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Detectives Probe Whether Photos have Ties to Devlin
KCTV ^ | January 24, 2007 | Christopher Leonard

Posted on 01/24/2007 5:35:40 PM PST by sockmonkey

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Detectives investigating accused kidnapper Michael Devlin have shown photographs of a teenage boy to the family of Charles "Arlin" Henderson, asking if the pictures resemble the then-11-year-old who disappeared in 1991, Arlin's relatives said Wednesday.

Arlin's mother, Debra Henderson, and his uncle, James McWilliams, were both shown the pictures this week by Lincoln County Sheriff's detectives. McWilliams said detectives told him the pictures came from someone who claims to know Devlin and who said the teenage boy pictured was an acquaintance of Devlin's from years ago.

Detectives were investigating whether the source did in fact know Devlin, McWilliams told The Associated Press.

Both relatives said the photos are roughly 10 years old and show a boy around 17 years of age. Arlin would have been 17 in 1997.

Debra Henderson said the teen was wearing a ball cap in one picture. He appeared to be standing with someone else, who was torn from the photo, she said.

He looked like he could be her son, Henderson said.

"Yeah he really did," she said. "But I am not getting my hopes up."

McWilliams said there was a "strong, strong" resemblance to Arlin, but he couldn't say for sure if it was him.

"There are some characteristics there that are the same. We're keeping an open mind," McWilliams said.

Arlin disappeared while riding his bike on a rural road in Moscow Mills, about an hour's drive north of St. Louis. Devlin, 41, is charged with kidnapping Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby in similarly remote areas. Shawn, now 15, and Ben, 13, were found Jan. 12 at Devlin's suburban St. Louis apartment.

Lincoln County Sheriff Department Lt. Rick Harrell did not return phone messages seeking comment. He said last week the department would not comment on the Henderson investigation.

Lincoln County detectives have been integrated into a state and federal task force that is investigating Devlin's past to see if he could be linked to other child abductions.

The task force is based in Franklin County, where Ben was abducted Jan. 8. Ben's friend, Mitchell Hults, spotted a white pickup speeding away, a tip that led police to Ben and Shawn, who had been missing since 2002.

Devlin is being held in Franklin County Jail on $1 million bail. He faces one charge of kidnapping there, and one charge each of kidnapping and armed criminal action in Washington County, where Shawn was kidnapped.

Earlier this month, Lincoln County detective Chris Bartlett said Devlin became the "most viable lead" in the Henderson case after his arrest. Detectives cited the fact that all three abductions happened in remote areas, all about the same distance from Devlin's home. All three boys were about the same size.

Of particular interest was the physical description of a man Arlin saw snapping pictures of him before the boy disappeared, Bartlett said. He would not elaborate.

Arlin's aunt, Eva McWilliams, said the boy told her a tall, thin man took pictures of him outside of school a few months before he was taken. Devlin is 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds. He was 25 when Arlin disappeared.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: arlinhenderson; crime; devlin; hornbeck; kidnap; ownby; shawnhornbeck
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To: pepsionice

Well, that is an interesting spin. So did he and his "buddies" look at kiddie porn together?


61 posted on 01/25/2007 9:56:13 AM PST by soccermom
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To: pepsionice
I can't buy your scenario. Here's why. It's hard to believe that four out of four kids wouldn't want to return to their families, if they were really free to do so. I have teenage boys. Sure, they seem pretty cool when they hang out with their friends, but in the privacy of our own home we all know they love us- a lot. They enjoy the camaraderie of joshing with each other around our kitchen table, eating their favorite foods and having access to their neighborhood friends.

Just think of that alone. What 11-16 year old kid would voluntarily say good bye to all his friends, especially to hang out with some old fat stranger?
62 posted on 01/25/2007 10:10:21 AM PST by keats5 (tolerance of intolerant people is cultural suicide)
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To: pepsionice
If you want a buddy to hang with, you do not have to kidnap them and keep them from their families. I believe Devlin's motives to be much more sinister.
63 posted on 01/25/2007 10:20:32 AM PST by tioga
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To: keats5

Also, one would think, if that were the situation, he would be very resentful and controlling of Shawn's friendship with the other kid in the apartment complex.

What I am more fascinated with is the lengths to which some people will go to try to avoid the most obvious conclusion. And, certainly, to an extent it is a good thing that people think outside the box. I would love to think these boys didn't undergo any significant trauma, other than to be collected as a "buddy." And it is true that there has been no official confirmation that the boys were physically or sexually abused. That said, this theory is pretty off the wall.

I am struck that the poster didn't merely pose it as a theory, either. He or She presented it as if he/she were certain that is what happened. If this weren't such a serious issue, I would be amused by all "sport" being made of this by other people. I've often heard Rush say everyone wants to be the smartest person in the room, so they come up with obscure predictions to set themselves apart from the crowd.


64 posted on 01/25/2007 10:51:13 AM PST by soccermom
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To: pepsionice
Same story for all...they were to be his buddies...

Oh, you left out the part about the sex toys, including a dildo that his neighbor saw through the bathroom window. And the kidnapping at gun point, and the loud noises, screams, and wimpering his other neighbor heard.

If he just wanted a buddy to play games with, he could've signed up with Big Brothers and Sisters, instead of using guns and duct tape to obtain his "buddies" as you prefer to label his victims.

65 posted on 01/25/2007 11:11:59 AM PST by sockmonkey (Jack Bauer's favorite meal is Middle Eastern Take Out)
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To: pepsionice

As an afterthought, if you merely forgot the sarcasm tag following your post, or posited it as what the defense lawyers will claim in court, I understand your post.

If, however, you were serious in your assertions about buddies, not victims, I must strongly disagree with your premise.


66 posted on 01/25/2007 11:31:19 AM PST by sockmonkey (Jack Bauer's favorite meal is Middle Eastern Take Out)
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