Two Missing Boys Recovered in Missouri

Police have recovered two missing boys in the St. Louis, MO area, one of whom had been missing for over four years.

Ben Ownby was abducted only four days ago after stepping off the school bus in Beaufort, MO. A classmate told police that he saw a white pick up truck speeding away from the area.

In near by Kirkwood two officers, on unrelated business, spotted a pick up matching the description. After a short investigation, police obtained a search warrant for the home and found not only 13 year old Ownby, but also a 15 year old boy identified as Shawn Hornbeck.

Hornbeck had gone missing when he was only 11 years old. He had been outside riding his bike and, seemingly, disappeared with out a trace.

Police have arrested Michael Devlin, 41. He has been charged with first-degree kidnapping and is being held in the Franklin County Jail on $1 million bond.

According to the Associated Press, Devlin is a manager at Imo's Pizza and works part-time at a funeral home.

Hornbeck's parents, Pam and Craig Akers (stepfather), have said in a press conference that they "are afraid that [they] are going to wake up and it was all a dream."

According to reports by the AP the two boys were in good health and spirits.

During the press conference the Akers family told the press that their son has not been attending school during the four years that he was held captive.

MSNBC reported that Devlin was able to pass the boy off to neighbors as his god son and had told Hornbeck that he would be killed if he ever revealed his true identity.

The Akers family has dedicated their lives for the last four years to searching for the missing Hornbeck. Pam and Craig Akers both quit their jobs to focus on the search full-time, and formed a foundation in their son's name.

The Akers say that, even though their own son has been found, their foundation will continue to support those families whose children are still missing. In the press conference they called for all parents of missing children to continue to hold on to the hope that their children will be found.

Details surrounding the conditions that the boys were held in have not been released. It is also unclear what motive, if any, Devlin had for the alleged kidnappings of the two boys.