MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #3

[human]

as far as the boys with Jacob saying it's DR, I am sure their trauma was beyond belief and they didn't remember much of anything. And all they saw was some masked man in the pitch black. How could they identify anyone?

 

[Donjeta]

The thing that I just CANNOT comprehend is as a teacher, he had no interest in a child that was kidnapped on his driveway by a masked gunman.

That defies any logic .

Yes, it seems strange. And I think that even most of the people who couldn't care less for any children they don't know would be slightly more upset and scared that there has been a masked gunman in their driveway. They tend to be dangerous. What if he's still around? What if he forces his way in with the gun, to get away from the searchers? What if he broke in my shed? I'd be freaking out and begging for the police to search my house and property for my own safety but he just calmly went to sleep.

Maybe he was sure that the gunman was in the car that sped away.

 

[Lotus]

The reason I brought up the comparison of the cold spring perp sketch and DR is because it's obvious that the person who kidnapped Jared is the same person that kidnapped Jacob. The boy during the cold spring assault did see the mans face briefly in the light of the car while they were together for 3 hours. I realize that many of the sketches have been dismissed because they are based on the weird guy seen in the tom thumb, but I don't see how the cold spring perp sketch was dismissed... besides there seems to be a few errors and contradictions on this websites "timeline".(http://www.sctimes.com/section/wetterling)

Such as this contradiction:

"Dec. 14, 1989: Attention turns to links between Jacob’s abduction and the abduction and sexual assault of a 12-year-old Cold Spring boy in January. A sketch of the suspect is released. Details lead investigators to think the two could be related. The sketch generates 400 tips and six officers rejoin the case."
&
"May 2004: Media reports surface that link Jacob’s abduction to the abduction and sexual assault of the 12-year-old Cold Spring boy. The boy was taken 10 months before Jacob. The victim comes forward and said he believes links exist. Authorities receive about 20 new tips. But investigators believe the cases likely aren’t related."
-How are they NOT related!?

(And I noted a few other errors on the site such as:

"June 3, 1993: Soul Asylum, a twin cities rock band features Jacob in a video for its song "runaway train".
-I have seen every version of this video and Jacob was never featured in it.

Also on the "abduction scene map", the spot where the abduction took place is marked incorrectly)

I don't mean to nitpick, I just don't see how the cold spring perp sketch was dismissed, it's not based on the guy in the tom thumb acting strange (I agree that the tom thumb sketches are not relevant to the case). And I realize that the man in the cold spring assault was described as being 40-50 and being a bit heavier but kids don't always guess age correctly and I can't help but see some resemblance between DR and the cold spring perp. Of course this is all JMO, I could be wrong or just seeing things.

 

[margaret_diane]

There's no front porch, no sidewalks. The area was very rural. The house is situated at the end of a long drive - not really a place to stand and see what was going on.

Maybe at the time DR didn't realize the implications of the abduction. We don't know how much the police said to him when they came to his door.

True, we don't know what was said to him that night by LE. However, he must have known SOMETHING big was happening - what with helicopter flying over head, and people searching through his property!

I'll go further. By morning, the news of the abduction was all over the media. Surely by morning, he knew what had happened at the end of his driveway! So at that point, I can't help but wonder what happened during that first morning -- he drove away in his car -- with boxes (we're told) in the back of his car (boxes that HE says were in there, but I don't recall hearing this confirmed by LE -- who as someone pointed out earlier, may not KNOW that he left that morning, OR did so with boxes in his car!). I can't help but wonder where he went, why he went, and whether he might have had ANY discussion with LE that first morning?

If I were a reporter, my question to DR would be:
"have you at any point regretted not assisting police in their efforts that first night? If so why, if not, why not?"

 

[margaret_diane]

I'm thinking about the sketches, and wondering if anyone knows which sketch goes with which person?

Example - there are sketches that are not relevant anymore to the case (eg: creepy staring Tom Thumb guy). Which face is supposed to be HIS?

There are also sketches of the suspect in the Cold Spring abduction and sexual assault from 10 months prior to JW's abduction - which sketch is supposed to be HIS?

Thanks in advance.

 

[human]

Lotus' post 424 with the comparison is the sketch of the Cold Spring abductor.

 

[Donjeta]

There is some similarity but I think DR might have looked younger than the sketch 20 years ago.

