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

[human]

But...it was also pitch black out when they all arrived on scene.


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That is true, but apparently they did not drive up as DR certainly would have noticed cars in his driveway when he looked out and saw people stealing his wood.

I imagine that before all of those searchers stomped all over the ground, directions were given on where to go, etc.

I have a feeling since this was 1989, it was not the first crime they had ever examined. I imagine there were murders and burglaries and other crimes where they had to preserve the scene.

In addition, the FBI came as well, I imagine they have a bit of experience as well, seeing as some of them came from Minneapolis, certainly not a city without big crimes.

 

[human]

Oct. 22, 1989 "Firefighters and 35 officers from the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies search the area".

It's worse than I thought.... unknown number of fire fighters, 35 police officers from Sterns County and unknown number of other law enforcement agencies... Sheesh.... Tom Brown himself would have had a heck of a time with that print field....

What area are they talking about? Certainly not the driveway. There was a command center set up,at the Delwin. I imagine they all met there and made a game plan

 

[Sasquatch321]

DR is watching as they converge on the planted footprint by the tire track, but there is a dog with that signals towards the woodpile and they suddenly cross the line with DR, BAM 911 call to police. DR then heads up to Bruce Bechtold "whats going on" Bechtold tells him a child has been kidnapped, "Oh really", and he knows his planted footprint has already failed so he says "ok, well I'll check it down here, then go to bed". If Bechtold heard that we don't know. DR became a witness to the vehicle he saw turn around in his driveway the next morning as investigators seeked answers. The first 48 is always the most crucial.

 

[Trino]

I've thought quite a bit about DR being told about a kidnapping. How would I react? Honestly, as a private citizen, I don't think I would have done much more than DR did, especially if I didn't know the circumstances (could have been a parental abduction). I would not have gone outside and started looking in the dark on my property, risking perhaps being harmed by LE as a possible abductor. What was DR supposed to do? Are there guidelines?

Most officers would have told a private citizen to stay indoors.

 

[nmogren]

I've thought quite a bit about DR being told about a kidnapping. How would I react? Honestly, as a private citizen, I don't think I would have done much more than DR did, especially if I didn't know the circumstances (could have been a parental abduction). I would not have gone outside and started looking in the dark on my property, risking perhaps being harmed by LE as a possible abductor. What was DR supposed to do? Are there guidelines?

Are you for real? I totally would not have done what DR did.


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[shergal]

But...it was also pitch black out when they all arrived on scene.


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Don't forget that by 10:15? or so the helicopter was up in the air already searching according to Sheriff Charlie Grafft.


I do think there were a lot of LE out there that night walking around. But the the helicopter had huge bright searchlights on it. The picture from the helicopter is linked below, it was bright as day.

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/sh..._Crime_Scene_Aerial_View.jpg.html?sort=4&o=20

 

[Trino]

Are you for real? I totally would not have done what DR did.


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What would YOU have done with LE swarmping around with weapons? How could you, as a private citizen, possibly help? Did LE asked him to help (sounds like they did not). And, supposedly, the abductor had a gun.

 

[HEY YOU!]

I've thought quite a bit about DR being told about a kidnapping. How would I react? Honestly, as a private citizen, I don't think I would have done much more than DR did, especially if I didn't know the circumstances (could have been a parental abduction). I would not have gone outside and started looking in the dark on my property, risking perhaps being harmed by LE as a possible abductor. What was DR supposed to do? Are there guidelines?

Most officers would have told a private citizen to stay indoors.

Ok, so be honest here. Maybe that night you would have stayed indoors and let cops handle scene. Think about what you would do the next morning when you came down your driveway to go to work and found out that the boy who was abducted from your driveway was still missing. What would you do?

1-Would you lift the crime scene tape and walk over the crime scene to tell officers that you had to get to work?
2-Would you actually be able to go in to work as a teacher of boys the same age knowing that this boy was abducted from your driveway? Sick days are abundant for teachers, surely this abduction from your property warrants some search help when boy is still found to be missing?
3-Would you at some point, stop by the parents home, send a note/casserole, make a call expressing support for the Wetterlings? He never, ever has BTW in 25 years.


Be honest...What would YOU have done under the same circumstances. I'll tell you what I would have done.
1- IF I had seen a strange car tear-assing up my driveway with a small child in the passenger seat, you can be DAMN SURE that I would have mentioned it to the 911 operator or the cops on the scene...not the next day.
2- I would not have gone to sleep, I would have opened my home and property to cops and family that night in order to facilitate the best possible outcome.
3- I would not have gone to work the next day. I would have stayed at ground zero, helping to search and offering whatever I could to the searchers. I would NEVER have lifted the crime scene tape and crossed into the evidence field.
4- I would have personally gone over to the Wetterlings and offered a casserole and support. I would have had tears in my eyes and would have hugged each family member tight with sorrow.
5- I would have continued that support and contact over the years. This was my neighbor's son, this happened in my driveway...not at the end of it but at least 40 feet in...I would have felt responsible in some way even though I wasn't involved.


Ok Websleuths posters....what would you have done if you were DR? Be honest.

 

[human]

When Kyron Horman was first missing, LE asked people to search their property.

When there was an escaped felon that was possibly in our neighborhood, LE drove by and asked people to be on the look out.

I think LE asking for people to search their property seems to be something I hear a lot.

Not sure what DR did. He said it wasn't worth his time and went back to bed. That is one version.

Another is that he went out and searched his property.

It appears his information about all of the cars up and down his driveway was not on his mind.

