MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #5
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Trackergd
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Does anyone involved in this thread know if any of the individuals who were suspected or are known to have driven near or on that spot owned a 1950's to 1960's VW Beetle? Yep...tall narrow bias ply tires and a light weight vehicle print.....
I.WISH.I.HAD.BETTER.PICTURES! :banghead:
I.WISH.I.HAD.BETTER.PICTURES! :banghead:
eileenhawkeye
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I'm having trouble finding that specific article. Trying different search terms but not having any luck.
thenotebook
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Tracker, can you try emailing your written analysis? Here is the email address that Joy lists on her website:
"Please contact the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department at 320-251-4240 (answered 24/7), or email sheriff@co.stearns.mn.us (reviewed daily)."
"Please contact the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department at 320-251-4240 (answered 24/7), or email sheriff@co.stearns.mn.us (reviewed daily)."
thenotebook
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Here is the link to Joy's interview with Kevin, and he describes his girlfriend's car that they were in:
http://www.joybaker.com/2013/03/14/back-to-jacob-kevins-story/
http://www.joybaker.com/2013/03/14/back-to-jacob-kevins-story/
Trackergd
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Here is the link to Joy's interview with Kevin, and he describes his girlfriend's car that they were in:
http://www.joybaker.com/2013/03/14/back-to-jacob-kevins-story/
The type tires used on that car appear to be too wide and the car too heavy. When I post my analysis, you will see that the tire prints and the foot prints are almost the same width. That makes it a narrow tire.
Trackergd
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Yellow: Tire Prints - Narrow bias ply ribbed tire pattern
Light weight or smaller vehicle. Defined sharp edge.
Red: Not sure about these - Unknown disturbances if no other
pictures are available.
Blue: Larger prints with force - Heel digs? Mounding on sides
Very deep with force. Cannot tell if sole pattern is like green.
Green: Shallow prints - flat with little force or mounding
No defined pattern - Flat sole shoe?
Red W/Yellow: Great pattern prints - flat bottom rib pattern
Commonly called a "crepe" sole
LE should have been able to tell if these were Jacobs or a perp
Jumble of prints with a tire track. "Appears" to be more than one person and some on top of others. Cannot tell if red marked disturbances are prints that were run over or disturbances caused by stones that caused mounding by weight of car.
Light weight or smaller vehicle. Defined sharp edge.
Red: Not sure about these - Unknown disturbances if no other
pictures are available.
Blue: Larger prints with force - Heel digs? Mounding on sides
Very deep with force. Cannot tell if sole pattern is like green.
Green: Shallow prints - flat with little force or mounding
No defined pattern - Flat sole shoe?
Red W/Yellow: Great pattern prints - flat bottom rib pattern
Commonly called a "crepe" sole
LE should have been able to tell if these were Jacobs or a perp
Jumble of prints with a tire track. "Appears" to be more than one person and some on top of others. Cannot tell if red marked disturbances are prints that were run over or disturbances caused by stones that caused mounding by weight of car.
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Trackergd
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I called and emailed. I was politely rebuffed.
Trackergd
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Trackergd, 2 questions:
1. wondering... if Kevin's car is too heavy based on the tireprints...then where are his tracks if the tracks in question belong to a lighter vehicle?
2. not knowing much about cars....do you know if a 70's Chevette either a sedan or station wagon would be light enough to use the whitewall tires you displayed?
KeepHopeAlive
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Regarding the footprints, here is a picture of the shoes Jacob was wearing (or similar to what he was wearing).
Trackergd
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Well...I am going to have to give the answer to my post away...
Tire 1 is an almost dead match for the tire prints and is a Firestone design. I am guessing this tire or the many like it were popular from the 40's to early 60's. There were some cheap tires like it (blackwall) around in the late 60's from places like Pep Boys and J.C. Whitney (mail order parts co).
I cannot see the entire road from the picture, so I have no idea where Kevin's tire prints are.
Trackergd
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Regarding the footprints, here is a picture of the shoes Jacob was wearing (or similar to what he was wearing).
Well, I sure can rule out that the green marked sets of crepe style sole prints as being Jacobs. So we do potentially have some perp prints. The deeper blue marked prints could be Jacobs.
I feel a little vindicated in my sleuthing abilities as I thought those tires were really unusual.
Tracker, what do you mean by crepe soles?
I am thinking something like a hush puppy sole? Or work boot?
Not a running shoe?
Tracker, what do you mean by crepe soles?
I am thinking something like a hush puppy sole? Or work boot?
