Viswa Vanapalli
NBC News’ ‘Dateline: The Intruder’ focuses on a late-night shooting at a house in Saco, Maine, that left two people injured and explores the reasons behind the attack. Rachel Owens was staying with friends in Saco when someone broke into the house and shot her and another person before fleeing. Despite serious injuries, Rachel pulled through, much to the relief of her son, Wayne Owens. He is featured on the show and shared what he experienced then and talked about his reaction to learning that his father, Gregory Owens, was responsible for it. So, let’s find out more about him then, shall we?
Who is Wayne Owens?
Wayne Owens was born to Gregory and Rachel Owens. Since his father was in the Army, he grew up on bases all over the world and was constantly traveling. On the show, Wayne talked about how much he liked that life, getting to travel with his parents and planning out trips with them. Eventually, Greg retired and began working in the private sector, with the family settling in Londonderry, New Hampshire. But one night in December 2014, the Owens family was shaken when Rachel was attacked at her friend’s house in Saco, Maine.
Rachel had been shot thrice, including once in the head, leading to some severe injuries. Wayne remembered having myriad thoughts in his head upon learning of the incident and driving to the hospital about three hours away. Rachel’s condition was critical, and she was placed in the ICU, leaving Wayne worried. The doctors decided to leave the bullet in Rachel’s head, and after extensive surgery, her vitals stabilized. Wayne was relieved and continued to make regular trips to the hospital to keep his mother company and help with her recovery.
In the meantime, the authorities tried to identify who the shooter was. The investigation’s findings pointed in Greg’s direction, shocking Wayne and Rachel. It was revealed that Greg had been having an affair with Betsy Wandtke for the past few years, and the double life finally caught up to him when his girlfriend confronted him about divorcing Rachel. As per reports, that led to the shooting, with physical and circumstantial evidence pointing Greg’s way. On the show, Wayne talked about not being able to fathom that reality and felt like he had been in denial for a long time.
Wayne Owens is a Family Man
Ultimately, Greg Owens was sent away for life for the shooting. After the sentencing, Wayne talked about his father, calling him a narcissist and a monster who would not take responsibility for his actions. He added, “I think he deserves it very much for what he’s done. Words can’t really express how I feel right now just because I’m happy. But I’m sad at the same time.” After Rachel was released from the hospital, she lived with Wayne and his family in Rhode Island for a while. But over time, he couldn’t properly care for his mother while working full-time, leading to her being placed in an assisted living care facility.
It turned out to be a great decision because her condition improved. However, Wayne and the family also had to deal with the high cost of care and hoped for a state-funded bed to become available soon. Currently, Wayne lives with his family in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The Army veteran now works as a Network Systems Engineer for a company that manufactures traffic control equipment. He is happily married with a son and a daughter, and as of November 2020, they were expecting a third child.
Read More: Where is Betsy Wandtke Now?
