Invisible Chains

In January 2007, two boys were found in the Kirkwood, Missouri, home of Michael Devlin, a 41-year-old pizza parlor manager who was described by those around him as a "nice enough" guy. One of the boys, Ben Ownby, had been kidnapped just four days earlier; the other was Shawn Hornbeck. At the age of eleven, Shawn Hornbeck abruptly vanished from his rural hometown in Richwoods, Missouri, while riding his mountain bike. For the next four years the young boy lived with his abductor in plain view of others and only an hour's drive from where he went missing. Shawn assumed his abductor's last name, made several friends, played video games, and used the Internet freely--yet he didn't attempt to escape. Invisible Chains explores the psychological factors involved in the kidnappings that startled a nation--from Michael Devlin's criminal profile to the reality behind Stockholm Syndrome--and recounts the riveting story of the abduction and miraculous rescue of Ben Ownby, who was held captive by Michael Devlin for four days, and Shawn Hornbeck, who was held captive by Michael Devlin for four years.Sauerwein, Kristina is the author of 'Invisible Chains', published 2008 under ISBN 9781599213446 and ISBN 1599213443.