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Nancy Grace

Rescue of Kidnapped Missouri Boys May Lead to Other Missing Boys

Aired January 30, 2007 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, a 13-year-old Boy Scout, straight-A student, gets off the school bus stop, like always, and disappears. Another student off the bus sees a white Nissan truck U-turn and race away, that one tip all investigators have to go on in the search for 13-year-old Ben Ownby. But then police realize several children are missing, including Shawn Hornbeck, missing since 2002.
Tonight, a special investigation. What do we know about these two and other children snatched in the same MO -- modus operandi? Tonight, miracle in Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The search for William Ben Ownby resumed shortly before 9:00 AM this morning. Federal, state and local officials and volunteers are looking in a wooded area not far from Ownby`s home. They`re also searching for a white van, or a truck with a camper shell on the rear. Witnesses say they saw the vehicle when they last saw Ben. It was seen leaving at a high rate of speed.

Ownby attends Union Middle School, where he is a straight-A student, 4 feet, 1 inches tall, he weighs 100 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair. He wears glasses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ben`s not the type of boy that -- if a stranger pulled up and asked him to get in, he would run the other way. He`s been taught that you don`t take rides from strangers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. Can you help us find this little boy? Of all places you`d think you`re safe, getting off a public school bus. This is what police have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We conducted a search in the area. It hasn`t revealed anything significant. The main focus is still the truck that we`ve been looking for. Right now, that appears to have some significance, and we`re still asking anybody that may know of somebody that drives a vehicle like that, may have seen one, also anybody that may have altered a vehicle recently, to give us a call. Somebody out there knows who owns this vehicle. At least, or thinks they know who owns it. And This would be a major break for us, if they would just give us a call.

It was seen in the area where Ben was last observed by the witness. The truck -- for whatever reason, the area that the truck was located in is a remote area, and it`s a private -- or it`s a county road, but it`s a gravel road. It`s not very well traveled. For some reason, the truck was backing into a ditch, went down a little bit further, turned around in a driveway and spun out at a high rate of speed. That`s obviously very unusual for that area. Plus, the fact that that`s right at the time of Ben, we feel, you know, was missing.

He was last seen walking -- or running down the road towards his house. Just within a matter of minutes, this truck was seen. It was observed leaving at a high rate of speed. And he didn`t show up at home. So you know, those are all the things that we`re working on right now, or at least that lead us in that direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s go out to Marc Klaas, president of Beyondmissing. Marc, let`s talk about statistics. So far, it`s only been about -- let me think -- 24, 28 hours or so since the boy went missing. Now, this is not a kid that acted out. It`s not a kid that lived on the Internet that was on Youtube and Myspace and Letsgettogether.com. This is a straight-A kid, Boy Scout. Never had a problem with him before. Give me the stats, 72 hours.

MARC KLAAS, BEYONDMISSING.COM: Well, you know, I think it`s very clear that -- I`m getting some feedback -- but it`s very clear that this little boy was probably kidnapped, and that he was probably taken by the person in that van. The statistics are pretty clear. Of children that are murdered as a result of a kidnapping, 74 percent are killed within the first three hours, and 99 percent would be dead by this time.

GRACE: Seventy-two hours is typically a cut-off in which you want to save the child, not just find out what happened to the child, but save the child`s life.

With me right now, a special guest who`s joining us. It`s Lloyd Bailie. This is the little boy`s uncle, Ben Ownby`s uncle. Lloyd, thank you for being with us.

LLOYD BAILIE, MISSING BOY`S UNCLE: Thank you.

GRACE: This little boy is reminding me so much of my nephew, straight-A, Boy Scout, scrubbed in sunshine. What can you tell us tonight, Lloyd?

BAILIE: Well, right now, we`re in a -- we`re still playing the waiting game, which is the toughest part of this whole ordeal for the whole family. There was a press conference held about 4:00 PM Central time today. Not a whole lot of information came out of that, just reassurances from law enforcement officials. And everyone is still out there that -- looking for Ben. And we`re still trying to get the information out via the Internet and people around this area, getting it out all over the state.

