Lives of 3 Boys Change After Kidnapping

BEAUFORT, Mo. - Shawn Hornbeck has a glitzy new Web site and is getting a brand new home. Mitchell Hults has a new truck, a $5,000 scholarship and free tickets to see his favorite comedian.
When asked what kind of big gifts have flowed toward 13-year-old Ben Ownby, his uncle laughed.
"Um, nothing," said Loyd Bailie. "Lots of people calling."
That's just fine with Ben's parents, Don and Doris. They endured four torturous days after their son was abducted Jan. 8, trying to keep hope alive even as the chances of finding Ben alive grew desperately thin.
After an outpouring of community support when Ben was missing, the family is just happy to be out of the spotlight and healing with their son, Bailie said.
They're not looking for gifts from strangers.
"We're looking at material things here that, yeah, they would be nice to have, but the most important part about this whole thing is that Ben is back and Ben is doing well," Bailie said. The parents didn't want to comment for this story, he said.
The three boys unwittingly swept up in the global media storm dubbed the "Missouri Miracle" have taken very different paths in the public eye. Through family decisions and outside pressure, two have become icons while one has faded into the shadows.
Mitchell, 15, has become the hero of the story - the eagle-eyed youth who spotted a pickup speeding from the sight of Ben's abduction. The tip led authorities to the apartment of 41-year-old Michael Devlin, where they found both Shawn and Ben. Devlin is charged with two counts of kidnapping.
Shawn has become the tale's miracle. Captive four years, the boy last seen by his parents as a spunky 11-year old came home a lanky teenager, a 15-year-old with faint sideburns, bushy hair and a lip ring.
Ben and Shawn appeared together publicly for the first and last time on Jan. 12, when police brought them from Devlin's home to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. They walked into the building in front of a crowd of shocked and tearful onlookers.
Interviews suggest the boys have not spoken since. The boys and their families have taken markedly different stances with the media.
Just days after the boys were freed, Shawn appeared with his parents, Craig and Pamela Akers, on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Don and Doris Ownby appeared, too, but decided to keep Ben off camera.
Craig and Pamela Akers became adept with the media years ago. They formed the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation to bring attention to Shawn's case and the plight of other missing children.
The foundation became a focal point of attention this week. It launched a new Web site, complete with photos of Shawn and message boards where more than 1,100 notes have been posted for the boy and his family.
On Tuesday, a St. Louis company announced it will build a new home on the Akers' property in Richwoods. Ground will be broken Friday, but the family - which has asked for privacy so Shawn can begin the healing process - is not scheduled to attend.
Mitchell was honored at a school assembly earlier this month. On Wednesday, he received a new Dodge pickup from Daimler-Chrysler during the St. Louis Auto Show.
Mitchell was a special guest honored at Gov. Matt Blunt's State of the State address Wednesday night. On Friday, University of Missouri-St. Louis leaders will present the teen with the $5,000 scholarship award.
Mitchel got backstage passes for a show Thursday night in Columbia featuring his favorite comedian, Larry the Cable Guy. The comedian even posted a message on his Web site praising Mitchell:
"When I first saw Mitchell giving a description of the truck earlier in the week, I told my wife, 'now that's a good country boy right there.'"
The Ownbys are elated by the accolades for Mitchell, whose heroics saved their son.
"I just couldn't be more proud," Bailie said. "Give credit where credit is due. Mitchell was the hero in this thing."
Ben and his family have taken a more quiet path. The seventh-grader has still not returned to school, instead attending counseling sessions to help him overcome the trauma of his abduction and captivity, Bailie said.
The Ownbys are paying for the sessions out-of-pocket, although their health insurance is covering much of the cost, Bailie said.
The family already feels indebted to friends and neighbors in Franklin County who helped hunt for Ben and brought food by the house to feed volunteers.
"There was enough that we could have kept a camp going for several weeks," Bailie said.