MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #5

[Wisdom]

I think it could've started out as some sort of prank so I'm not sure there was an initial motive because yes I believe he didn't plan to do something that extreme but he probably hit a point of no return so to speak. It really helps explain some of his erratic behavior that night and how he acted on that 911 call. I also believe the police still have that recording by the way even though it's supposedly gone. I'm guessing there is something in it that they plan to use if and when the time ever comes.

 

[cGorg]

I think it could've started out as some sort of prank so I'm not sure there was an initial motive because yes I believe he didn't plan to do something that extreme but he probably hit a point of no return so to speak. It really helps explain some of his erratic behavior that night and how he acted on that 911 call. I also believe the police still have that recording by the way even though it's supposedly gone. I'm guessing there is something in it that they plan to use if and when the time ever comes.

WOW. And I don't mean that in an excited way...more in a cold dose of reality way. Wisdom...have you been reading Joy's blog? She is taking DR's side in this and pursuing the car theory of abduction...any thoughts?

 

[Wisdom]

Yes cGorg I do follow her blog and have even commented a couple times on it. I try to keep an open mind of all possiblilities but it's really tough to ignore everything with DR. I think her blog is a good thing because it's generated alot of interest in the case again even if a person doesn't necessarily agree with everything mentioned in it but it helps keep the conversations flowing which is a good thing in any cold case.

 

[Wisdom]

I agree Human. I'm guessing DR and anyone that is friends with him keeps up with the case on this site and any of the others given the history of him being in the middle of it. I just wonder if he plans on taking this to his grave or not? Each day he wakes up could be his last which would mean the Wetterlings wouldn't get their much deserved closure so if you are paying attention poi / person responsible please do the right thing..not just for the Wetterling family but for yourself also because trust me there will be a time when you have to answer to God and you will have a much better chance if you do the right thing before you get there.

 

[human]

I agree Human. I'm guessing DR and anyone that is friends with him keeps up with the case on this site and any of the others given the history of him being in the middle of it. I just wonder if he plans on taking this to his grave or not? Each day he wakes up could be his last which would mean the Wetterlings wouldn't get their much deserved closure so if you are paying attention poi / person responsible please do the right thing..not just for the Wetterling family but for yourself also because trust me there will be a time when you have to answer to God and you will have a much better chance if you do the right thing before you get there.

Yes. That is the bottom line.

There is no absolution for this from any person, priest or pope or?

God's mercy is the only way and keeping secrets will not get anyone mercy

 

[Cappuccino]

If the culprit is Catholic, that won't work. According to the Catholic faith absolution and God's mercy are available in this life through confession and repentance. However, I would hope any priest hearing such a confession would make it a condition of absolution that the person went first and told the child's family or the police the truth.

 

[midwestphd]

At one time, I had a classmate who was later busted for child *advertiser censored*. This individual was very popular and seemed harmless, almost childlike, but was also seemingly "asexual" in that the individual showed no interest in either men or women. This was during a time period where you'd expect a person to be dating, etc. The individual also had a weird sense of humor, and in hindsight I realized the person seemed to enjoy putting others in uncomfortable (yet relatively harmless) situations. I remember one time when I observed this person seem to enjoy embarrassing another person, which was one of the first times I thought, "something's not right here." Sure enough, a few years later, the truth comes out. This is anecdotal evidence, but the discussion of DR's maturity level and practical joking made me reflect on it.

A few observations re: tire tracks:

1. I've driven on a fair number of dirt country roads. The speed limit is usually about 30mph or less because the roads can be uneven and many have a "washboard" surface. If you lose traction, you can lose control fairly easily. On these roads, there is often one set of tire tracks that everyone sort of drives in. More or less, you drive the road like it's a one way until you see a car coming, then you move over. I can see this being done in a dirt driveway--every car could line up to drive through the same "channels"/tire tracks, so to speak. Often, the dirt outside of these main tire tracks is very soft, and would easily show footprints.