GRACE: The tip line, 636-583-2560. Look at this little boy. He`s only about 4-feet-10, 100 pounds. He usually wears his glasses. He was last seen wearing a hoodie with a Rams logo on it, coming home after school, broad daylight.

Back to Lloyd Bailie. This is the little boy`s uncle. How far away was the school bus stop from his home?

BAILIE: It`s just a couple of hundred yards from the school bus -- where the school bus lets him off to his driveway.

GRACE: You know, Lloyd, that is exactly -- I grew up in a very rural area, and nobody thought anything. Sometimes we would walk home from school. It was about a mile-and-a-half from school. Sometimes we`d take the bus and then walk the rest of the way home, not too far from your own front door. This is a story for millions of kids across this country.

Let`s go to the lines. Linda in Florida. Hi, Linda.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

GRACE: Hi, dear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. They could have altered that truck just by taking the cab off.

GRACE: Very good point. Excellent point, Linda. Hey, Liz, let`s put the truck back up for a moment. Linda makes a great point. By just taking the cab off, you can alter this truck. Everybody`s looking for a white Nissan truck with a cab on top. I`m taking it, it`s a smaller truck, akin to a Chevy S10, rust and dents on the passenger side, with a camper, no hubcaps, with Nissan written across the back.

Back to Lloyd Bailie, Ben`s uncle. How did this unfold for your family? How did you learn that Ben was missing?

BAILIE: Actually, I was getting home from work, and my wife had just gotten a phone call from her sister, Doris (ph), Ben`s mom, and -- telling us that they could not find Ben. He had come home on the bus. And they had been searching for him and not been able to find him.

GRACE: This is totally unlike your nephew. Has he ever gone missing before?

BAILIE: No. This is totally out of character for Ben. His routine is pretty much the same. He gets off the bus, he comes home. He`s into video games. Right now, he`s into aviation, so he comes home and he likes to fly jet simulators, and so on like that. He`s the type of boy that would rather read or play his video games than go out and play football in the front yard right now.

GRACE: You know what`s interesting to me? And I want to go out to Mike Brooks, former D.C. cop, and also with the FBI terrorism task force. Mike, let`s analyze what we know. Remember Shasta and Dylan Groene? Someone had been stalking the family, even watching them with night goggles. Why? Very rural area. There`s a picture of Dylan, who lost his life to a predator. We also saw the same thing with Jessica -- down in -- Jessie down in Florida. That was in Homosassa, very rural area. Someone has to be watching, or from the area.

And reports were, Mike -- I`m going to go back to Jean Casarez and Melanie in a moment about this -- that people had actually seen this white Nissan cruising the area. So what do you think, Mike, tonight, based on what we know?

MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE, SERVED ON FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE: I tell you, Nancy, what they`re going to have to do, law enforcement, hopefully, is go into some of the business areas within this county, and if people did see this, they might have been able to capture it on some videocamera that some of the stores may have had. We have seen in other cases, Nancy, and here on this show, where videocameras have played a big role in finding out exactly who perpetrated the crime. Now, they should go back, take a look at these things.

They`re also going to take a look at any sex offenders within Franklin County. Nancy, Franklin County has a population of 93,000 people. There are 162 people on the Missouri sex offender registry within Franklin County. That`s another place that they should start. You`ve got Franklin County. You`ve got highway patrol and the FBI now on the case. So hopefully, they`re taking a look at all these different things, and hopefully, can get some leads out of some of these names.

GRACE: Well, you`re absolutely right, Mike Brooks, about the videocamera. Remember Carlie Brucia down in Florida? That was right around Super Bowl Sunday, just a couple of years ago.

BROOKS: That`s right.

GRACE: And if it hadn`t been for that videocamera surveillance catching her -- there`s Carlie -- walking across the parking lot of a car wash...

BROOKS: Right.

GRACE: ... we would have had no idea. And she was within a -- you know, a couple of blocks of her own home.

Let`s go back to the lines. Out to Tanya in Illinois. Hi, Tanya.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. How are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, has the boy`s mother and father -- are their whereabouts known? Is it possible that one of his parents could have taken him?

