9/11 and actually did something about it?"

      So if Neighbour A attacks your house, you scream for vengeance and attack Neighbour B instead?

      And you wonder why your neighbours are looking at you strangely or even saying bad things about you, when previously they supported you.

      stupid_american_count++;

      If you can justify attacking Iraq for 9/11, you can justify attacking England as well.

      --
    3. Re:Was is good. by TheLink · · Score: 1

      mod=troll?

      stupid_american_count++; :p

      --
  26. sick minds by MikeFM · · Score: 1

    I've always been amazed in how abussive guys always have more women. A woman will admit that he is mean to her and possibly even violent towards her but she still comes back to him. If she can't be with him anymore she seeks out someone else like him. It's really incredible. It all comes down to the fact that assholes aren't afraid of being shot down so they're a lot bolder than most nice guys and that often assholes come across as being stronger which causes women to want them more. It's like putting out a bug light and watching bugs fly to it over and over again knowing it's going to destroy them all.

    I can't imagine why intelligent women do this. They have to see through it to know they're making a mistake but they still do it. Not all of them of course - but a significant number. I guess though that it's just some kind of addiction and habit. You tend to do what you're familair with again and we seek pleasure now despite the cost later. People know that excessive drinking is going to make them puke in the morning but they do it anyway.

    Of course then you have to wonder what makes men want to be mean or violent towards women and children. What kind of wuss takes out their anger and frustration on those that are weaker than them? Learn some freaking anger management.

    --
    At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
  27. Man now suspect to other kidnapping! by An+anonymous+Frank · · Score: 1

    Pizza manager is 'viable lead' in 1991 abduction

    Authorities are examining similarities between the disappearances of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby and the 1991 disappearance of 11-year-old Arlin Henderson from rural Moscow Mills. Both Shawn and Arlin were last seen riding bicycles, and Arlin bears a physical resemblance to Ben. Police said the recovery of Hornbeck and Ownby has breathed new life into the Henderson investigation.

    http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/17/missing.boy.ap/in dex.html

    Note: I guess short hair will now fall out of favor for boys.

  28. He just really liked getting it up the ass. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Pretty sure, from an older, overweight, smelly pizza man. Free pizza, video games, and ass-love.

  29. Re:War is good. by MikeFM · · Score: 1

    If England was ruled by an evil dictator that was violating human rights and encouraging terrorists then yes it would justify attacking England too.

    --
    At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.