Not a running shoe?
There is other interesting info in the site. I listed about tires, but here is one that is relevant, i feel
The current industry association recommendations regarding inspecting and replacing tires due to age originate outside the United States.
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice issued June, 2001, states "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."
"Environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, as well as poor storage and infrequent use, accelerate the aging process. In ideal conditions, a tyre may have a life expectancy that exceeds ten years from its date of manufacture. However, such conditions are rare. Aging may not exhibit any external indications and, since there is no non-destructive test to assess the serviceability of a tyre, even an inspection carried out by a tyre expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration.
The current industry association recommendations regarding inspecting and replacing tires due to age originate outside the United States.
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice issued June, 2001, states "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."
"Environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, as well as poor storage and infrequent use, accelerate the aging process. In ideal conditions, a tyre may have a life expectancy that exceeds ten years from its date of manufacture. However, such conditions are rare. Aging may not exhibit any external indications and, since there is no non-destructive test to assess the serviceability of a tyre, even an inspection carried out by a tyre expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration.
More relevant info, I feel
For the most part today's tires deliver more miles and years of service than ever before. In the 1970s, typical bias ply tires lasted less than 20,000 miles and were only expected to be in service for about two years. In the 1980s, early radial ply tires offered a treadwear expectancy of about 40,000 miles during four years of service. And by the turn of the century, many long-life radial tires extended treadwear to about 60,000 miles during four or more years of service. While passenger car and light truck tire technology and American driving conditions in the past resulted in tire treads wearing out before the rest of the tire aged, it may not always be true of today's even longer lasting tires that are approaching 80,000 miles of treadwear.
For the most part today's tires deliver more miles and years of service than ever before. In the 1970s, typical bias ply tires lasted less than 20,000 miles and were only expected to be in service for about two years. In the 1980s, early radial ply tires offered a treadwear expectancy of about 40,000 miles during four years of service. And by the turn of the century, many long-life radial tires extended treadwear to about 60,000 miles during four or more years of service. While passenger car and light truck tire technology and American driving conditions in the past resulted in tire treads wearing out before the rest of the tire aged, it may not always be true of today's even longer lasting tires that are approaching 80,000 miles of treadwear.
Trackergd....regarding the tire....I really have no knowledge of tires or tracks so didn't even dare venture a guess. The footprint/tire track picture isn't much to go on so amazed you could see what you've seen. Given your analysis, I'm perplexed as to how LE could abandon the car theory after Kevin came forward? If as you alluded to, Kevin's tracks being elsewhere then maybe they were able to identify his tire tracks and clear them as well as the tracks near Jacob's prints.
thenotebook
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Regarding the footprints, here is a picture of the shoes Jacob was wearing (or similar to what he was wearing).
Have the police ever issued a picture of the type of "reflective vest" that Jacob was wearing?
thenotebook
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I've wondered how far up the driveway these prints appeared, and where they actually ended. It looks like in this photo there is a police marking tape behind this man at the end of the driveway. (both photos credit to Joy's blog!)
The aerial photo shows where on the driveway the tape was (assuming that is the tape and not a shadow??)
IIRC, the footprints went all the way up to the second light pole? That is quite a ways. I would think they could have gotten some excellent castings of the perps prints as well as the tire casts. I can't believe they weren't able to identify the exact make/year of the tires and put out an alert (which in turn would have supposedly lead to Kevin's car....although I still believe there was a perp vehicle as well).
The aerial photo shows where on the driveway the tape was (assuming that is the tape and not a shadow??)
IIRC, the footprints went all the way up to the second light pole? That is quite a ways. I would think they could have gotten some excellent castings of the perps prints as well as the tire casts. I can't believe they weren't able to identify the exact make/year of the tires and put out an alert (which in turn would have supposedly lead to Kevin's car....although I still believe there was a perp vehicle as well).
thenotebook
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One more thing I just noticed in Joy's blog interview with Kevin...
"Kevin realizes he’s the one who made the tracks and is sure they’ll trace them back to his girlfriend’s car since the tires were brand new and had just been installed at a St. Cloud tire dealer one week earlier. "
Tracker, are you able to tell if the tire prints would be from "new" tires with lots of tread left on them?
"Kevin realizes he’s the one who made the tracks and is sure they’ll trace them back to his girlfriend’s car since the tires were brand new and had just been installed at a St. Cloud tire dealer one week earlier. "
Tracker, are you able to tell if the tire prints would be from "new" tires with lots of tread left on them?
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