Boy, 13, Notices Little Sister Being Dragged by Stranger into the Woods, Grabs a Slingshot to Free Her

A heroic 13-year-old boy managed to save his sister’s life using his toy slingshot. While innocently playing in their backyard, his little sister was pursued by an attacker who attempted to kidnap her but was immediately thwarted by the brave boy.

A house in the Alpena Township of Michigan was the location of what was nearly a terrifyingly dangerous situation on May 10. On what was considered an ordinary day, young Owen Burns and his 8-year-old little sister, Arianna Burns, were the first to arrive home, after school, before their parents. Upon entering the house, Owen proceeded to go to his bedroom while his baby sister went outside in their backyard to play.

The family backyard’s landscape is one such that it extends out to the nearby woods. After innocently assuming that Arianna was out playing with friends, it was not until Owen heard a scream so intense it prompted him to look out his bedroom window. The image he saw was nothing short of alarming – his younger sister was in deep trouble.

The picture Owen saw was his sister in the midst of what looked to be a kidnapping attempt. A stranger had grabbed Arianna and covered her mouth, attempting to keep her silent while advancing toward the woods with her in toe.

Owen knew right away that he had to intervene and help her. In a reactionary panic, he grabbed his $3 slingshot and loaded it with the first “ad-hoc ammunition” he could find – in this case, it was a marble. He drew back the slingshot, aimed it at his target, and let the object fly.

As he let go of the yellow, plastic tubing band of the slingshot with the marble loaded inside from his bedroom window, the distance between himself and the assailant was about 200 feet. The marble went flying and hit the attacker square in between the eyes.

Grabbing another makeshift ammo, the young boy drew his slingshot back again, this time with a rock loaded inside. He managed to hit the perpetrator in the chest for the second go around.

Owen had no plans to use his slingshot that day and had only used it occasionally. In fact, the children had just been engaging in some after-school fun activities when they had first arrived home.

The young adolescent boy had just started playing a “Call of Duty: Black Op II” game on his Playstation 3 before the incident occurred. At the same time, his younger sister opted to go mushroom hunting in the garden that extends into a woodland area. The kids had been home alone because they had arrived before their parents.

It was during her backyard activities that the attacker, who was reportedly a 17-year-old boy, had emerged from the woods and attempted to snatch the little girl. As Owen saw her screaming and struggling to escape, he feared for his sister’s life.

His fear centered around what would have happened had he not intervened. Owen believed his sister may not have survived if things had gone wrong.

The slingshot that became an iconic necessity in a time of need and crisis was bought by Owen’s mother for $3. He has only ever used the object from time to time to do target practice with old orange juice cans.

After the police had gotten involved in investigating the incident, it was reported to the news. An officer – Lieutenant John Grimshaw, involved in the case, had described how the unnerving scene played out to the public:

“[The attacker] came from behind her, grabbed her like you see in the movies – hand over mouth, arm around [the] waist – and was attempting to pull her into the woods.”

The first two shots that were fired from the slingshot had freed Owen’s baby sister, and she had come running inside the house immediately after. Arianna had run straight to her brother and cried about how she had nearly been killed.

Upon hearing this, Owen charged out of the house angrily and began hurling curses and shouting at the perpetrator as the suspect ran away. In an attempt to stop him from getting away, Owen threw a baseball at him but missed as the ball went over the attacker’s shoulder. Shifting gears, Owen returned to his slingshot and got ready to fire a third object; however, the band broke, causing him to smack himself in the face instead.

Following the very nearly tragic occurrence, Owen and his sister called their mom, Maggie Burns – who had been busy helping a family friend on her way home from work – to let her know what went on, and as soon as she heard the scary news, she raced home and called the police. Maggie reported being extremely shocked for a few days because, apparently, attempted kidnappings are not a regular occurrence within their community.

Police officers had found the assailant hiding out at a nearby gas station, and he was then charged with attempted felony assault, battery, and a misdemeanor assault in the Alpena County District Court. According to the police:

“[The perpetrator] had signs of an injury consistent with those that would have been sustained from the slingshot strikes to his head and chest.”

As the day ended, Owen managed to fend off the attacker, and though his little sister was undoubtedly left traumatized, he managed to keep her safe. Owen was praised by both his family and law enforcement as a hero with an impressive aim.

The teenager responsible for the attempted kidnapping was locked behind bars, and the Michigan State Police confirmed that he would be tried as an adult. Lieutenant Grimshaw had praised Owen for “neutralizing” the scary situation and commended him for his courageous feats:

“He really is the one that…I believe saved his sister’s – either life or from something seriously bad happening to her. For [him] to see that and pop into action that quickly is extraordinary, and he should be commended for it.”

The slingshot that became an iconic necessity in a time of need and crisis was bought by Owen’s mother for $3. He has only ever used the object from time to time to do target practice with old orange juice cans. Upon hearing of her son’s heroic actions, Maggie could not believe it initially, saying that it was the kind of thing people only see in movies, but she was convinced by the police officers who had confirmed it to be true.

A couple of days after the incident, the Burns family celebrated Arianna’s birthday. Maggie expressed how grateful the family was to celebrate a joyous occasion that may not have seen the light of day had it not been for her son:

“[We’re] just happy we were able to celebrate her eighth birthday that Saturday after. I mean, we could have been [having] a funeral.”

Owen quite literally saved his sister’s life on that fateful day and has been rightfully praised for doing so. The situation could have escalated into tragedy if he had not been there with his sister when their parents were away from home.