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Picture of kidnapping victim appeared on Xbox community site
When 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck was found safe and sound at the home of alleged kidnapper Michael Devlin this weekend, it was the first time his family had seen him since he dissappeared over four years ago. Now it appears that Hornbeck's picture has shown up on a popular Xbox community site during his four-year kidnapping. The GamerTagPics profile for Xbox Live user "DevilDevlin" shows the kidnapped Hornbeck outside what appear to be Devlin's apartment. The profile was created Sept. 4, 2005 but hasn't been accessed since early 2006. DevilDevlin's Gamertag reveals that someone played Saints Row on the account as recently as Friday. It seems likely that Hornbeck used the account -- a Washington Post story reveals Devlin's neighbors "often spotted Shawn out and about, visiting friends on his bicycle or playing video games with the apartment door open." While we're glad that Hornbeck has been returned to his family, we can't help but wonder about the stories behind the other faceless, nameless strangers we see on Xbox Live every day. We can almost hear the local news headlines now: "Could your next video game opponent secretly be a kidnapping victim? Film at 11."
SMS to the rescue: texting saves boy's life
Granted, it's incredibly annoying to be unknowingly tracked and monitored by your superiors, but you know what they say, you really can never be too careful. In the case of a Bourne, Massachusetts boy, the cellphone his parent's presumably used to keep a short leash on him ended up saving his life; after being duped on MySpace (haven't we learned by now?) and flown to a small town in Georgia, the hopeless kid was held captive by a crazed (albeit technically illiterate) maniac. By making the mistake of leaving the clever youngster alone -- and assuming all communication required spoken words -- the child was able to warm up those texting fingers and shoot out an SMS to his folks containing his exact location and precarious environment, which eventually led to his rescue. While specialized SOS phones are making emergencies easier to evade, it's good to see texting finally get some positive PR love for a change.[Via Textually]
HDTV Listings for September 20, 2006
What we're watching: Two all-new shows tonight in Jericho and Kidnapped (previously seen on Xbox Live). Jericho uses the tried-and-true storyline of a Kansas town on the day of a nuclear explosion that cuts off all communication. Never heard that one before? Try Kidnapped, the kidnapping-show-that's-not-Vanished, this time spending a season on the effort to recover an abducted child. Criminal Minds and CSI: NY are also back for another run starting this evening on CBS. Along with new episodes of Bones and Justice, there's all the sleuthing and mystery you could want. The Tigers and White Sox continue to do battle on ESPN-HD while Arrested Development continues it's run on HDNet.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
