This story further illustrates that sibling love is one of the purest and strongest forms of affection.
13-year-old Owen Burns of Alpena Township, Michigan, was preparing to play his favorite game, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, on his PlayStation 3 when he heard his younger sister’s screams. She had been playing in the yard, enjoying herself, when the cries erupted. Fearing something was wrong, Owen rushed to the window, his heart racing. To his horror, his 8-year-old sister was being dragged forcefully toward the woods that bordered their property.
Without a moment to lose, Owen grabbed whatever ammunition he could find—a marble and a rock—and snatched up the $3 slingshot their mother had bought him. Knowing he needed to act quickly, he relied on his practice hitting orange cans with the slingshot.
Against all odds, Owen struck the kidnapper twice: once in the chest and again between the eyes. The man was swearing as he tried to flee. Owen recalled to the Washington Post, “He was swearing.”
Once the kidnapper fled, the girl was left unharmed, though deeply traumatized. Thanks to Owen’s quick thinking and bravery, she was safe, and her brother played a crucial role in saving her.
When they got back home, the siblings called their mother, who was assisting a relative at the time. She rushed home, called the police, and learned what had happened.
Michigan State Police later found the suspect, a 17-year-old, who would face adult charges. While his identity was not revealed, Lt. John Grimshaw praised Owen’s actions, calling them “extraordinary” and asserting that Owen “saved his sister’s life or prevented something bad from happening to her.”
Grimshaw also described the kidnapper’s approach, saying he “came from behind her, grabbed her like you see in the movies—hand over the mouth, arm around the waist—and was trying to pull her into the woods.”
Owen’s mother, Maggie Burns, was initially skeptical of her son’s claim that he had hit the kidnapper with his slingshot. But according to a police press release, the suspect showed clear signs of injury consistent with the slingshot strikes.
“I lie all the time, you said!” Owen protested to his mother.
She replied, “I just couldn’t believe it.” Until the evidence emerged, it felt unbelievable—like something from a movie.
Owen responded, “Mom, things that happen in movies can and do happen in real life.”
Owen’s heroic actions have earned him the admiration of his entire community. His quick response in protecting his sister truly marks him as a hero. Well done, young man.
