By AP/KWMU
St. Louis – Investigators have announced a task force made up of federal, state and local investigators to examine whether the man accused of abducting Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby is responsible for other child kidnappings in eastern Missouri.
Michael Devlin has been charged in kidnappings in both Franklin County, where 13-year-old Ben was abducted January eighth, and Washington County, where eleven-year-old Shawn was abducted more than four years ago.
The task force will be based in Washington, Missouri. It will include the FBI, Missouri State Highway Patrol, sheriff's departments in Franklin, Washington and Lincoln counties, and police in St. Charles and Kirkwood.
The search for Ben led police to Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood on January 12th. Police found both boys there.