GRACE: You know what, Tanya? You should be a detective because very typically, in fact, always, you start with the family and move out. In this case, I believe the parents` whereabouts were very well established. What about it, Jean Casarez?

JEAN CASAREZ, COURT TV: Well, we know that the father was waiting for him at home, that he always waited for him at home at that time and that`s what led him to calling police shortly after 4:00 o`clock yesterday afternoon. Haven`t heard about the mother, but heard a lot about the father.

GRACE: Back to Melanie Streeper with 550 KTRS radio. Melanie, is it true that people have now stated they saw this white Nissan cruising the area? And where was the mom?

MELANIE STREEPER, 550 KTRS RADIO: We do not have any reports of the Nissan in the area. The only report that we are getting was from the friend who actually saw the Nissan speeding away yesterday afternoon. I can tell you, Nancy, that police are telling us they have right now, since the boy went missing, about 90 leads, and they are continuing to work all of those leads at this time.

GRACE: OK. From my understanding, Ellie -- tell me if I`m wrong -- Ben Ownby`s dad told the AP that neighbors in the area had seen the truck cruising around the area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. That`s right. They told the dad that they`d noticed this vehicle in the neighborhood. It matches the same description that the 16-year-old who got off the bus at the same time saw.

GRACE: OK. Was it that day or the day before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the same day.

GRACE: Same day.

Let`s go out now to a special guest joining us, forensic psychologist Dr. Brian Russell. Brian, shrink it.

BRIAN RUSSELL, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Hey, Nancy.

GRACE: What do you think?

RUSSELL: You know, I think -- if I can offer anything to this family in terms of a hopeful piece of information from forensic psychology, this is not the typical MO of a child sex offender. They usually do not do forcible abductions. They usually try to seduce and lure these kids away. So if there`s anything I can -- I mean, this is horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to this family. If there`s anything I could offer them in the way of hope, it would be that.

GRACE: Let`s go back out to Melanie Streeper. Melanie, you stated how many tips are coming in, and where are they coming from?

STREEPER: Right now, Nancy, we don`t know where exactly they`re coming from, but police tell us they have about 90 leads. And I can tell you that today, police did mark off the area where they believe the truck sped off from that dirt road. It is a dirt road, so they did mark off some tire tracks that they believe came from that truck.

GRACE: Is it dirt or gravel, Melanie?

STREEPER: It`s kind of a mixture of dirt and gravel road. But you can definitely see the tire imprints, as seen on some of the TV outlets.

GRACE: Which all goes back to the point -- to Lloyd Bailie, this is the little boy`s uncle joining us tonight -- that it`s a very rural area. Who would know to go to that spot to get this little boy, Ben Ownby?

BAILIE: Again, Nancy, this is -- as you just said, this is a very rural area. It has very sparse traffic up and down, especially the road coming from -- the county road down to the end of the subdivision, very little traffic. And even the county road is not traveled that much.

GRACE: To Mike...

BAILIE: So that`s another one of those things that leaves -- that has a big question mark behind it.

GRACE: To Mike Brooks. Mike, to me, it suggests either someone that`s been watching the house, watching the kid, or, dare I even suggest it, for pedophiles, following school buses?

BROOKS: That`s a good possibility, Nancy, and that`s one of the other things that the school resource officer should be interviewed and find out, and put this out to the kids at the school. Was this truck seen anywhere around that school in the last week, since the holidays, anytime at all? And hopefully, they can get something from this plaster cast, maybe from these tire tracks. And something else, Nancy. The FBI is involved. They do have a forensic K-9 program that could be of some use in this particular case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: October 2002, an 11-year-old little Missouri boy disappears riding his bike. Location? Farmland, Washington County, Missouri. Shawn Hornbeck vanishes into thin air. FBI, police, family, friends, volunteers begin an all-out search. And what does that have to do with the January 2007 disappearance of Ben Ownby?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All indications are from his teachers, he was an outstanding young man. Everybody thought highly of him. He kept to himself. After he got home from school, he would go and read books, play games, you know, on his computer. So you know, it`s definitely a strange situation. We do feel that we know there is foul play. You know, obviously, things can change, but that`s what we`re looking at right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s unchain the lawyers, Randy Zelin and Allison Gilman, Randy from New York, Allison from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Randy, we know that there are many, many sex offenders in the area. If one of them is responsible for this, are we talking about a life sentence?

