MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #6

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cGorg said:
Sorry as I don't have a link...maybe my memory serves me wrong...but wasn't there another attempted abduction where the boy was able to wriggle out of his coat and run away.....does this ring a bell for anyone? Or is this the same one as the Oct 28, 1989 article?
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Yes! I'm trying to find more information on this attempt right now. I have a name on this one too, and it's not a "J". I'm told this boy ran into Kay's Kitchen after escaping the abductor.
 
ELOCsoul said:
Well I know that Fr. Gillespie's name has come up on here before, and I know that he's been mentioned on Patrick Marker's site as having been accused of molesting young boys.

So here's an interesting bit….on the Tuesday following Jacob's abduction, Fr. Gillespie took one of Jacob's friends out bowling to discuss the abduction and the boy's fears.

Gosh this whole thing gets stranger all the time, does it not?!?!
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Father Tom (Gillespie) also was over at the Wetterlings "counseling and comforting them" after the abduction.
 
I couldn't edit above post, but here is the link verifying the quote I used about Fr. Tom.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/rooted_in_christ_55-56.pdf
(bottom of page 55)

(Fr. Tom) Gillespie was the priest in St. Joseph in 1989 when Jacob Wetterling disappeared. Gillespie consoled the Wetterling family, according to the book linked above (Page 55 of “Rooted in Christ”) about the history of St. Joseph.

“Father Tom met with the Wetterling family many times.”

It is worth noting that Gillespie admitted to molesting a 10 year old in 1987. Jacob was 10 years old in 1987.

Father Dan Ward and other officials at Saint John’s Abbey were very secretive regarding Father Gillespie’s exit from St. Joseph. They said it was due to his health rather than that he had been molesting boys.

http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/archdiocesan-list-omission-1-gillespie/#more-7934

Also here is more info on the Father Tom / Jacob connection:

A reference is made to Abbot Klassen’s concern that, “one of the offenders might be linked to the disappearance of Joshua Guimond, just as monks had been considered in the 1989 disappearance of Jacob Wetterling.” Abbot Klassen was concerned that Bruce Wollmering’s name would be linked to Joshua Guimond. Father Tom Gillespie, among others, was considered in the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/father-tupas-bulletin-message/

Later, Abbot John Klassen delayed the announcement of Fr. Tom Gillespie’s molestation of young boys for at least two reasons. First, Fr. Gillespie had spent time with Jacob Wetterling’s family following Jacob’s disappearance in 1989. The abbey could not afford to have Jacob’s disappearance — or the suicide of a young parishioner, Christopher Klehr — linked to Fr. Gillespie’s pedophilia.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/abbot-kelly-covered-up-misconduct-by-fr-gillespie/
 
Maybe visiting a buddy whose parents were on a rare trip out of the US?
 
BTW, the Wetterlings are nit catholic. Jerry had many friends of various religions. Just as an example, he was very good friends with medicine men of two tribes in Minnesota.
 
Dressed in black suggests priest to me, especially back in 1989. Or cop. But I guess it could be anyone sneaking around in the dark who wore black for camouflage.
 
My post regarding the black clothing and the sound in the grass seems on the surface obliquely related to the discussion of the latest suspects but my main point is that the list seems to be growing but obviously they all can't be guilty of this crime. I wish I knew Aaron's certainty/uncertainty about the sound in the grass....if indeed the sound was the perp then wouldn't that reduce the sphere of possible suspects? For the perp to be in that position(in the grass on the west side of the road, near the approach) would mean he had to be on foot and would have had to have been there before the boys passed by. And if this is the case then the perp could only have been in so many places within that general area. Of course, if the sound was indeed an animal, then the sphere of suspects expands again....but even as an adult Aaron mentions it in his interviews so it has stuck in my mind as something significant.
 
Here's the St. John's Abbey published list if anyone wants to dig into their past behaviors. Although 7 are deceased, were they alive in 1989?

