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The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation helps another Runaway Teen |
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Last year, Pam and Crag Akers were known over the international news scene when they were reunited with their 16-year-old son Shawn Hornbeck who was missing for a total of four years. At present, the Akers helped another family reunite with their own daughter.
15-year-old Emily Graeber was a runaway teen who Pam and Craig brought back to her parents living in suburban St. Louis. Emily’s parents actually contacted the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation for help in finding their daughter. The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation is a group founded by the Akers in order to locate Shawn during his disappearance in 2002 when he was just 11 years old.
Emily’s parents did not comment on her return but the Akers knew of the costs they put out in order to find their daughter in Oakland, California. In the end, everything was worth it.
Sherri Martin, foundation administrator, said "If that is what it takes to bring missing kids home, then Craig and Pam Akers are behind it, Shawn himself is behind it."
On October 29, Emily boarded a Southwest flight in St. Louis on her way to Utah. Since March she had been at a troubled teen residential treatment center. On this day, she disappeared. She didn’t get down on her stop in Salt Lake City and authorities believed that she may have gotten off in Oakland. Her parents sought help from the Hornbeck Foundation since runaway teens are not exactly a priority of law enforcement.
A “Shawn Alert” which depicted Emily’s situation was declared by the Hornbeck Foundation on November 8. Around 11:30pm on Wednesday, someone in Oakland gave the foundation a call saying that he knew Emily’s location. After Craig Akers completed information verification at 3am on Thursday, he knew that someone should go to Oakland as soon as possible. Emily’s grandmother was suddenly at the brink of death and the Graeber’s were dealing with this family emergency.
"Pam and I decided the easiest thing was to go ourselves," Craig Akers said. He knew that Emily wasn’t hurt or hungry, but just in hiding with a teenage boy and his mom. She met the boy on a bus and asked him if she could stay with them so she wouldn’t have to go back to her “boarding school.”
"Her reaction was one of shock, disbelief. She asked us, 'How did you know I was here?"' She didn't know who we were. She didn't really know who Shawn Hornbeck was or the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation. Then we explained why we were there. She was very, very fortunate, she was taken in by decent people,” said Akers.
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