RANDY ZELIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I would think, to say the least. And certainly, as we`ve talked about, as more time goes by and the possibility increases that it may be more than just a sex case, I would think that you`re absolutely dead on.

GRACE: And to Allison Gilman, joining us from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Allison, Florida has been a hotbed of children being abducted, ultimately killed. But they can turn it around right now by bringing the kid home, Allison.

ALLISON GILMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, Nancy, I certainly hope that they do turn it around and the kid gets brought home. I think we have a good chance in this case for him being brought home because he`s an intelligent young man. And if someone can find his way back home, I believe it would be this kid to do it.

GRACE: Next, four years go by, still no sign of Shawn Hornbeck, and the search for 13-year-old Ben Ownby turns desperate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: One by one, Missouri children in the St. Louis suburbs go missing, many by the same MO. 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck vanishes while riding his bike, rural Missouri. Four years later, 2007, the same thing happens to 13-year-old Ben Ownby. But just when police and parents begin to lose hope, a miracle.

Questions swirling. Has Devlin been linked to other child victims?

Out to Melanie Streeper with 550 KTRS radio. Welcome back, Melanie. What can you tell us?

STREEPER: Thank you, Nancy. Well, I tell you what. Shortly after this happened, the recovery of these two little boys, a task force was formed to investigate other cases, cold cases in the area. And yes, there are lots of cases in and around the Missouri and Illinois area. One in particular, Dalton Mesarchik. They are looking into this little boy, who was actually murdered back in 2003.

GRACE: Joining us right now, although we have not heard them speak in the past, is a very special guest with us tonight. Dalton`s mother is joining us, Michelle (ph) Mesarchik. Ma`am, thank you for being with us.

MICHELLE MESARCHIK, MURDERED BOY`S MOTHER: Thank you for having me, Nancy.

GRACE: Ma`am, so many of us lawyers, trial lawyers, we have a forensic scientist with us tonight, cops -- we talk about cases and we talk about the evidence because we`re learning about it. And I`m sorry for any pain it causes you when you hear us talking about these circumstances of the death and -- we really are.

When you first learned that Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby had been found, what did you think?

MESARCHIK: I just thought that was the greatest thing in the world because I followed Shawn`s case since day one. And then after Dalton was murdered, I continued to follow Shawn`s case because I always wondered if there could be a connection, you know, since he was a boy and similar in size. Different age, but Dalton was 4-10 and 85 pounds. He was big for his age. And you know, being one state away, you know? And that was the closest case I could find.

GRACE: It`s a state away, but isn`t it about a three-hour drive away?

MESARCHIK: Yes. About four hours, just down from St. Louis. So yes, it`s pretty much a straight shot up.

GRACE: Yes. Do you recall the day Dalton went missing?

MESARCHIK: Yes.

GRACE: What happened?

MESARCHIK: You know, Nancy, it`s just -- he was back in the house. He wasn`t going to go. You know, the van didn`t show up. And my daughter had called the church from her girlfriend`s house, and they knew to pick Dalton up there. And we were told the van was still coming at quarter after 7:00. And my daughter walked in, and the first thing she said is, Where`s Dalton? And we called the church. We thought maybe that they had picked him up and forgot to pick up the other kids. And they said, No, we don`t have him. And we started searching right then.

GRACE: Dalton was bludgeoned to death with a very heavy instrument. One of these can -- this is called a drilling hammer -- but it`s my understanding, with a weapon that could only have been purchased at Kmart?

STREEPER: That is correct, Nancy. This little boy was hit repeatedly with this hammer. And they said that they could only be purchased at...

GRACE: Oh, I`m just telling you right now, a man did it. These things are heavy. And I`m amazed, Melanie, that something of this nature - - they found this based on an anonymous tip. They connected it up as their murder weapon of 7-year-old Dalton Mesarchik, and they can`t find the killer? They`ve got the weapon. There`s no DNA? Help me out, Melanie.