 

[human]

One thing I would have done for sure is I would have gone to talk to the parents to see if any of my information struck a chord with them. Maybe they knew someone who had a car like the many cars he had seen that day.

Or maybe he had noticed something that seemed insignificant, but was of import to the parents.

I sure would have gone to them and told them that if there was anything in the world I could do to help to call on me day or night.

 

[nmogren]

What would YOU have done with LE swarmping around with weapons? How could you, as a private citizen, possibly help? Did LE asked him to help (sounds like they did not). And, supposedly, the abductor had a gun.

Probably driven down to the Wetterlings to offer support and see what I could do to help them.


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[HEY YOU!]

Don't forget that by 10:15? or so the helicopter was up in the air already searching according to Sheriff Charlie Grafft.


I do think there were a lot of LE out there that night walking around. But the helicopter had huge bright searchlights on it. The picture from the helicopter is linked below, it was bright as day.

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/sh..._Crime_Scene_Aerial_View.jpg.html?sort=4&o=20

Funny, DR didn't wake up with a helicopter flying directly overhead and bright searchlights panning over his home until 11:23. I find that extremely unusual.

 

[human]

Funny, DR didn't wake up with a helicopter flying directly overhead and bright searchlights panning over his home until 11:23. I find that extremely unusual.

It was that dang woodpile that alerted him.

Ho hum about helicopters overhead and it being as bright as daylight out there.

Nope. Nothing strange about that. Nope.

 

[Sasquatch321]

I've thought quite a bit about DR being told about a kidnapping. How would I react? Honestly, as a private citizen, I don't think I would have done much more than DR did, especially if I didn't know the circumstances (could have been a parental abduction). I would not have gone outside and started looking in the dark on my property, risking perhaps being harmed by LE as a possible abductor. What was DR supposed to do? Are there guidelines?

Most officers would have told a private citizen to stay indoors.

Since 9:20 pm he was a witness to the abduction. I would have expected his upstanding nature to be more helpful that night. Investigators went to his work seeking answers the next morning and then learned what he had seen. A search warrant on his house was executed 4 or 5 days later.

 

[HEY YOU!]

Come on Trino, Shergal, thenotebook, jbrown, keephopealive, ThePhantom, Sasquatch, Camille Grace, Wisdom, Bessie and all regular posters on this forum.....what would each of you do?

 

[Sasquatch321]

It took the first several searchers from 930 to 1123 to get down that driveway and to the woodpile. This amount of time to get there 70 yards from the road, tells me that they did it very carefully and precisely. Like tracking a wounded deer, but without disturbing the trail.

 

[human]

And the dog was not barking it's head off for those two hours?

Very inexplicable if the dog did not bark because of strangers in the yard.

I have never heard of such a dog.

 

[Sasquatch321]

And the dog was not barking it's head off for those two hours?

Very inexplicable if the dog did not bark because of strangers in the yard.

I have never heard of such a dog.

Thats because after the dog disturbed him with kevin, he kenneled her up in the basement and slammed the door. Imo.

 

[Trino]

Come on Trino, Shergal, thenotebook, jbrown, keephopealive, ThePhantom, Sasquatch, Camille Grace, Wisdom, Bessie and all regular posters on this forum.....what would each of you do?

My answers are based on if this happened on my street (10 houses) today. Maybe I will take a hit for this, but I'm giving an honest answer. None of the families socializes; we all have our lives and only wave at each other or infrequently have a short chat at the mailboxes.

If LE informed me a child was abducted at night from the end of my drive and the abductor had a gun, I would stay inside and lock my doors and windows. I would look out the window, then eventually go to sleep. Overhead helicopters provide light, but I would be concerned my outside presence would alert LE to my being the culprit. LE does tell persons to search their property, but not in the middle of the night, especially when LE is looking for a criminal.

This search ended around 3:00a, and the next morning all would be quiet when I left for work. Would I even know if the child had been found? How would my presence help? Should I lie and call in sick? If tape was at the end of my drive and an officer was stationed there, I would politely ask if I could be let out.

When I returned at the end of my work day, I would ask if the boy had been found but, most likely, would not go to the Wetterlings if I did not have a social relationship with them. Their house would probably be a hub of activity. (It is my understanding the Wetterling and Rassier families did not have a social relationship and probably had a waving one, as do the residents on my street.)

When LE came to my work place to question me, I would be suspicious that I was considered the abductor, and if I did not know the Wetterlings well, I would not know how they would react to me, knowing I was questioned. Maybe it would be better to stay away. I would, however, give a DNA and take a lie detector test.

If the abducted child was a son of a close friend or a close relative, I believe I would react differently, but I believe my reactions are the same as those of every family on my street. They would not go outside during an LE search, and I'm certain they would go to work the next day. They would only check their property during daylight hours.

Several years ago (suburban area), there was a criminal with a gun being chased (daylight) by LE. The culprit stole my neighbor's car from her drive, wrecked it, then fled (eventually caught). We were all told to stay inside when this was happening. The next spring I found the gun on my property. I wonder what could have happened had I had gone outside.

 

[Trackergd]

Don't forget that by 10:15? or so the helicopter was up in the air already searching according to Sheriff Charlie Grafft.


I do think there were a lot of LE out there that night walking around. But the the helicopter had huge bright searchlights on it. The picture from the helicopter is linked below, it was bright as day.

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/sh..._Crime_Scene_Aerial_View.jpg.html?sort=4&o=20

Yea, a 40 million candle power Nightsun spotlight does light things up a bit....