gregjrichards
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- Aug 15, 2010
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I just read an article at http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/09/13/jared-scheierl-joy-baker-wetterling/?e=vbC3*LOiaACTOA&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=11427&utm_campaign=daily-news-headlines-recommended--46 about the roles that Joy Baker, a blogger, and Jared Scheierl, a survivor of a previous attack by Danny Heinrich, played in pushing the FBI to do a cold case review of Jacob Wetterling's case.
Having followed Joy's blog since 2011, I am convinced that she was the driving force in putting the case together. Law enforcement never put Mr Sheierl's abduction and assault together with the eight previous assaults in Paynesville. It's hard to say for sure now but at least a couple of the other victims felt that the police did not take their reports seriously. It was a situation where most of the 8 to 15 year old boys in the area knew there was a molester running around loose but adults, including LE, just didn't seem to understand. Joy was able to put out the word that she wanted to talk to other victims and would hold their information as privately or as publicly as each victim preferred.
Joy was contacted by Dan Rassler, who lived on the farm where Jacob was last seen alive. Mr Rassler had been treated disgracefully by LE (and I hope he sues the heck out of the various agencies that put him and his family through a cloud of suspicion for nearly 10 years). His only condition? He wanted Joy to publish his entire story on her blog, not just cherry pick the bits that made him appear guilty; LE strategy in regard to Mr Rassler seems to have had a policy of releasing bits and pieces of his statements taken out of context to make him appear guilty to support a truly outlandish theory of the case (really, it makes every WebSleuths theory in every single case on the forum seem pretty tame).
People trusted Joy because she promised to tell as much or as little of their stories as they wanted and she lived up to her pledge time after time. Each time she treated a victim or possible witness with kindness and respect, other victims and possible witnesses felt like maybe they could trust her enough to come forward to her.
Eventually, she was the fuse that blew the case open.
I do think that we need a Joy Baker for our girls, to re-interview witnesses and maybe even find out if there were other victims in the area who had been afraid to come forward or who had come forward but gotten the brush off by LE.
Joy was pushing the theory Duane Hart was the one who abducted Jacob and then took the credit for ELOCSoul's work in linking Heinrich to the case. I agree though they can't let the girl's case remain cold the fact this murderer is out living free makes your blood boil.