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/1...accused-monks/

Here’s the list:

Bik, Michael
Eckroth, Richard
Gillespie, Thomas
Maiers, Brennan
McDonald, Finian
Moorse, Dunstan
Phillips, James
Schulte, Francisco
Tarlton, Allen Bennett, Andre†
Blumeyer, Robert†
Dahlheimer, Cosmas†
Hoefgen, Francis*
Hohmann, Othmar†
Keller, Dominic†
Kelly, John*
Wendt, Pirmin†
Wollmering, Bruce†

† = deceased
* = no longer a monk of Saint John’s

Note: Behind the Pine Curtain says the list is incomplete.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/st-johns-abbey-releases-new-list/
 
Trino said:
Here's the St. John's Abbey published list if anyone wants to dig into their past behaviors. Although 7 are deceased, were they alive in 1989?

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/1...accused-monks/

Here’s the list:

Bik, Michael
Eckroth, Richard
Gillespie, Thomas
Maiers, Brennan
McDonald, Finian
Moorse, Dunstan
Phillips, James
Schulte, Francisco
Tarlton, Allen Bennett, Andre†
Blumeyer, Robert†
Dahlheimer, Cosmas†
Hoefgen, Francis*
Hohmann, Othmar†
Keller, Dominic†
Kelly, John*
Wendt, Pirmin†
Wollmering, Bruce†

† = deceased
* = no longer a monk of Saint John’s

Note: Behind the Pine Curtain says the list is incomplete.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/st-johns-abbey-releases-new-list/
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Trino, good to see you on Jacob's thread again. We have already dug into some of their past behaviors. See the case players list here (in post #2) for names and links we have already looked into:
MN MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, 22 Oct 1989 ***CASE FACTS***NO DISCUSSION*** - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
 
Glad to see you Trino! I was wondering where you were!
 
cGorg said:
My post regarding the black clothing and the sound in the grass seems on the surface obliquely related to the discussion of the latest suspects but my main point is that the list seems to be growing but obviously they all can't be guilty of this crime. I wish I knew Aaron's certainty/uncertainty about the sound in the grass....if indeed the sound was the perp then wouldn't that reduce the sphere of possible suspects? For the perp to be in that position(in the grass on the west side of the road, near the approach) would mean he had to be on foot and would have had to have been there before the boys passed by. And if this is the case then the perp could only have been in so many places within that general area. Of course, if the sound was indeed an animal, then the sphere of suspects expands again....but even as an adult Aaron mentions it in his interviews so it has stuck in my mind as something significant.
Click to expand...

RBBM

This is still my main suspicion and why the print evidence would have been so critical. Appears there is no where to hide a vehicle that would not have been noticed by the boys. Laying in wait for the boys in that position has deeper and darker implications to me. All black clothing still suggests clergy and the area no appears to be rife with possible suspects meeting that criteria. Wondering if the boy that made the phone call was Jacob, and the man with him was defrocked clergy.
 
I have been mentally wrestling with the 'sound in the grass' heard by Aaron on the way to the Tom Thumb. If anyone thinks this is inconsequential please say so as it has been a hangup for me. I re-watched the Star Tribune's video featuring Aaron recounting his experience. In the video he states he heard the sound on the left(west) side of the road and that 'something didn't seem right'. ASSUMING Aaron's intuition was correct, why would the perp be on that side of the road? And if the perp is clergy then how did he get there and how did he exit the scene? My head spins with the volume of suspects so went back to the basics of the case. Studying shergal's post #238 featuring an aerial view spanning from the Tom Thumb to the Wetterling neighborhood, I am struck how isolated the abduction site is. If the perp was in position BEFORE the boys passed by on the way to the store, then he is physically tied to that small area and not some guy at the Tom Thumb or some guy driving around the neighborhood. And why did he appear on the EAST side of the road when confronting the boys? And why did he walk EAST with Jacob after the abduction? The prints were leading to a destination of some sort. My point is that somebody was already in the vicinity with prior knowledge if Aaron's intuition is true.
 
