I recently had the opportunity to visit the abduction site, and I hope to give thread followers a better picture of the area, and clear up some confusion and misconceptions regarding various issues of Jacobs case. Some have questioned the possibility of a car being involved because Trevor and Aaron have said there was no car. Others have suggested there was no car because the boys did not see a car pass them, despite some simple and logical possibilities posted by Cappuccino, among others.
Here are my observations of the physical environment at the site of Jacobs abduction:
1. This area is very DARK at night!! I cannot stress this enough. I was there about 10pm at night, last Thursday night. There was ¼ moon, partly cloudy skies, and occasional lightning. There is no yardlight in the DR property driveway. If there is a light near the house, you cannot see it or any indication of a light from the road that goes by the property. Heading south from DRs property, you can only see a few yardlights in the cul de sacs at the end of the road, about ½ mile away. To the east and west, you can only see the tops of the tree line against the sky. Looking north, there is some light from the city above the tree line. However, the city has grown considerably the past 23 years, so I can only imagine the light from the city was even less visible in 1989. With my headlights off, I could see nothing clearly, only the treelines in some areas. Remember, this was with a partial moon. On the night of the abduction, there was no moon until after 2:00am or so.
2. The surrounding woods are very THICK! Maybe they were not so thick in 1989, but I suspect that they were. The trees are thick as it is, but on top of that there is significant underbrush everywhere you look (I was there in the daytime too!). Before my visit I had designs on walking through some of the woods, but they looked impassable to me in broad daylight, let alone at night.
3. The DR family residence is WELL HIDDEN from view by the trees between the house and the road, 9th / 16th St. The house is not visible from any portion of the street, nor from highway 75 coming in from St Cloud. The only building really visible from any road is a long gray colored barn that runs east and west. From 9th/ 16th, you can only see that barn when you are heading north, toward St Joseph. A driver in a car heading south and turning into the driveway would not see any buildings unless they turned into the driveway and drive almost all the way back. From aerial photos we know there are actually several buildings on the property. Also, I walked by the property twice, and could not see more than 20 through the dense woods, and the woods are at least 100 deep.
4. I dont believe this has been mentioned before, but there is a fairly steep hill that begins climbing at about E. Baker St, and rises about 20 or so as you drive south. You cannot see any hint of the DR property or trees on your left until youre about 200 or so from the property. The DR property is on your left after you climb the hill. Judging from the appearance of homes in the area, I would guess there was very little development south of E. Baker St in 1989. Im not sure E. Baker St actually existed at the time (maybe a local could confirm this?). It is quite possible, even likely, that the abductor(s) were watching the streets near the Tom Thumb, and would have seen Jacob, Trevor, and Aaron come from the south. And in turn, knowing they were likely to go back they way.
5. From the DR property vantage point, there appears to be good visibility toward the cul de sacs to the south, but ONLY if a person were standing on the east, south, or west sides of the woods surrounding the DR home. There could be no visibility from the house itself to the road or cul de sacs, whether day or night. Depending on what crops were in the field directly south of the DR property, a person may be able to have relatively good view of flashlights moving northward on 9th / 16th. If the crop was corn, and the corn was not yet harvested, visibility would be limited. If the crop was other than corn, or was harvested corn, visibility from that vantage point would be relatively unobstructed. Visibility would be limited only by the strength and distance of the light.
6. There are a number of factors that make it difficult to believe the abductor could have been on foot, by anyone other than a neighbor. First, the nearest highway to the north is about 1 mile away. While the terrain appears to be passable on foot today, the abductor would have been walking toward the city of St Joseph, or highway 75, dragging an 11 year old child. Doesnt seem like a smart thing for an abductor to do. To the east, there is the Sauk River, which cannot be crossed or navigated without a watercraft. To the south, the nearest road is about 1 ½ mile away, likely a ½ hour or longer trek through fields and woods. To the west, the nearest road is also about a mile away, again with fields and woods in the way. Also, we know that dogs tracked Jacobs scent only a short distance up the DR driveway, and there the scent disappeared. Had the abductor been on foot, surely Jacobs scent would have been picked up elsewhere. And lastly, if the abductor had been of foot, with the rough terrain and woods, there would have no doubt been a piece of clothing caught in brush or branches somewhere.
All of the above are based on my observations, and are my opinion only. Thanks for reading. Next, Ill post what I heard from a few locals.