MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #4

[Jbrown324320]

remember, Marcel Maciel had a lot of money, power and influence to bribe and persuade people.

 

[human]

You have always needed some form of Id to go to Canada.

Why would children just sit there and be quiet if they were kidnapped?

I am sure that creepy priest had plenty of bucks, but wouldn't there be easier ways to get kids than to drive them 1500 miles?

And cars and trucks were always randomly searched. Drugs, cigarettes, other items that are not allowed into Canada.

 

[concentric]

I believe that 20 years ago the borders were far more "porous" than they are today.

According to this article, the Canadian border is, even today:

The northern border is much longer than the U.S.-Mexico border and has fewer law enforcement officers, making nefarious activity more likely, the report noted.

Terrorist crossings to and from Canada aren't the only problem, according to GAO and Homeland Security. The U.S.-Canada border also has become a well-traveled route for other illicit trade, including drug smuggling and human trafficking.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0211/020111g1.htm
_____________________________________________

And who is to say that there weren't "way stations" where smugglers of children hid them or stayed until resuming the trip out of the country. Certainly seems that now we are learning there were plenty of like-minded people who could have been part of this.

 

[Jbrown324320]

You have always needed some form of Id to go to Canada.

Why would children just sit there and be quiet if they were kidnapped?

I am sure that creepy priest had plenty of bucks, but wouldn't there be easier ways to get kids than to drive them 1500 miles?

And cars and trucks were always randomly searched. Drugs, cigarettes, other items that are not allowed into Canada.

1) If a child were kidnapped and they were threatened or their family was threatened with serious harm- the child is going to do whatever they tell them to do. Its called the stockholm syndrome. They put paralyzing fear into the child. Why don't molested kids tell sometimes? They are threatened with harm if they tell. They are petrified of the consequences.

2) The creepy priest probably would find it easier if children were abducted from different areas of the country so no red flags would raise up for police officers. They knew that it would raise suspicions if a child went missing right from the area the molester lived or operated in or if two kids from the same area went missing. One or two from different places makes it seem like random happenings.

3) random is the key word. randomly searched.

 

[human]

It's so hard to say. There are so many children without anything in Mexico, one would think that would be the place to get children and no one would be the wiser.

What does the term "human trafficking" mean as far as the border and Canada?

 

[human]

human trafficking-Canada

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/ht-tp/htta-tpem-eng.htm

 

[human]

Jacob was originally thought to be taken out of the state. It seems like it is more recently that they have focused on a homegrown perp.

 

[shergal]

Jacob was originally thought to be taken out of the state. It seems like it is more recently that they have focused on a homegrown perp.

Yeah, IMO, all the "taken by groups of pedophiles" theories are interesting, but I think it was just some local perv who took Jacob and probably the same guy who molested the boy from Cold Spring. Hopefully they figure out who before the perp becomes senile or dies.

 

[Jbrown324320]

I do think he was taken by someone local because he hid his face with a mask and not many people know their way around the roads in that city.
What if he was kidnapped by someone local, kept until the attention died down say at the Abbey or a local home and then sent to Canada? Maybe the priests had a child sex ring going on between themselves.

 

[human]

I don't know why there is a focus on Canada. The Camp Caribou in Canada is 1500 miles from St. Joe.

The priests around the St. Joe area seem to have plenty fo their own" playground" space.

 

[chef81]

I do think he was taken by someone local because he hid his face with a mask and not many people know their way around the roads in that city.
What if he was kidnapped by someone local, kept until the attention died down say at the Abbey or a local home and then sent to Canada? Maybe the priests had a child sex ring going on between themselves.

After 21 years, I think it's pretty much anybodys guess on who abducted Jacob. I really doubt that LE will find anything more than they already have at this point. But on a brighter note there seems to be alot of people here with some good theories and interesting points. I'm hoping if we keep posting our ideas and theories we might come up with a good, solid lead.

 

[Solitary Truth Sleuth]

I just wanted to say that I have spoken to Diane, and I believe her story about the tapes, and how they were obtained. After my conversation with her, there is not a doubt in my mind that she, and her tapes are real. The question we should be asking, is why aren't the authorities taking them seriously? Why won't they pursue this lead? Why are they now focused on DR, who could be the fall guy for this? Is it because they botched the investigation years ago and now are trying to clean up? These tapes were done in 1996.
Something to think about.....

 

[human]

I just wanted to say that I have spoken to Diane, and I believe her story about the tapes, and how they were obtained. After my conversation with her, there is not a doubt in my mind that she, and her tapes are real. The question we should be asking, is why aren't the authorities taking them seriously? Why won't they pursue this lead? Why are they now focused on DR, who could be the fall guy for this? Is it because they botched the investigation years ago and now are trying to clean up? These tapes were done in 1996.
Something to think about.....

Well, no good deed goes unpunished. I feel it is your obligation now to go some where with these tapes. FBI, newspaper, something.

However, focusing on DR makes no sense as the Bahners would be far easier to pin it on then an upstanding member of the community with a long history with the parents being community pillars.

That makes little sense to me.

Why does Diane feel that LE has done nothing with these?

Did she verify that LE was there with a wire? How did she gain access and accomplish this?

 

[Solitary Truth Sleuth]

Well, no good deed goes unpunished. I feel it is your obligation now to go some where with these tapes. FBI, newspaper, something.

However, focusing on DR makes no sense as the Bahners would be far easier to pin it on then an upstanding member of the community with a long history with the parents being community pillars.

That makes little sense to me.

Why does Diane feel that LE has done nothing with these?

Did she verify that LE was there with a wire? How did she gain access and accomplish this?