STREEPER: Yes, that`s absolutely right. I mean, this little boy was actually found in the Vermillion River. They just found him the day after he went missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just people, watch your children, you know? It`s just not the same world that we grew up in. And your children have to know, even if there`s people that they think they know, you can`t always trust the people that you do know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: When we come back, an introverted loner hooked on Internet games suspect in the broad daylight kidnaps of a 13-year-old Boy Scout, Ben Ownby, and 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck.

And a look at mystery photos showing Hornbeck`s life in captivity. And tonight: Is Michael Devlin connected to another child missing since 1991?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Rescue 911. Two Missouri police officers on routine patrol notice a white pickup matching the suspicious vehicle linked to the disappearance of 13-year-old Ben Ownby. It leads to 41-year-old pizza parlor manager Michael Devlin. Devlin found inside his apartment. Also inside, 13-year-old Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck, now missing four long years.

And tonight, mystery photos emerge of then-11-year-old Hornbeck during his time in captivity. And do newly discovered photos show another young boy, missing since `91, connected to Devlin? The FBI and police collect evidence at Devlin`s apartment.

In addition to the FBI seizing alleged evidence out of Devlin`s apartment, there in and out, all day long, seizing a bed, a bed frame, the mattress, numerous boxes, shrouded in brown paper. There you`re seeing the FBI carting out evidence from Michael Devlin`s apartment. Not only that, other photos emerged of another young boy.

Now, Elizabeth, let`s take a look at the map. The map that we know of, of Missouri children taken, always in the same M.O. or modus operandi, broad daylight, off their bicycle, typically in a rural area, not far away from home. These photos, allegedly, could be Arlin Henderson, one of the little boys taken. He was taken some distance away from Devlin`s home, just like Ownby and Hornbeck.

He disappeared back in 1991. He has never been found. He was still - - he was riding his bike at the time. Now, this photo, a photo of a boy that looks very much like Arlin, is said to be connected to Devlin. And joining us tonight is a very special guest, Debra Henderson-Griffith. This is Arlin Henderson`s mother.

Ma`am, thank you for being with us.

DEBRA HENDERSON-GRIFFITH, MOTHER OF ARLIN HENDERSON: Thank you for having me.

GRACE: What went through your mind when you heard that these two little boys had been rescued, Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: I was happy. I had mixed emotions. I was wishing it was Arlin. But, oh, I was so happy for the Hornbeck family and for Ben Ownby`s family. Their ordeal was over.

GRACE: With us is Arlin Henderson`s mother, Debra Henderson-Griffith. Ma`am, we`re showing a photo of Arlin right now, and he is the cutest little thing.

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: Yes.

GRACE: Tell me about the day he went missing.

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: It was pretty much a normal day. He got up -- I usually didn`t let him go out until about 12:00, 12:30. I`d have him straighten his room or do stuff around the house, or we would just visit. I had my grandmother that day, and he was also helping, because I had my two grandbabies. I was babysitting. So he was helping with grandma.

GRACE: Weekday or weekend?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: You know, I can`t even remember that.

GRACE: OK. That would be a weekend, because if he was in school...

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: It wasn`t school; it was school vacation.

GRACE: OK.

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: Because we had been going swimming a lot that summer. And he had been helping with the grandbabies; he had been helping with grandma. Then one of his little friends came and wanted to talk to him. And they decided they were going to use his dad`s workout stuff. So they moved his bed out of his bedroom and moved the workout stuff in there. And they had been in there working out.

Then he went over to his friend`s house to play G.I. Joes. And he came back home, and I said, "Well, where is Justin?" And he said, "Justin had to go over to his grandma`s." So he went in his room for a while, and he was working out, you know, on his dad`s stuff.

And come back out, and he said, "I`m going to go out and look for some friends to play with." And I said, "OK." And he was getting on his bike, and I got up and walked to the door, and I said, "Well, I`m going to fix supper early, because grandma`s got to take medicine with her food. And I want to get it all done early, so hurry up and come home. Don`t leave the trailer park, Arlin, you know, just play around here."

