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

[KeepHopeAlive]

Social Networks
Regarding Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking or blog websites: Links may be used to direct posters to view something on a social networking page. But postings on social networking sites are not considered fact; they are rumor. Copying and pasting, or taking screen caps, directly from these pages is not allowed. Paraphrasing is okay. (Exception: If the Twitter or Facebook post belongs to a verified news station, it may be copied. But a link should still be provided.)

Also, social networking pages may only be linked if they are directly related to a case, i.e. the victim or suspect. We don't want to post to someone's mother, brother, employer, milkman, or postal carrier just because they know the main player. We also NEVER link to minor's pages (unless they are the victim). And be sure that the page actually belongs to the person being discussed. Do not link to someone if you are not 100% sure it is the correct person. And if a social networking is set to private and you get in the back way, you may not post what you find. Private means private!

 

[ELOCsoul]

Re Joy and verification.



I wonder since her blog has not been verified if information on it can even be posted on here. WS does not allow access to lots of unverified things such as FB pages, for instance.

What I'm understanding from reading the rules, users can link to a blog website, and discuss it. It appears the only restrictions are against copying / reposting information from websites to WS, and of course linking to sites of minors, etc.

 

[human]

thanks for that info.

I have followed other cases here that have had references to FB pages and blogs removed.

You may wish to read about Socal and Kyron on the net to see what a number of people did to play sick games with the Kyron case. Not for monetary gain. Just some kind of crazy.

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

Stories like this give me hope. Three more reasons to never give up. I keep praying that someday it will be Jacob's turn.

Three missing women have been found alive after 10 years:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...eing-missing-for-a-decade-3-men-arrested?lite

 

[human]

Stories like this give me hope. Three more reasons to never give up. I keep praying that someday it will be Jacob's turn.

Three missing women have been found alive after 10 years:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...eing-missing-for-a-decade-3-men-arrested?lite

I so wonder what DR meant when he said that it would have been all over if LE had gone in his house that night

 

[shergal]

Just asked Joy if she would get verified here. I see no evidence of her faking an identity and/or fabricating interviews. I would hate the conversation to get derailed over doubting her legitimacy since she has gathered some interesting information. I think it would make more sense to question DR's story or question if Joy is being manipulated rather than question if she is making the entire thing up 20+ years after the crime. Would she be pretending to be a writer in Saint Cloud or just pretend to do the interviews? If she is a real writer in Saint Cloud I don't think it's going to help her freelance career to fake conversations with Patti Wetterling. She would be vilified for doing such a horrible thing. If she is faking her whole identity and the interviews, Why fake an extensive blog with creative writing and genealogy services? Why pick a crime from so long ago that is mostly known in Minnesota? Why not pick a crime that would engender interest from a wider audience? She has no advertising on her blog so would not get paid per visit. Hardly anyone comments even on it. Where is the payoff? Not instant money or attention, which would be the motivations of a fake. However, if word gradually gets out that she was a thought-provoking, credible writer, that may create interest in her work. Any payoff to her as local crime writer would rest entirely on integrity. There are those of here who are riveted by a thoughtful interview of the major players, hoping a little clue will bring the truth into light. And we are all here hoping for justice for Jacob. Personally, even if she is misguided in this, I think Joy is too.

Just one correction. Joy does not live in St. Cloud. Her fb page shows her as living in Minneapolis. She does do other stories besides her interest in Jacob.

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

Patty Wetterling is coming up on AC360 on CNN (the show is on right now) to talk about Jacob and missing children. If you miss it, I think the show repeats later tonight. The episode is called "Vanished." They are discussing missing persons in America.

 

[buffetoflies]

I so wonder what DR meant when he said that it would have been all over if LE had gone in his house that night

IMO he meant that there wouldn't be all this speculation and wonder if he was involved or not, because if they had gone inside his house, they would know that he wasn't hiding anything.

IMO the abbey is involved.. It's right there and houses SOers that aren't being watched.

 

[ELOCsoul]

Just in case anyone thinks that Dan Rassier is just now giving us this story about seeing a small car turn around in his driveway, below is an excerpt from the October 24, 1989 St Cloud Times article follow Jacob’s abduction.

“I saw headlights kind of close together, like a small car,” said Dan Rassier, who lives on a farm at (xxxxx) (XX)st Avenue. “It caught my attention because it’s unusual for a car to be out here at that time.”
A bloodhound from the Minneapolis police department led officers to the tire tracks, confirming their hunch that the man had a car nearby.

 

[shergal]

Just in case anyone thinks that Dan Rassier is just now giving us this story about seeing a small car turn around in his driveway, below is an excerpt from the October 24, 1989 St Cloud Times article follow Jacob’s abduction.

“I saw headlights kind of close together, like a small car,” said Dan Rassier, who lives on a farm at (xxxxx) (XX)st Avenue. “It caught my attention because it’s unusual for a car to be out here at that time.”
A bloodhound from the Minneapolis police department led officers to the tire tracks, confirming their hunch that the man had a car nearby.

I remember that and I guess I was always under the impression that it was that one car he saw turn around in his driveway. I think it's the second car coming all the way in and turning around also that I don't recall hearing about.

 

[human]

I remember that and I guess I was always under the impression that it was that one car he saw turn around in his driveway. I think it's the second car coming all the way in and turning around also that I don't recall hearing about.

To review, we had that discussion a few posts ago.