 

[concentric]

There are some days when I wonder if this perp. acted alone or with others. And yes, I think it's possible there was a pedophile ring responsible. I remember, for example, the time when childhood went crashing down around us in incidents such as in 1984 when the artistic director of the Children's Theatre in Mpls. was arrested for the sexual assault of 3 boys, and now we are just beginning to find out the sordid history of some of the monks. Many of these people were entrusted with teaching children, young people.

 

[human]

that's where the perv's go. They go where there interests are.

 

[margaret_diane]

Would it be logical if the boy in Cold Springs or the boys with J said it was DR that DR would have been arrested?

Possibly. But in Jared's case (the name of the victim in the Cold Springs case), depending on WHEN he first learned that DR was a suspect, its possible that the statute of limitations on his case had already expired. I believe Jared came forward (to the public anyhow) in 2004 -- around the time when DR was questioned by LE. Incidentally, DR was questioned on Feb 7, 2004 in regards to JW's case. 5 days later, LE spoke with his family, obtained his DNA (by subpoena or did he willingly provide it?), and searched his home computer. If the statute of limitations in Jared's case had already expired, nothing could be done to bring his perpetrator to justice! Jared went public specifically in July 2004 -- a few months after DR was questioned, and DNA taken etc... why did he go public THEN? I believe this is also when Jared and Patty Wetterling also met... so what prompted him to go public at that point? Did police discount the tire track suddenly, and make a more clear link between these two cases?

It was also in 2004 sometime that the 21 year old man who arrived at the scene before LE finally came forward to tell his story, and claim the tire tracks on DR's driveway as his. Once police could rule out the get away car theory, and account for those tire tracks, who is to say they didn't approach Jared and ask him if DR looked familiar (even an older picture from 1989)?

Further -- its possible that police might have played tapes of interviews to TW, AL, and Jared, and asked if the voices matched, or were similar.... its something we just don't know.

 

[margaret_diane]

Does anyone think its possible that LE might try to make a case against DR based soley on circumstantial evidence? If they're still pushing and investigating this guy, and still haven't come up with much to support whatever their theory is -- I wonder whether they'll still go for an arrest and trial with whatever they think they have to date? Sanner says the lack of evidence to date from most recent search is not a cue for the perp to rest easy, and has said that whatever comes out of further testing of other items will lead the case in one direction or another -- I wonder what this means? Its almost foreboding.

 

[margaret_diane]

There are also postings implicating DR in the Cold Springs attack, which doesn't pan out IMO. The Cold Springs boy who was abducted and raped did not identify Rassier as his attacker. Note, his attacker did not wear a mask and they were together for 3 hours. Rassier was also a teacher in the school this boy attended. He described his assailant as a white man, 40 to 50 years old, about 5'8," wearing military-style fatigues and a baseball cap.

Also, neither J's brother nor friend have identified DR as the abductor.

I know that this boy was abducted NEAR the Rocori Middle School -- I didn't realize he was a student there as well. So now that I'm thinking about this, I'm wondering what DR's reaction to news of Jared's attack was? If he was a teacher at the child's school -- did he miss any classes following the attack (DR)? Did he ever talk with the child, or other staff about the attack? I ASSUME he'd have been aware of the attack even if he did not commit it -- because presumably the parents of the student would have notified the school that their son was going to be absent awhile, and why -- teachers talk... so if any of the staff in the school the boy attended knew, its likely MANY if not ALL teachers knew.

And another thought --
When Jared's attack happened, was there NO publicity about it at ALL? I know now when things happen to kids, even on weekends and outside of school property, where I'm from... a notice always goes home to the parents of children in each of the schools neighboring what they would then refer to as a "danger zone". Example, if a child is approached by a stranger, or any weird incidents happen, a note goes home with the local school kids telling parents of the incident, encouraging a review by parents with the kids of the safety rules, and reminding parents to be on alert, and ask kids to be on alert, and stay together etc... was nothing like this done following Jared's attack?

 

[human]

let's just say for argument's sake, that DR was the one with Jared. As a teacher, he would know if Jared was his student. I Jared was not his student, he would be pretty safe to take him.

Kids don't interact with every teacher in the school, especially if they don't have a particular teacher.