And he said, "Well, just save me some poly sausage (ph), and he left." And he left. And I thought he was with his friends. At about 4:30, I hollered out the door, "Arlin?" He said, "I`m all right, Mom." So I thought, "Well, he`s fine. I`m going to let him play."

And during that time, my daughter and her husband come and got the kids, the two grandbabies. So I had fed my grandma and got her settled down. And then, about 6:00, I guess, 6:00, somewhere in there, 6:30, his friends came to the house and they asked where Arlin was. And I said, "I thought he was with you." And they said, "No, we haven`t seen him since this morning." And that`s when I knew something was wrong.

GRACE: With us tonight, the mother of Arlin Henderson. He has been missing now since 1991. Correct?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: Yes.

GRACE: You`ve seen these photos. These photos have just been presented to you, photos that are apparently connected to Devlin. They`re taken by a woman that says she knows Devlin, I guess through the pizza parlor, and they`re photos of a little boy. Do you believe he looks like Arlin?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: Yes. This young man looked like he was about 17 or 18. And when the police showed me, they didn`t give me very much information. They just wanted me to look at the pictures and know that these were out before anybody else would tell me. And I looked at them and I said, "Yes," I said, "it does resemble my son." I said, "It looks better than the age enhancement did of Arlin." And they said, "Well, we wanted you to see them before, you know, anything got back to you and it would bother you." And I thought that was awfully nice of them.

GRACE: Well, with us, Debra Henderson-Griffith, this is Arlin Henderson`s mom. He`s a Missouri boy that went missing in 1991. These photos have just came out. A lady took them, claiming that she knows Devlin, the alleged perpetrator, from the pizza parlor. Is this boy connected to missing Arlin Henderson? That`s the question tonight. What about the photo resembles your boy?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: The hair and the shape of the face. And just there was a lot of similarities. A lot of it might have just been a mother`s wish, too, to see what her son would look like at that age. But to me, yes, it looked like him.

GRACE: Do police think it could be him?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: They didn`t tell me. They said they were going to investigate and find out where the photos came from and, you know, if the person that provided the photos was, you know, trustworthy and that they would get back in touch with me.

GRACE: How does it make you feel tonight? Do you believe he`s out there somewhere?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: I`ve always believed Arlin was out there somewhere. I don`t know where. I haven`t ever received a body. I`ve never seen any remains of my son. I`m not going to give up. He was my baby. I can`t give up until I have something.

GRACE: Do you think Devlin is connected to Arlin`s disappearance?

HENDERSON-GRIFFITH: I can`t say that. I wouldn`t know. There`s so many missing children, I can`t say it was Devlin, because I don`t know where he was at, at that time. I`m letting the police do their job.

GRACE: Right. Right. Right. With us, a very special guest, Debra Henderson-Griffith. This is Arlin Henderson`s mother. Little Arlin Henderson went missing 1991, out riding his bike. Very similar to other children now connected to 41-year-old pizza manager Michael Devlin, behind bars.

When we come back, a 41-year-old pizza parlor manager charged with snatching two little Missouri boys right off the street, in broad daylight, and then holding them captive. Who is Michael Devlin?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

GRACE: An alleged child predator turns celebrity: 41-year-old Michael Devlin, charged with snatching two little Missouri boys straight off the street and holding them captive, one for years, now giving jailhouse interviews, turning into some sort of media star. That is just wrong!

Plus, why didn`t one little boy victim leave when he had the chance? The parents of Shawn Hornbeck tell Oprah they believe he may have been sexually molested during the child`s long ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O`BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Michael Devlin says that he`s afraid to confront his mother and father now that he`s been arrested. The Missouri pizza shop manager accused of kidnapping two boys tells the "New York Post," "I don`t know how I`m going to explain myself to my parents. It`s much easier talking to a stranger about these things than your own parents."

Devlin says he had few friends, telling the "Post," "I guess you could say I was lonely. All my friends started getting married and having kids; hanging out with friends just becomes a lower priority."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over this last four years, we`ve heard so many stories, that the outcome wasn`t what we were hoping for, that he had been hit by a car, he had been killed. And, you know, I can relate countless stories of how he was killed and what happened afterwards and what was done with him. And, you know, it`s just so disturbing to even think of those.

