1069
Banned
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2006
- Messages
- 24,975
- Reaction score
- 5,126
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Undisclosed
Anybody remember Shawn Hornbeck?
He was a Missouri boy abducted by a stranger at age 11. He was never found, and presumed dead for years.
Nearly four years after he disappeared, Hornbeck- by then 15- was found, after his abductor tried to kidnap another young boy, who escaped.
Shawn was returned home, and has now been with his family for over three years. He just turned 19.
Apparently, he went through a lot of counseling and got caught up in school, and managed to graduate on time, with the rest of his class.
Shawn did not attend school while held captive, although he seemed to have some freedom to roam around, surf the internet, make friends with other children, and even spend the night at their houses. His abductor- who molested and brainwashed him- posing as a single father, claimed to be homeschooling Shawn.
Anyway, this case really captivated me back in 2007, when Shawn was found.
He is between the ages of my children, and he even looked a bit like them at the time.
I felt so much empathy for his mom. I was so happy he'd returned, but I was not particularly optimistic about his future.
I didn't see how he could ever readjust and live a normal life, after what he'd been through.
Anyway, with amazing support from his family and community, he seems to have done just that.
Here is the grown-up Shawn Hornbeck, with a Public Service Announcement, which he hopes will help other children avoid his fate:
YouTube - Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home - "Say Something"
He was a Missouri boy abducted by a stranger at age 11. He was never found, and presumed dead for years.
Nearly four years after he disappeared, Hornbeck- by then 15- was found, after his abductor tried to kidnap another young boy, who escaped.
Shawn was returned home, and has now been with his family for over three years. He just turned 19.
Apparently, he went through a lot of counseling and got caught up in school, and managed to graduate on time, with the rest of his class.
Shawn did not attend school while held captive, although he seemed to have some freedom to roam around, surf the internet, make friends with other children, and even spend the night at their houses. His abductor- who molested and brainwashed him- posing as a single father, claimed to be homeschooling Shawn.
Anyway, this case really captivated me back in 2007, when Shawn was found.
He is between the ages of my children, and he even looked a bit like them at the time.
I felt so much empathy for his mom. I was so happy he'd returned, but I was not particularly optimistic about his future.
I didn't see how he could ever readjust and live a normal life, after what he'd been through.
Anyway, with amazing support from his family and community, he seems to have done just that.
Here is the grown-up Shawn Hornbeck, with a Public Service Announcement, which he hopes will help other children avoid his fate:
YouTube - Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home - "Say Something"