Shawn Hornbeck's family looks to step out of spotlight

belleville.com ^ | 1/24/07

[Halls]

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Shawn Hornbeck's parents hope "to step out of the spotlight" to focus on their abducted son's healing now that he has returned home.

That plan to take a lower profile was announced Tuesday during a news conference, as a suburban St. Louis homebuilder detailed plans to build a new house for Shawn and his parents, Craig and Pam Akers. The home will include office space for the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which Shawn's parents began as a means to aid in the search for missing kids soon after Shawn disappeared in 2002.

[Halls]

I am glad Shawn's parents are doing this. Shawn needs 100% focus and I think with the parents he has he will get it!

[Halls]

ping

[Long Island Pete]

Why did they step into the spotlight in the first place?

[frogjerk]

Why did they step into the spotlight in the first place?

$$$$

[Halls]

when their son Shawn went missing 4 years ago they were in the spotlight a lot in the media trying to help find Shawn. Than they started the ShawnHornbeck Foundation to help find other children and they were on the news many times involved in the search for other missing kids.

[Karliner]

JMHO but they should never have been there in the first place. Putting a child on TV after that? Stupid.

[Halls]

that is not true!

[SpringheelJack]

Time will take care of that on its own, but they need to get out of the habit of staging press conferences. The press is like a shark --- the more chum you feed it, the more frenzied and drawn to you it becomes.

[Long Island Pete]

Would you have put your kid on Oprah so soon after getting him back home alive?

[frogjerk]

Would you have put your kid on Oprah so soon after getting him back home alive?

Exclusively, that is.

[Halls]

i don't know, but I think the person we need to talk trash about is the perp Devlin, not Shawn's parents. Them putting their son on Oprah is nothing compared to the hell that child has gone through int he last 4 years.

[Xenalyte]

Shawn Hornbeck's family looks to step out of spotlight

Someone should gently inform them that appearing on Oprah is not exactly stepping out of the spotlight.

[Long Island Pete]

No doubt but I am sure his sitdown with Oprah didnt help at all. There was no need to have him on the show and I will go even one step further and say his identity should be protected just like any other female rape victim. And yet we still dont know the name of the woman in the Duke rape case.

[D-Chivas]

Now that they're done parading him before that lurid witch billionaire Oprah Winfrey....

[ishabibble]

You really are a very single-minded person.

Funny that this new announcement comes less than 24 hrs. after it was revealed that 15 yr. old Shawn helped Devlin abduct Ben Ownby, using a gun and duct tape. You simply cannot bear to hear the truth. So, how do you think you are helping the cause here? By shouting down anyone who disagrees with you? No reply is necessary.

[ishabibble]

I forgot to put this in my post. Just in case anyone skipped over that outrageous fake headline.


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1772509/posts

[Halls]

I am not a single minded person! And NO, SHAWN did not help kidnap BEN! Get the facts straight! He was forced to help! Do you know the difference????

[Halls]

Shawn was forced to help, he did not willingly help!

[John W]

Well, heres the actual headline:

Police: Shawn Hornbeck forced to help in Ownby kidnapping

[BonneBlue]

Actually this announcement was posted on their website before this news came out. A lot of uninformed people here spewing forth a lot of accusations. At the words of the DA, "educate yourselves". You may find it very helpful. Easy to pick on a boy who was abducted while he was in the 5th grade. How about directing some of these hate filled posts to the perpetrator. Geez.