But, you know, at the same time, you tell yourself that, well, we have to look into it, because if there`s even one shred of truth there, then that`s something that we have to consider. And, you know, if that`s the case, then that`s the case. And, you know, so we followed up on those. But never did we think that, yes, this is probably what happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: They say they always believed that their little boy was still alive and, in fact, a miracle. Two little boys snatched in broad daylight, one four years ago, found alive. Tonight, new developments. The alleged perpetrator behind bars giving media interviews. I guess he`s the king of all media now, Michael Devlin, enjoying his status in a special cell, behind bars, complaining it`s too loud for him to sleep.

Let`s take a look at what he`s having for dinner tonight. We`ve gotten the menu from the jail house. Let`s see, chicken fried steak. Now, I don`t know if you know what that is. That`s a hunk of steak, fried like fried chicken. Rice. Peas and carrots, 2 percent milk. Glad he`s not getting too much fat to clog up his arteries. Don`t want that. Want him to make it to trial. Ham and cheese soup and fruit.

I haven`t even had dinner yet. Have you people had dinner? Have you had anything in your stomach since this morning?

R. ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: That`s making me hungry.

GRACE: Maybe since 9:00? And is it true, Melanie Streeper, he actually complained it`s too loud for him behind bars? Please tell me that I`m wrong, please.

MELANIE STREEPER, KTRS RADIO: No, no, his cell is actually next to where they process the inmates. And, you know, it`s just too loud for him. And so, yes, he was complaining.

GRACE: Well, another thing about these jailhouse interviews -- and you`ve got to commend the student that went back there. And he, of course, allowed her to come speak to him. Let`s take a look at other people that gave interviews prior to their trial.

Didn`t help Scott Peterson very much, that interview that he had. It was aired over and over. In fact, it became evidence at trial.

Now with Simpson, he gave plenty of interviews that made him so notorious. But he managed an acquittal.

Darrell Littlejohn, remember Imette St. Guillen? This guy gave plenty of interviews. He`s headed for life without parole.

Justin Barber, we showed you that jailhouse interview with Jean Casarez on Friday night. That was prior to trial, Justin Barber.

Then David Berkowitz, remember Son of Sam? These are his known victims. He ended up with a conviction.

Ted Bundy, of course, was, oh, so happy to give interviews. These were some of his known victims. As you know, he was put to death.

Jeff Dahmer, he got the death penalty from another inmate, after his jailhouse interview. Jeffrey McDonald.

Who could forget Wayne Williams, the notorious Atlanta serial killer? He loved the media. It didn`t help him when he got life behind bars.

And, of course, Michael Jackson. Eek! He gave plenty of interviews. We all thought they were damaging. The jury disagreed.

Out to the lines. Sandy in Delaware, hi, Sandy.

CALLER: Hi, how are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

CALLER: OK, I have a question. They`re saying that she went in on the pretense as being a friend. However, in the interview, he did speak and say it`s easier to talk to someone who`s not a friend, who`s a stranger. So he`s admitting that he did not know her. He willingly gave that interview.

GRACE: Oh, you know, in my mind, she came in under false pretenses, and he allowed it. But, you know, Sandy, I don`t like the fact that he is using the media as a tool. I don`t like that. The way we`ve seen a lot of people, like Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, try to use the media to their benefit, in their own way, tainting the jury in their favor. I don`t like it.

But when you look at it, Sandy, she had false pretenses, but he allowed it. So is there any alternative to it, Michael? I mean, I don`t think anybody`s going to get in trouble or be censured for this. The defense lawyers will pay for it at trial.

Come on. He admits he can`t talk to his parents, about what? What is it that he`s embarrassed to tell his parents, that he is asexual, he won`t describe any relationship with women? And he said, in 2002, all his friends went missing, and that`s when the boy was kidnapped.

MICHAEL CARDOZA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, she got into the jail. He willingly gave a statement, big mistake, in my opinion. The first thing you tell your client is, do not speak to the press, do not speak to anyone you don`t know. That`s the bottom line. And now it`s free game. It`s bad for the trial. It really is.