2. The dirt in the DR driveway doesn't look quite as "deep" as the country roads I'm thinking about. The photos don't really show that "one" set of tire tracks. But it does seem like the more cars go up and down a driveway like this, the more compacted the dirt becomes and it gets more difficult to see any distinct tracks. I guess my point here is that it seems like it truly could go either way--maybe DR's stories about the cars coming in and out that day is a lie, or maybe the dirt shows only the latest/most fresh set of tire tracks. If the perp was walking in the well-driven area, with Jacob off to the side, it makes sense that Jacob's prints would be more visible, as the dirt toward the side of the road would be deeper and more impressionable. Of course, lots of "ifs" and "maybes" here. I just don't know.

3. If a car had driven through the ditch and any part of the grass/woods adjacent to DR property, I really believe there should have been a good chance of that car leaving some tracks in the grass. The weight of the car, especially if it had been sitting there a little while, would have crushed and/or made some path through the grass. This is ditch grass--it's longer and more wild than an average lawn. You can kind of see this happening in the photos of the bikes--upon removing the bikes from that area, it would still be clear that something had been there. And yet, it all depends on the type of vehicle--a compact car would be lighter, but it would also be lower to the ground than a truck, and therefore more likely to mow down a little bit of grass when off-roading.

It's just hard to know how much to make of the tire tracks.

Re: Wisdom's Theory of Practical Joke Gone Wrong
I like this theory. Being home alone, DR might have even seen the flashlights and thought people were messing around or causing damage to his property. For whatever reason, he decides to go out there to scare or confront them. Maybe he thought they were teenagers, or at least a little bit older than the boys, and wanted to deter them without getting the police involved. Might he have asked their ages because he was surprised they were just kids? But then what? And why Jacob?

He might have kept one boy and then sort of staged the idea that a car was responsible, therefore buying himself some time to figure out what to do next. This deflects attention from him and away from his property. If he had let all three boys run away, it's more likely that LE will focus on him and on his property. There'd be no reason for someone to flee the scene. And we know from the timeline that others have worked on that there was quite a bit of time at DR's disposal. But where is Jacob?

I'm sure LE has looked into this, but is there a chance there's an old well, or storm shelter/tornado shelter, or another kind of underground bunker so to speak on the DR property? Maybe something only the property owners would know about?

Wasn't there a photograph of DR where there's a nylon stocking hanging on a hook in the background? Not the most foolproof evidence, but still.......................

 

[Cappuccino]

Might he have asked their ages because he was surprised they were just kids?

That's the first time I've heard any suggestion about that part of the crime which made any kind of sense. I can see an adult who thought he was about to confront three teenage delinquents asking that if he was surprised to see children, but not quite sure because it was dark.

 

[midwestphd]

Was the movie the boys rented at the Tom Thumb left with the bikes? Did they drop the movie and the candy there? I don't know, but I would assume so. I thought I saw a pic of the crime scene that showed the VHS tape, but I honestly don't remember.

Is it possible DR thought this was a bunch of teenagers or troublemakers up to no good, stops them, sees that they're just kids with a movie and candy, and then realizes he's made a huge mistake? It was dark outside; he might not have expected kids this young to be out that late?

It seems SO UNWISE to confront anybody in a mask, saying you have a gun, as a practical joke. But if he thought they were older? And the gun kind of makes sense if he thought they were on his property...

He might have even read about Jared's kidnapper's MO and then copied it on the fly?!?! :twocents:

 

[Cappuccino]

Yes, that sounds like a perfectly believable scenario as far as it goes, but.....what happened to Jacob? What went wrong? This is a teacher we're talking about, and an experienced one too even in 1989. I find it hard to think of a scenario with a boy that age which got so out of control that DR had to kill him.

 

[human]

Maybe Jacob died from fear or DR squeezed him too hard. It could have been accidental.

