Posted on 01/13/2007 6:10:52 AM PST by birddog
'There was no inkling that something like this would ever be linked with him,' a funeral chapel co-worker says.
He was a private man who kept to himself. He paid the rent on time. He stayed out of trouble. He won his employer's respect, even getting a referral for a second job.
Michael J. Devlin, 41, was never a suspect in the disappearance of Shawn Hornbeck four years ago, even though the boy lived in his Kirkwood apartment in full view of neighbors.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
He was a senior when I started high school. I need to dig through a few boxes to see if I can find my freshman yearbook. If I find it I'll scan and post.
What about school? Did anybody wonder why a 14-year old wasn't going?
BD, did you ever find your yearbook? Was he in it? (Sorry if I missed this in the thread from last night.)
Ooops....sorry. I was typing my question while you were already posting an answer to it. Nevermind....
sw
It is quite amazing that nobody reported the white pickup truck that Devlin owned. It has been on the news 24/7 for five days.
List was such a help to his new Lutheran congregation that he eventually became their treasurer.
Murderers and predators don't wear signs alerting the public to their evil ways.
I believe the officers who spotted the truck were the ones that Mr. Akers was referring to.....who he wanted to thank and hug!
To make that point, I've always told my kids and now grandkids that when they hear that creepy music they'll know that it's is a bad guy and they better run. It's always funny when they realize how ridiculous that is.
No more walking home or to a friend's alone. If the home is close enough to walk, the parent needs to walk along.
No going to the movies or the mall alone. Never leave a party alone, always stay with your friends.
The older the child the more they resist. It's up to us to make the case for safety first.
Why? There are probably hundreds of them in the area. If they have known Devlin for years and he has never exhibited any odd behavior why would it even come to mind?
Kirkwood is ninety minutes from the places where the boys were taken. Not really that far but far enough away that it is removed from immediate thought for most people (if you haven’t spent considerable time in a place it does not have the familiarity that brings immediacy).
Even though the second boy had been in the news for days most people would not have spent much time thinking “Who that I know might have a white Nissan Pick up?” or “Who that I know might have taken that boy?” Most people watch the news and think “Gee that’s terrible” and go back to there daily concerns.
Humans are creatures of habit in thought and action. The everyday concerns of living rule the average person’s life. It takes effort to break out of the rut that most of us live in. Most people do not make that effort for more than a few moments of any given year.
Somebody did report the pickup (one of his neighbors) but it surprises me that they did.
Adults are kidnapped also
With a camper shell and the other described damage?
Sorry, if I knew anyone that had a truck that matched that detailed description, I'd have called the Police and let them check it out.
Well then in my Opinion you would be the exception as was one of Devlin’s neighbors.
You will have noticed that although there were I believe 15 units in Devlin’s apartment complex that only one person reported his truck. That means that 13 other of his neighbors could have noticed and reported the truck but did not.
Most people go through life with blinders on. It’s not that they don’t care it is that they preoccupied with the day to day burdens of their own lives.
Me too. The classmate of the kidnapped boy gave a very detailed description of the truck, even down to rust stains. Everyone in Devlin's apartment complex saw that truck everyday. Still amazes me that someone didn't call the first day.
"Some of his family members live in town". Didn't they wonder about a boy living in his apartment? What was the explanation for that? Didn't the old/new owner review the lease agreement (noting how many people will be living in the apartment). Did the child go to school? Why not? When police questioned the residents the first time, didn't they ask them about a white Nissan truck? Sloppy investigating.
Kudos to the FBI!!!
Michael Devlin graduated the year before I started H.S., but there was a Pat Devlin that may have been related--maybe not. Many of my friends/classmates hung out at, and since have worked at, the Imo's in Kirkwood and certainly knew/know this guy. Strange to think the world is so small in this case, especially since Ben Ownby was abducted less than 10 miles from my parents' current home, yet I and my parents lived less than 6 blocks from the abductor and his family when I was growing up...
They are indeed. ....and that's why it's wise to be armed and trained.
Some people feel that may be bearing a false witness...and they don't want to get involved...
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