 

[Trino]

I know that this boy was abducted NEAR the Rocori Middle School -- I didn't realize he was a student there as well. So now that I'm thinking about this, I'm wondering what DR's reaction to news of Jared's attack was? If he was a teacher at the child's school -- did he miss any classes following the attack (DR)? Did he ever talk with the child, or other staff about the attack? I ASSUME he'd have been aware of the attack even if he did not commit it -- because presumably the parents of the student would have notified the school that their son was going to be absent awhile, and why -- teachers talk... so if any of the staff in the school the boy attended knew, its likely MANY if not ALL teachers knew.

And another thought --
When Jared's attack happened, was there NO publicity about it at ALL? I know now when things happen to kids, even on weekends and outside of school property, where I'm from... a notice always goes home to the parents of children in each of the schools neighboring what they would then refer to as a "danger zone". Example, if a child is approached by a stranger, or any weird incidents happen, a note goes home with the local school kids telling parents of the incident, encouraging a review by parents with the kids of the safety rules, and reminding parents to be on alert, and ask kids to be on alert, and stay together etc... was nothing like this done following Jared's attack?

This was in 1989. I doubt that anything went home to parents. Remember that Patty Wetterling started a national awareness of child abductions after J was abducted.

 

[shergal]

I don't know if it's just me, or is there a resemblance between DR and the cold spring perp sketch?

I think so. The downturned mouth, the long ears, the nose all seems similar to me.

 

[shergal]

Again I will point DR didn't say that to search would waste HIS time. He said he wasn't going to waste time. Period. Who's time? His? Jacob's? LE's? The perp (perhaps he knew or suspected someone And didn't want them caught for some reason?).

Maybe DR isn't the perp, but he knows who is. We've discussed before he may have had a visitor or friend over that night that he doesn't want to admit was there. He could be protecting a friend, or he could be being forced to cover for someone. If LE feels he knows who was involved, that would be enough for them to call him a POI.

 

[shergal]

Just out of curiosity, have any of the three boys said it ws NOT DR with any degree of certainty? Just wondering.

No, not that I've heard of.

 

[shergal]

I know that this boy was abducted NEAR the Rocori Middle School -- I didn't realize he was a student there as well. So now that I'm thinking about this, I'm wondering what DR's reaction to news of Jared's attack was? If he was a teacher at the child's school -- did he miss any classes following the attack (DR)? Did he ever talk with the child, or other staff about the attack? I ASSUME he'd have been aware of the attack even if he did not commit it -- because presumably the parents of the student would have notified the school that their son was going to be absent awhile, and why -- teachers talk... so if any of the staff in the school the boy attended knew, its likely MANY if not ALL teachers knew.

And another thought --
When Jared's attack happened, was there NO publicity about it at ALL? I know now when things happen to kids, even on weekends and outside of school property, where I'm from... a notice always goes home to the parents of children in each of the schools neighboring what they would then refer to as a "danger zone". Example, if a child is approached by a stranger, or any weird incidents happen, a note goes home with the local school kids telling parents of the incident, encouraging a review by parents with the kids of the safety rules, and reminding parents to be on alert, and ask kids to be on alert, and stay together etc... was nothing like this done following Jared's attack?

I don't think anything was done publicly after Jared's attack because he and his parents probably didn't want to distress him further. He was actually sexually assaulted (similar to the more recent Shawn Hornbeck case - see MO. / Michael Devlin) and "Jared" probably did not want any of his school friends knowing some n=man had assaulted him. I think it came out in 2004 because of the renewed interest in Jacob's case and "Jared" had matured enough to now be able to handle discussing it.

 

[Trino]

Off Topic...

Because I've followed the case for years, maybe I have some things to offer, but recent posters have brought fresh ideas into what could have happened. I have major surgery scheduled for tomorrow - have over-extended my knees through too much athletic endeavors and am having total knee replacement. I don't know when I'll be back to read your awesome ideas. Say a prayer for me. Thanks.

 

[concentric]

I think so. The downturned mouth, the long ears, the nose all seems similar to me.

Sketch: the nose, above nostrils is wider, also the neck.

Otherwise, the eyebrows, the jawline, the down-turned eyes, the ears, the mouth and space between the upper lip and nose, the high forehead covered by the farm cap, similar.

How could a child who is attacked and in a state of shock give a totally accurate description. Even people not under stress will forget the details of features.