In this picture, it looks like at least one side of the driveway has a fence

http://saintautumn.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/jacob-wetterling-search1.jpg

 

[Wisdom]

In my opinion the asking of the ages was much simpler than what people have made of it. I think by that point he obviously decided for what ever reason he was taking one of them and his adrenaline was probably going so much that he couldn't think clearly or judge age very well plus the fact of it being dark out so the questions were asked simply because he wanted to make sure he wouldn't end up with a more difficult..say sixteen plus year old to deal with.

 

[cGorg]

A few observations re: tire tracks:

1. I've driven on a fair number of dirt country roads. The speed limit is usually about 30mph or less because the roads can be uneven and many have a "washboard" surface. If you lose traction, you can lose control fairly easily. On these roads, there is often one set of tire tracks that everyone sort of drives in. More or less, you drive the road like it's a one way until you see a car coming, then you move over. I can see this being done in a dirt driveway--every car could line up to drive through the same "channels"/tire tracks, so to speak. Often, the dirt outside of these main tire tracks is very soft, and would easily show footprints.

2. The dirt in the DR driveway doesn't look quite as "deep" as the country roads I'm thinking about. The photos don't really show that "one" set of tire tracks. But it does seem like the more cars go up and down a driveway like this, the more compacted the dirt becomes and it gets more difficult to see any distinct tracks. I guess my point here is that it seems like it truly could go either way--maybe DR's stories about the cars coming in and out that day is a lie, or maybe the dirt shows only the latest/most fresh set of tire tracks. If the perp was walking in the well-driven area, with Jacob off to the side, it makes sense that Jacob's prints would be more visible, as the dirt toward the side of the road would be deeper and more impressionable. Of course, lots of "ifs" and "maybes" here. I just don't know.

3. If a car had driven through the ditch and any part of the grass/woods adjacent to DR property, I really believe there should have been a good chance of that car leaving some tracks in the grass. The weight of the car, especially if it had been sitting there a little while, would have crushed and/or made some path through the grass. This is ditch grass--it's longer and more wild than an average lawn. You can kind of see this happening in the photos of the bikes--upon removing the bikes from that area, it would still be clear that something had been there. And yet, it all depends on the type of vehicle--a compact car would be lighter, but it would also be lower to the ground than a truck, and therefore more likely to mow down a little bit of grass when off-roading.

It's just hard to know how much to make of the tire tracks.

Re: Wisdom's Theory of Practical Joke Gone Wrong
I like this theory. Being home alone, DR might have even seen the flashlights and thought people were messing around or causing damage to his property. For whatever reason, he decides to go out there to scare or confront them. Maybe he thought they were teenagers, or at least a little bit older than the boys, and wanted to deter them without getting the police involved. Might he have asked their ages because he was surprised they were just kids? But then what? And why Jacob?

He might have kept one boy and then sort of staged the idea that a car was responsible, therefore buying himself some time to figure out what to do next. This deflects attention from him and away from his property. If he had let all three boys run away, it's more likely that LE will focus on him and on his property. There'd be no reason for someone to flee the scene. And we know from the timeline that others have worked on that there was quite a bit of time at DR's disposal. But where is Jacob?

I'm sure LE has looked into this, but is there a chance there's an old well, or storm shelter/tornado shelter, or another kind of underground bunker so to speak on the DR property? Maybe something only the property owners would know about?

Wasn't there a photograph of DR where there's a nylon stocking hanging on a hook in the background? Not the most foolproof evidence, but still.......................

1. Tire Tracks: This is my last post regarding the driveway...my conclusion is there's no conclusion. Attaching a pic from Joy's blog...visit her site and see it in full color...anyway...appears to me there's multiple tire tracks and Jacob's footprints appear to be in the middle. I think the driveway is a typical Class V gravel driveway thus exhibiting characteristics of hard compactness and possibly softer areas in less driven areas. How LE concluded upon learning of Kevin's tire tracks that the perp was on foot...I don't know.
2. Practical Prank: I'm not warming to this theory as it's extremely cruel to pull a prank like that....then what? Remove the mask and say 'just kidding'? Kids would tell their parents. I think even if this was an opportunistic grab that there was malicious intent and a propensity for pedophilia.
3. If DR the perp, then where did Jacob go? As midwestphd says, there could have easily been an old fallout shelter or something to that effect...but he would have had to assume that if LE searched everything immediately that this hiding place was very well hidden. But that's the only scenario I could think of....20 minutes to get Jacob out of site + sight + sound.