GRACE: Back out to Melanie Streeper, 550 KTRS Radio. Melanie, in any way did Devlin confess or any of his comments to the reporter viewed as an admission?

STREEPER: Well, no, he did not make a confession to this reporter that came in over the weekend. So, no, he did not.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: How about to police?

STREEPER: We are told that he did confess when he was initially arrested.

GRACE: Confess to which aspect, do we know? Devlin confessing to Ownby or Hornbeck?

STREEPER: We`re told that he confessed to kidnapping Ben Ownby specifically.

GRACE: Do you believe any more charges are going to be filed, Melanie?

STREEPER: Yes, absolutely. We believe that more charges will come, specifically from St. Louis County. Devlin lived in Kirkwood, which is in St. Louis County. So he could face charges there, as well as some federal charges, too.

GRACE: Back out to Arian Campo-Flores, with "Newsweek." Wrote an incredible article, everybody, in "Newsweek." Right now it`s on the stands. There you go, on the stands.

Arian, in this case, I know that law enforcement is going to conduct interviews with Ben and Shawn. Do we know when that is going to happen?

ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES, "NEWSWEEK": We don`t know exactly when that`s going to happen. It sounds, though, that they must have had some preliminary conversation with Shawn, though, because, when they brought the charges in Washington County on Shawn, they included the allegation that Devlin had used a gun...

GRACE: Right.

CAMPO-FLORES: ... in the commission of the kidnapping. So that was new information, so they must have spoken to him, at least preliminarily.

GRACE: And Melanie Streeper of 550 KTRS, is Devlin being investigated in the disappearances of these other children? Notice with Hornbeck, four years went by before Ownby was kidnapped. The others, there are periods of years between the kidnappings, and all within the same area, same M.O.

STREEPER: Well, I can tell you what, Nancy. Late last week, a task force was just formed to deal specifically with Michael Devlin. And they`re going to be investigating some cold cases of missing kids throughout the area, and even around the country, that have gone missing within the past several years.

GRACE: Two little boys missing, one for years, found alive. The miracle in Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORIS OWNBY, BEN`S MOTHER: Ben`s doing fine. We`re going to try and get him ready to go back to school. He`s trying to make his life a little bit more normal than it has been the last few days.

CRAIG AKERS, STEPFATHER: Obviously this is probably the best day of our lives. We got the call that they believed that Shawn had been found and that he was OK.

PAMELA AKERS, SHAWN HORNBECK`S MOTHER: Shawn is a miracle here. We`re glad to have him home. I still feel like I`m in a dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Two little boys go missing off rural roads, eastern Missouri: 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, 13-year-old Ben Ownby. Intense searches follow, one for four long years. Miraculously, the boys found alive. Tonight, the miracle in Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: ... and her 10-year-old little boy, a model student, scrubbed in sunshine, gets off the school bus stop Monday after school and disappears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our son is a straight-A student, Boy Scout. He is kind of a computer nerd. He has his whole life ahead of him still, and we just want to get him back safe.

DORIS OWNBY, MOTHER OF MISSING CHILD: We want people to know that we just want Ben back, that we miss him and love him, just to get him home to us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He got off the bus with a friend of his. The last time the friend saw him, he was running down towards his house, which he normally does.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some good news for you this evening, and probably some unbelievable news. Some of you may already speculate on what we have, but we did locate Ben this afternoon in the city of Kirkwood. And we`ve also located Shawn Hornbeck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our agents entered the apartment. Young Ben, as he was sitting there, he looked up at one of our agents and said, "Are you going to take me home?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ecstatic, don`t want to let him go or out of our sight. He doesn`t want us to hold onto him, but we have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, this is probably the best day of our lives. It`s hard to even come up with words that can express the feeling that we`ve been going through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as we`re concerned, is that it`s a successful conclusion, but there`s still a lot of groundwork that needs to be done, a lot of legwork.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Thank you for being with us for this NANCY GRACE special investigation on the miracle in Missouri. But tonight, how many other children are still missing, away from their homes, away from their families? The search goes on.

NANCY GRACE signing off for tonight. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END