cGorg said:
I have been mentally wrestling with the 'sound in the grass' heard by Aaron on the way to the Tom Thumb. If anyone thinks this is inconsequential please say so as it has been a hangup for me. I re-watched the Star Tribune's video featuring Aaron recounting his experience. In the video he states he heard the sound on the left(west) side of the road and that 'something didn't seem right'. ASSUMING Aaron's intuition was correct, why would the perp be on that side of the road? And if the perp is clergy then how did he get there and how did he exit the scene? My head spins with the volume of suspects so went back to the basics of the case. Studying shergal's post #238 featuring an aerial view spanning from the Tom Thumb to the Wetterling neighborhood, I am struck how isolated the abduction site is. If the perp was in position BEFORE the boys passed by on the way to the store, then he is physically tied to that small area and not some guy at the Tom Thumb or some guy driving around the neighborhood. And why did he appear on the EAST side of the road when confronting the boys? And why did he walk EAST with Jacob after the abduction? The prints were leading to a destination of some sort. My point is that somebody was already in the vicinity with prior knowledge if Aaron's intuition is true.
Click to expand...

Just speculating here... The abductor could have been ON the road, walking or running, and have seen the Wetterling parents leave in their car. Maybe his plan was to walk to Wetterling's home and grab one of the boys there. (This would point to someone local who knew young boys lived there - a priest or a local neighbor.) When he heard and saw the kids approaching from the Wetterlings neighborhood with their flashlights he may have thought it was his lucky night.

Being boys, they probably were talking loudly to each other, which would carry across that empty field. Maybe whoever was on the road, decided to slip down into the ditch and tall grass to see just who was passing by and what they were saying. When he saw it was young boys, he could have just decided on the spur of the moment to either "scare" them, or to actually grab one of them. (If this is the same guy who was attempting abductions in the days prior to Jacob's abduction around town, he may have had the gun with so this time the boy wouldn't get away.)

He may have decided to cross the road to the East and hide up in the DR driveway, so he'd be able to just step out, rather than have to pop up from the ditch on the west side. I'm not sure what his plan would have been if he was on foot, I guess he could have had a car hidden back in the woods on the west side near that old party spot we've heard about. But if he headed East up the DR driveway, it seems he'd have to have a car up there closer to the DR home, or be cutting through on foot to the Del-Win ballroom area (there is a route back there, because DR mentioned running on it earlier that day.)

From the Del-Win, it would be easy to get on the main highway and be gone. Hard to believe DR's dog wouldn't have barked though, if some guy hauled a squirming boy through his yard.

Maybe DR had a visitor, or one of his brothers over, and that person did the grabbing of Jacob, and DR just helped cover it up afterwards. Or just said nothing, although he may have suspected he knew who it was. That would explain why he hasn't minded doing interviews, because he knows it wasn't him, but a close friend or relative. That might also explain why his mom got so upset when LE wanted to dig up their fire pit. Just some thoughts...
 
shergal said:
Just speculating here... The abductor could have been ON the road, walking or running, and have seen the Wetterling parents leave in their car. Maybe his plan was to walk to Wetterling's home and grab one of the boys there. (This would point to someone local who knew young boys lived there - a priest or a local neighbor.) When he heard and saw the kids approaching from the Wetterlings neighborhood with their flashlights he may have thought it was his lucky night.

...the only one fitting this scenario is DR..unless there's someone near the 'woods' on the west side we don't know about-or the B brothers or a priest partying there

Being boys, they probably were talking loudly to each other, which would carry across that empty field. Maybe whoever was on the road, decided to slip down into the ditch and tall grass to see just who was passing by and what they were saying. When he saw it was young boys, he could have just decided on the spur of the moment to either "scare" them, or to actually grab one of them. (If this is the same guy who was attempting abductions in the days prior to Jacob's abduction around town, he may have had the gun with so this time the boy wouldn't get away.)

yes that makes sense...running along and then hiding in the ditch....is there a connection between DR and the other attempted abductions?

He may have decided to cross the road to the East and hide up in the DR driveway, so he'd be able to just step out, rather than have to pop up from the ditch on the west side. I'm not sure what his plan would have been if he was on foot, I guess he could have had a car hidden back in the woods on the west side near that old party spot we've heard about. But if he headed East up the DR driveway, it seems he'd have to have a car up there closer to the DR home, or be cutting through on foot to the Del-Win ballroom area (there is a route back there, because DR mentioned running on it earlier that day.)

