Could Michael Devlin have Been Involved in the Death of Dalton Mesarchik?

**RaVen Blackehart** · December 13th, 2008, 03:26 PM

"Ever since Michael Devlin was arrested on kidnapping charges of Shawn Hornbeck and 13-year-old Ben Ownby, he has been suspected of being possibly involved in other cases in Missouri. Could Michael Devlin be a serial kidnapper, sexual predator and murderer? Could Devlin be linked to the unsolved Murder of Dalton Mesarchik?

Besides the kidnappings of Shawn and Ben, a special task force made up of federal, state and local police agencies is looking into whether Devlin was involved in other unsolved missing child cases in rural areas of eastern Missouri.

The investigation also has crossed into Illinois, where Livingston County Sheriff Robert McCarty said Wednesday investigators are looking for links between Devlin and the unsolved 2003 killing of 7-year-old Dalton Mesarchik, but so far have found nothing.

Dalton was abducted from his front yard in Streator, Ill., on March 26, 2003. A fisherman found his body in the Vermilion River the next day. (Yahoo News)

7 year old Dalton Mesarchik went missing on March 26, 2003 from the front yard of his home. The following day, Dalton’s body was located in the Vermillion River; however, no suspect was ever arrested for Dalton’s murder. Police at the time interrogated sex offenders in the area, to no avail. Dalton Mesarchik was found with his hands bound and tied.

The 2003 murder case is now receiving national exposure due to the arrest of Michael Devlin and the fact that he had abducted, not just Ben Ownby but Shawn Hornbeck as well.

Grace’s show featured the Mesarchik killing and it’s possible link to Michael Devlin of Kirkwood, Mo., who is accused of kidnapping two teenage boys, including one who was missing for four years.

Livingston County Sheriff Bob McCarty previously told the Pantagraph the department was interested in Devlin.

“We will consider any and all leads,” McCarty said earlier this month. “We will look at a time line to see if he has any ties to the Streator area in 2003.”

http://missingexploited.com/2007/01/...ton-mesarchik/

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottaw....php?id=355733

**petrina** · December 13th, 2008, 06:43 PM

well, i would need more information but i think no.

first, if he was abducted in 2003, shawn hornbeck would know about it and i think that he would have said something by now about it. i really do. i do believe he has a big heart and would not be able to live with the guilt of not telling, now that he is away from that monster and has had the support that he needs to attempt to heal from his experiences.

second, i live near devlin, i grew up near devlin, i get why he drove where he did to find shawn and ben. i dont see dalton's front yard in this pattern. i cant really explain this one. but its there. when you are from a place, you know where people go and where they dont. thats just my opinion i guess.

**RaVen Blackehart** · December 13th, 2008, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by petrina

well, i would need more information but i think no.

first, if he was abducted in 2003, shawn hornbeck would know about it and i think that he would have said something by now about it. i really do. i do believe he has a big heart and would not be able to live with the guilt of not telling, now that he is away from that monster and has had the support that he needs to attempt to heal from his experiences.

second, i live near devlin, i grew up near devlin, i get why he drove where he did to find shawn and ben. i dont see dalton's front yard in this pattern. i cant really explain this one. but its there. when you are from a place, you know where people go and where they dont. thats just my opinion i guess.

petrina, did you ever go into that pizza place where he worked?

**petrina** · December 13th, 2008, 09:59 PM

yeah back in highschool. but had it delivered from his place lots. my friend lives down the street and he probably gets delivery from that imo's twice a week. or more. bachelors - you know. maybe i have ingested his DNA. haha EWWWWW.

his apartment was a perfect hangout too. a little complex in the middle of an old, nice, family neighborhood. it was very quiet. no one would expect anything. like, if you wanted low income housing in a nice neighborhood, you could go there but if you acted up you would be kicked out instantly and back to the shitholes - if that makes sense.

and also about the neighborhood - about kirkwood and about webster groves where devlin is from ... they are odd little places really. the families have been there for a long time, esp through the seventies - and more likely than not they are white collar, have some closet dysfuction, and a larger than normal percentage of them have adult children who are not functioning well in normal society. but that is sort of swept under the rug. hmm, maybe that is more normal than odd really.

**Death Bed** · December 16th, 2008, 11:35 AM

Micheal Devlin did it with the rope in the library.

**DarkPrincess** · December 18th, 2008, 10:49 AM

I think it's quite possible. I think he was getting ready to replace the older kid he had taken.

**Ruby** · December 18th, 2008, 11:03 AM

It doesn't sound right to me.

First, the two kids he took were teens. This child was 7. Second, he wasn't out to murder little boys. He kept them. This boy was found dead the day after his abduction.

Of course, police will investigate all of the old cases in the area -- and they should -- but this doesn't sound like the same guy.

**DarkPrincess** · December 18th, 2008, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by Ruby

It doesn't sound right to me.

First, the two kids he took were teens. This child was 7. Second, he wasn't out to murder little boys. He kept them. This boy was found dead the day after his abduction.

Of course, police will investigate all of the old cases in the area -- and they should -- but this doesn't sound like the same guy.

It could've been his first time. Something could've gone wrong and he wanted rid of the kid fast.

**impqueen** · December 18th, 2008, 11:29 AM

Steve and I toyed around with the Devlin/Dalton connection back when Shawn was first found. In fact, I'm sure Steve blogged about it. And yeah, it is possible, but you're also right in that it doesn't quite fit the M.O.

That doesn't mean Devlin didn't evolve,though.

I wrote to Shawn's parents and to Shawn after his recovery, and really, they are just the nicest people. Shawn is a very bright young man. I know that the damage that was done to him was extreme, but I believe he is determined not to let what happened to him shape him forever. That kid is a survivor in the truest sense of the word.

I'm not sure about Dalton. I think that a case could be made that he was a Joseph Duncan kill, actually.