Click here for updates on this story ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV) — A Canadian man learned the man who tried to abduct him years ago, was Michael Devlin. Devlin was sentenced to 74 life sentences and 170 years of federal time after the 2007 kidnapping of Ben Ownby and 2002 kidnapping of Shawn...
kvia.com
So a Canadian man named Kevin Palmer claimed in 2020 that Michael Devlin, Shawn and Ben’s abductor, tried to abduct him back in 1998 when he was 14.
If this is true, it’s quite a bizarre Canadian connection to this case!
There’s been no updates on this since this story came to light.
The initial incident happened on Dec. 26, 1998 while visiting Robinson, IL for Christmas from Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada. As terrifying as that incident was, it was nothing more than a 30-second stranger danger incident, but with significant ramifications 21 years after the fact. The guy tried "offering me a ride on a cold day", which, after I turned him down twice, stating that I was Canadian and could handle walking out in minus 10 Celcius, that he got pissed off and ordered me into his truck. The looks on his face are what I'll never forget... the first, twinkly-eyed trying to be Mr. Nice Guy, offering me the ride, and the psychotic pissed off look when I refused his ride and reaching for the passenger door of his truck- that's when I ran for the cover of my stepmom's house that was only a few houses away, and I never forgot that fat creep's face. As frightening as that incident was, it was finding out who he was 21 years after the fact that kicked my
more than anyone can ever fathom. I'd been doing research for an online course on human trafficking that I had been taking during the first stages of the pandemic lockdowns and I was searching for youtube videos of missing children found alive when I came across the Hornbeck case. While watching clips and 48 Hours documentaries of that case I came across Devlin's mugshot and I was immediately stunned, shocked into disbelief beyond words to explain. It was the guy from the truck in Robinson from Dec 26 1998. After going through whatever treatment was available in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, I was able to slowly piece my life and myself back together and after some expensive legal advice, was able to try to press charges against Devlin, which I attempted to do when I sent a legally-sworn affidavit to the Crawford County, Illinois Sheriff's department, namely Sheriff Rutan and Investigator Terry Karr, on Oct 26, 2020. Although Sheriff Rutan and Investigator Karr wanted to pursue the matter, their hands were tied as Devlin would have crossed state lines to do what he tried to do and therefore it became the jurisdiction of federal authorities, namely the St. Louis field office of the FBI. I've been waiting for a phone call ever since. As for how a Canadian kid got involved in all of this
, it's simple, my father, Doug, met a woman, Norma, from Robinson, IL online in mid/late 1997, they managed to finance trips to meet each other, they fell for each other and they got married in February 1998. We spent the summer of 1998 there, three weeks in October, 1998 while schools were on strike here in Ontario and we then spent the Christmas holidays there in Robinson where and when the initial event took place. My father and I are both originally from Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada (I moved to North Bay, Ontario in 2008). Doug and Norma were forced to split due to immigration problems on both sides of the border, but we've kept in touch over the years and Norma was actually able to corroborate what had happened in Dec. 1998. It's all I can say at this time as it's still a difficult subject to talk about, but i do it because it needs to be done. Of course, I can't fit all of the details on a simple websleuths post here, but that's as shortened as i could make it while putting is as much pertinent detail as possible. If anyone wants a clearer picture/details on what happened and finding out about Devlin almost 22 years after it happened, I have my legally-sworn affidavit always at the ready to share.