I joined Websleuths as a result of listening to the tapes, and being blown away by them. I wanted to find out as much info as I could about them and the case. Even prior to finding Diane and speaking with her I sent dozens of emails to people who I thought should look at the tapes, including Patty W, and various people in the press. Patty said she would forward the info to the authorities. I will continue to try and do my part to see that this is looked at. What I was told regarding the tapes is that she worked for 15 years as a bail bondsman and that she gained the knowledge of RB and MB through her work. The tapes were done over the course of several interviews, by wearing a wire with 2 LE present, and she says she has hundreds of tapes. Obviously I don't have the whole story- she would be crazy to tell it to a stranger who calls her out of the blue. But I did really encourage her to keep trying to get the whole story out, even if LE won't follow up on it. She did allude to someone with power/authority who doesn't want this story out. The court of public opinion can be very powerful, and I would encourage all of you to also do your part in this tragic story.

 

[human]

I joined Websleuths as a result of listening to the tapes, and being blown away by them. I wanted to find out as much info as I could about them and the case. Even prior to finding Diane and speaking with her I sent dozens of emails to people who I thought should look at the tapes, including Patty W, and various people in the press. Patty said she would forward the info to the authorities. I will continue to try and do my part to see that this is looked at. What I was told regarding the tapes is that she worked for 15 years as a bail bondsman and that she gained the knowledge of RB and MB through her work. The tapes were done over the course of several interviews, by wearing a wire with 2 LE present, and she says she has hundreds of tapes. Obviously I don't have the whole story- she would be crazy to tell it to a stranger who calls her out of the blue. But I did really encourage her to keep trying to get the whole story out, even if LE won't follow up on it. She did allude to someone with power/authority who doesn't want this story out. The court of public opinion can be very powerful, and I would encourage all of you to also do your part in this tragic story.

I wold suggest that you try talking to Patty yourself.

The Bahners seem to be criminals. Why would someone not want the story out? The DR family has much more to lose. So this makes no sense whatsoever.

Where are the Bahners now?

If you will PM me, I would like to have Diane's info as I would like to meet and talk with her. I think I have some contacts that could go somewhere with this, but no one that I know has been able to trace down Diane. thanks

 

[concentric]

Could the Bahner brothers have been "finders" for other more powerful groups?
That is what I am questioning.

We owe it to Jacob to find out what happened. This was a child who whose life was stolen from him. It makes me sick to my soul and has affected all of us on this thread profoundly. We need to look at any and every avenue.

 

[shergal]

Could the Bahner brothers have been "finders" for other more powerful groups?
That is what I am questioning.

We owe it to Jacob to find out what happened. This was a child who whose life was stolen from him. It makes me sick to my soul and has affected all of us on this thread profoundly. We need to look at any and every avenue.

But weren't the Bahner brothers just kids themselves back in 1989? They talked about bike riding with Jacob. I always got the impression they were just "town trouble makers" who got blamed for a lot of things, in addition to whatever crimes they actually committed.

STS: Did you find out from Diane who "Lou" was? Maybe that would lead somewhere. And I'm still confused as to who the "Ben" was that supposedly saw Jacob, Aaron and Trevor coming up out of the ditch when driving by with his dad also.

 

[Solitary Truth Sleuth]

I wold suggest that you try talking to Patty yourself.

The Bahners seem to be criminals. Why would someone not want the story out? The DR family has much more to lose. So this makes no sense whatsoever.

Where are the Bahners now?

If you will PM me, I would like to have Diane's info as I would like to meet and talk with her. I think I have some contacts that could go somewhere with this, but no one that I know has been able to trace down Diane. thanks

I will PM you. I would love to hear about your contacts, and I think she would too. I don't feel like I can just call Patty. I did email her and she wrote back the next day. I am not from LE, and so what authority can I use when calling her or anyone else, other than to suggest that they pursue it. I won't give up on this unless I find out that it is not the truth, but I am at a disadvantage because I don't have any connections to get the story out.
That is why I joined this forum. I was hoping that this was a group of people working together to try to solve this case.

 

[Solitary Truth Sleuth]

But weren't the Bahner brothers just kids themselves back in 1989? They talked about bike riding with Jacob. I always got the impression they were just "town trouble makers" who got blamed for a lot of things, in addition to whatever crimes they actually committed.

STS: Did you find out from Diane who "Lou" was? Maybe that would lead somewhere. And I'm still confused as to who the "Ben" was that supposedly saw Jacob, Aaron and Trevor coming up out of the ditch when driving by with his dad also.

She wouldn't tell me his last name, but she did say it wasn't Louis Rassier, who was on my radar. I told you that there were only about 25-30 Louis's living in the area in 1989- so it wouldn't be that hard to figure it out. Richard Bahner was born in 1965 and Michael was born in 1972. They had an older brother named Alan who was born in 1964 and died in 1998. No info on how he died. So yes they were young, but in the world of pedophiles, age doesn't matter. They were both convicted of child molestation since the abduction.

 

[shergal]

She wouldn't tell me his last name, but she did say it wasn't Louis Rassier, who was on my radar. I told you that there were only about 25-30 Louis's living in the area in 1989- so it wouldn't be that hard to figure it out. Richard Bahner was born in 1965 and Michael was born in 1972. They had an older brother named Alan who was born in 1964 and died in 1998. No info on how he died. So yes they were young, but in the world of pedophiles, age doesn't matter. They were both convicted of child molestation since the abduction.

No, I meant young in the sense that concentric was asking about - them being "finders" for some pedophile group. I thought they were too young for that.

Thanks so much for getting all this info, STS. Now if someone in LE or FBI would just look at it, or at least let us know why it was disregarded to begin with.