...having a car on the west side of the road in the woods would be good concealment and less tracks than on DR's driveway but he headed east so the car would have to be in DR's driveway-but wouldn't the tracks show? Your latter statement about a car being closer to the DR home makes sense since he could exit north towards Del-Win ballroom....but the dog would be barking crazily by then.

From the Del-Win, it would be easy to get on the main highway and be gone. Hard to believe DR's dog wouldn't have barked though, if some guy hauled a squirming boy through his yard.

Maybe DR had a visitor, or one of his brothers over, and that person did the grabbing of Jacob, and DR just helped cover it up afterwards. Or just said nothing, although he may have suspected he knew who it was. That would explain why he hasn't minded doing interviews, because he knows it wasn't him, but a close friend or relative. That might also explain why his mom got so upset when LE wanted to dig up their fire pit. Just some thoughts...
Click to expand...

Yes, very probable. My whole comment was based upon Aaron's hearing of the sound in the grass....if that was the perp then either he was peeping around Wetterlings house, getting the mail, or partying in the woods and saw the boys coming. Appearing out of the east side of the road is perplexing to me....it's actually very exposed although dark. It seems to me he's either coming from a vehicle or from the farmstead. As Aaron stated in his video, the abductor could barely see the boys' faces. So if this is the case, a vehicle parked 40 yards away wouldn't have been seen. shergal, not sure where I'm going with this but the logistics need to make sense to me
 
Not sure if this will help at all, but here is a map of the entire area from the parish and rectory on the upper left (West), to DR's farm on the right (East). It may help to look at the area overall to see what was West of the abduction spot. Although it looks like a big area, it's maybe 5-6 blocks from the downtown/church/rectory area to the road in front of DR's farm when traveling on Minnesota Street. Most of those newer homes in the center near the former party spot and park were not there back in 1989.

StJoeMap.jpg


"...the only one fitting this scenario is DR..unless there's someone near the 'woods' on the west side we don't know about-or the B brothers or a priest partying there"
And this is probably one of the reasons DR remains the only POI. A priest could have been making house calls (rather than partying) on a Sunday evening. They did that in small towns back then. Calling on older folks, people who were too sick to get to church, etc. If a priest was leaving a home and saw boys coming down the road...

Remember, M Feeney was in the area that evening also, dropping off some boy from camp near the Wetterling's home. He has evidently been ruled out because the family or neighbors of that boy saw him at the boy's home right around the abduction time.

And someone was out delivering pizza earlier to the Wetterling home and knew the kids were there alone. He/she could have mentioned it to anyone also. It doesn't have to be just DR, he just seems more likely because of living right there.
 
Thanks shergal for another great map. ok...I give up...I am perplexed. I am still stuck on the possible perp in the grass on the west side of the road near the mailbox. I realize it is circumstantial and can never be proven but just the same am intrigued by it. IMO, if the perp was indeed in that position, then this is a very very narrow window of possible perps(logistically speaking..as in who would be in such an isolated place?). I can see the obvious scenario of DR out running or retrieving the mail and sees the flashlights in the distance and hiding in the grass while the boys pass by...or shergal's scenario of somebody walking or running and seeing the Wetterling parents leave the residence and thus plan a home invasion...but either scenario requires knowledge of who the boys were and where they lived. If in fact the sound in the grass heard by Aaron was an animal then my entire speculation is a moot point. Looking at the map, can anyone else think of a scenario that would place a perp near the abduction site on the west side of the road before the boys passed by?

One fact that can't be denied: Jacob was abducted at the intersection of the paved road + DR's driveway and forcibly walked(dragged?) EAST until the 2nd pole(1989)...THAT is telling.
 
ELOCsoul said:
Yes! I'm trying to find more information on this attempt right now. I have a name on this one too, and it's not a "J". I'm told this boy ran into Kay's Kitchen after escaping the abductor.
Click to expand...


What is the source of information that details this particular abduction attempt?








Prov. 11:14
 
Does anyone have a decent picture of Father Tom Gillespie? Just curious to compare it to the sketch from Jared. Didn't Jared's perp ask him if he recognized him? Wondering if that could have been b/c he was the priest in St Joes at the time??
 
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