I thought it was the car that caused him to call LE. Others said it was the men with flashlights,

That caused me to wonder why he did not hear the amount of sirens that must have been blaring as they came up the property.

So which is it?

I agree with Sher. I had never heard the story of the car coming in the daytime. That is a new one on me

 

[ELOCsoul]

I remember that and I guess I was always under the impression that it was that one car he saw turn around in his driveway. I think it's the second car coming all the way in and turning around also that I don't recall hearing about.

This is my theory (not my opinion of what happened) of how this all came down in 2004:

Back in 1989, DR tells LE of the 2 cars he sees in his driveway that day / night. LE and the media focus on the 2nd car only, because that one appears to be relevant to Jacob's abduction. LE confirms there are tire tracks in DR's driveway by the house (this is speculation on my part) and we know they found tracks by where Jacob's footprints disappear.

LE looks for a small car involved in Jacob's abduction. Finally, Kevin comes forward with his information. LE clears Kevin as a suspect, and then they theorize that from the info DR has given them, Kevin's car is supposedly the 3rd car that went into DR's driveway that day / night. LE had confirmed the presence of tire tracks by DR's buildings (again, my theory) - they can understand how 2 sets of car tracks could mostly overlap, but they don't believe 3 cars could have taken the same path. LE comes to the conclusion that 3 cars in DR's driveway is unlikely - they believe only 1 car was in the driveway and that it was Kevin's after the abduction. Therefore, they believe Jacob was abducted on foot, and they believe it to be local.

Simultaneously, the media continues to focus on the one car again - which is Kevin. Knowing that Kevin was cleared of suspicion, and probably getting some "suggestion" from LE, attention turns to DR exclusively. In light of opportunity, lack of alibi, assumption of abduction on foot - DR becomes the primary suspect in the case. It's a logical and convenient solution to the case - but, in my opinion is also based largely on "they got nothing else to go on."

Again, this is only my theory of how LE's theory evolved after 2004.

 

[amber1]

Parents of missing MN children have renewed hope after the safe recovery of the Cleveland Girls:
"Please don't forget these people"-Jacob Wetterling Foundation
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/tag/jacob-wetterling/

Come home Jacob!!!!

 

[human]

I cannot get the quote function to work

He says that it was unusual for a car to be out here at that time.

Um. He does not say that it is unusual for a car to be up by his house after coming up the long driveway. He says, "here". Where is here? Very strange to me. Would he not talk about coming up to his house?

 

[linniluna]

I'm watching an interview with the guy who was a POI on my local news right now.

He says there was a tan car at the end of his driveway. He also says that "no one drives like that" in the afternoon. He called 911 because he saw flashlights that night and thought someone was stealing his wood... and it's said he sounded too nervous in the call, but they didn't save the tape.

I guess it's good this case is getting attention again, but I don't think any revelations were made in this report. I certainly didn't learn anything new. I was kinda hoping for something more when I tuned in.

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

Dan Rassier was interviewed by Esme Murphy on WCCO news tonight. They mentioned that Dan is working with Joy (who owns the blog we've been discussing) in hopes of solving Jacob's case. He talked about the tan car being a key to finding the kidnapper and also how they never saved the recording of his 911 call to the police. I'm assuming that eventually WCCO will update their site to include either an article or a video clip of the news story.

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

I guess it's good this case is getting attention again, but I don't think any revelations were made in this report. I certainly didn't learn anything new. I was kinda hoping for something more when I tuned in.

There may not have been anything "new" to report, however, it did very verify for us that he is in fact in contact with Joy.

 

[linniluna]

There may not have been anything "new" to report, however, it did very verify for us that he is in fact in contact with Joy.

That's true, I just wish that something case breaking would be uncovered. I try, but I'm not the most patient person :sigh:

 

[shergal]

Here's a link to the interview from WCCO.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/...est-goes-through-day-of-wetterling-abduction/

Some new things I learned:
DR was never told the results of his lie detector test. So posters that have claimed on here over the years that "he passed" must have just been guessing, since Dan doesn't even know himself.

DR says he is working with Joy Baker to "put out information about what he really did and saw that night." "How can I clear my name without getting the crime solved,” Rassier said.

I still don't understand DR's reasoning here:
"He insists the key to the case is a tan car similar a Monte Carlo that he told police sped into his yard the afternoon of the abduction.
“I’m convinced 100 percent whoever was driving that afternoon car…you have your kidnapper. No one drives like that in broad daylight,” Rassier said. “That is what I told police from the beginning.”

Why would a car driving fast in the afternoon be the same guy who would come back and kidnap Jacob later that night?? Not sure I understand his reasoning on this. There was a big polka mass and festival that Sunday just north of DR's home at the Del-Win ballroom. The driver could have been anyone who had been at that polka fest and was possibly drinking and driving too fast, got lost and was hurrying to get out of there after they realized they had turned into a private drive instead of a back road.

I also found this quote interesting:
“The person in the area who probably did this could have taken Jacob’s body and hidden it in our gravel pit,” Rassier told Patty Wetterling.

So it sounds like DR feels some person in the area probably did this also. Interesting.

 

[ELOCsoul]

Here's a link to the interview from WCCO.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/...est-goes-through-day-of-wetterling-abduction/

.

I was surprised to learn that DR's 911 call came much later in the evening than I would have thought - almost 2 hours after LE had been called from the Wetterling home. With the time gap, I can now understand how he could have fallen asleep after seeing the 2nd vehicle.