 

[midwestphd]

I find it hard to think of a scenario with a boy that age which got so out of control that DR had to kill him.

I agree. It's a big stretch to go from misunderstanding/prank-gone-wrong to cold-blooded murder of a child.

It's hard to believe a perp would have traveled too far with Jacob in the car. It would be so easy to be spotted. So many of these kinds of kidnappers (Shawn Hornbeck, Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, women in Cleveland) look for a nearby target to hide quickly.

"If the cops would have searched my house that night, it would have been all over." -DR

 

[Cappuccino]

Re; the theory of DR accidentally killing Jacob in a prank gone wrong....

I'm not sure I can buy that either, because I think if that had happened and DR had no malicious intent, he would have rang an ambulance or something. Someone in that situation would call for help, wouldn't they?

I suppose there's no accounting for human nature though, so that is always possible too.

 

[cGorg]

Maybe Jacob died from fear or DR squeezed him too hard. It could have been accidental.

In this picture, it looks like at least one side of the driveway has a fence

http://saintautumn.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/jacob-wetterling-search1.jpg

I'm just not buying the prank theory...why take him in the first place?

human...yes, also that fenceline appears to still be there as well... you can also see the pic that i attached in my previous post of the investigator on the gravel driveway...looks like multiple tracks to me.

 

[Cappuccino]

I agree. It's a big stretch to go from misunderstanding/prank-gone-wrong to cold-blooded murder of a child.

It's hard to believe a perp would have traveled too far with Jacob in the car. It would be so easy to be spotted. So many of these kinds of kidnappers (Shawn Hornbeck, Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, women in Cleveland) look for a nearby target to hide quickly.

"If the cops would have searched my house that night, it would have been all over." -DR

I've seen that quote used as if its DR self-incriminating before, and I'm sorry but it doesn't impress me much. The "it" referred to in that quote could just as well apply to the suspicions and accusations hanging over DR's head as it could to the mystery of Jacob's whereabouts.

 

[cGorg]

I agree. It's a big stretch to go from misunderstanding/prank-gone-wrong to cold-blooded murder of a child.

It's hard to believe a perp would have traveled too far with Jacob in the car. It would be so easy to be spotted. So many of these kinds of kidnappers (Shawn Hornbeck, Jaycee Dugard, Elizabeth Smart, women in Cleveland) look for a nearby target to hide quickly.

"If the cops would have searched my house that night, it would have been all over." -DR

yes I agree and that goes to the reflective vest worn by Jacob mentioned before(was it you midwestphd who brought that up?)...the perp knew he would be getting Jacob out of sight quickly.
DR's quote: I assumed that to mean Jacob was not in the house. Parsing his words but he could be in another building.

 

[midwestphd]

From the crime scene pics, it looks like the VHS tape and the candy were in a brown paper bag. You can see the brown bag on top of the bikes in one of the crime scene photos. So I guess the VHS tape and candy would not have been visible to the perp, especially in the dark.

 

[Wisdom]

I agree human. Luck has been with him since the beginning and it was spur of the moment. Nothing was planned out and the case is much simpler than meets the eye. The good thing is I believe the police realize the early mistakes that were made. If he killed Jacob which is likely... as hard as that is to say... I believe he did it because he felt he had no choice since he would've been able to identify him or the location at that point. Just to clarify my opinion I don't believe he was killed accidently I just believe it started out as a possible prank of some sort and escalated from that point on after the terrible decision to take one of them.