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

[human]

Excellent point cgorg!

 

[shergal]

cGorg, I found this on the saintautumn blog - this sounds to me like the "new cop" who was sitting across form Tom Thumb was there expressly to stop the Wetterlings when they turned into their road and drive them home.

"We finally arrived at our road and it was a nightmare. There was a squad car, and the police stopped us and drove us home."

I also saw another mention of the guy arrested for burglary who was a previously convicted sex offender. (I'm not sure if saintautumn is an earlier blog of Joy's or done by someone else that posts here at WS, they could just be updating it as we find new information here.)

"Eighteen months after Jacob’s disappearance a man was arrested for burglary in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Upon running a criminal background check, law enforcement officials discovered that the man was a previously convicted sex offender. Further, the St. Joseph police learned that in October, 1989 the man had lived closer to Jacob’s abduction site than did the Wetterling family; yet, local police had not been aware of his presence within the community. In fact, unbeknownst to local police at the time of Jacob’s disappearance, there were halfway houses in the St. Joseph area that housed sex offenders upon their release from prison. This information was disconcerting because during the search it was commonly assumed that Jacob’s kidnapper had attempted similar behavior in the past. The St. Joseph police lamented that prior knowledge of the presence of these previously convicted sex offenders may have prevented Jacob’s abduction in the first place."

The part I have bolded below - it sounds like there were only one set of tire tracks in the driveway. Because once Kevin told them he had left the tracks they "abandoned the idea of a car taking Jacob." "THE" tracks implies there was only one set, IMO. So I think the discrepancy we're seeing in the timeline shows there were no other fresh tire tracks in the driveway.

"In 2003 the long held belief that the abductor took Jacob away in a car was abandoned when a man named Kevin, came forward to tell the police he had left the tire tracks in the driveway after hearing about the abduction on a police scanner and rushed to the scene in his car leaving the tire tracks behind. The driver told authorities that in 1989 he had given his name and explanation for being there to an officer at the abduction scene. No record of the conversation exists though. Also, the boys did not see or hear a vehicle that night of the abduction, so the police believe that the abductor got away with Jacob on foot, which would make the abductor someone local."

Info in quote marks taken from... http://saintautumn.wordpress.com/

 

[shergal]

It seems there were several other abductions and attempted abductions in late 1989 also that we haven't heard much about. Numbers 1 and 2 below are mentioned in the SA blog.
1. Nov. 17, 1989: A detailed description of a car involved in the attempted abduction of a 13-year-old boy in Roberts, Wis., is released.

2. Dec. 12, 1989: Authorities rule out any links between Jacob’s abduction and that of a 10-year-old Spring Lake Park boy.

3. Dec. 14th, 1989 was when they first started tying Jacob's abduction to Jared's according to this: "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."

These 2 news article (pictured) detail further "child enticement cases" in MN and WI.

According to the first article pictured there were attempted abductions in Marion, Wisc and in Bowler, Wisc. (north of In New London, WI, in Waukesha County) where a man in a car tried luring kids into his car near their school.

The second clipping is about an attempted abduction of a boy on a bike in New Brighton, MN.

Info taken from... http://saintautumn.wordpress.com/

So it seems there were a lot more abductions going on around the MN/WI area than we previously thought.

 

[cGorg]

Originally posted by shergal
The driver told authorities that in 1989 he had given his name and explanation for being there to an officer at the abduction scene. No record of the conversation exists though.

'At the abduction scene'. What? Is this a misquote in reporting? Faulty police work?

 

[cGorg]

It seems there were several other abductions and attempted abductions in late 1989 also that we haven't heard much about. Numbers 1 and 2 below are mentioned in the SA blog.
1. Nov. 17, 1989: A detailed description of a car involved in the attempted abduction of a 13-year-old boy in Roberts, Wis., is released.

2. Dec. 12, 1989: Authorities rule out any links between Jacob’s abduction and that of a 10-year-old Spring Lake Park boy.

3. Dec. 14th, 1989 was when they first started tying Jacob's abduction to Jared's according to this: "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."

These 2 news article (pictured) detail further "child enticement cases" in MN and WI.

According to the first article pictured there were attempted abductions in Marion, Wisc and in Bowler, Wisc. (north of In New London, WI, in Waukesha County) where a man in a car tried luring kids into his car near their school.

The second clipping is about an attempted abduction of a boy on a bike in New Brighton, MN.

Info taken from... http://saintautumn.wordpress.com/

So it seems there were a lot more abductions going on around the MN/WI area than we previously thought.

shergal...thanks for posting these. I read them a few months ago but had forgotten about them. These postings make me more confused especially in that these other abductions/attempts involved a car. If Kevin's tracks are the only tracks then how could a car be involved in Jacob's case?

 

[human]

shergal...thanks for posting these. I read them a few months ago but had forgotten about them. These postings make me more confused especially in that these other abductions/attempts involved a car. If Kevin's tracks are the only tracks then how could a car be involved in Jacob's case?

Yup. Problem there, no?

 

[puppyraiser]

Does anyone see a slight resemblance between the person in the first sketch posted and the third in the series of three or the last one? BTW-person in first sketch is in his 60's, 5'6- 5'8 and husky. So add 20 yrs or so to the middle and last attachments.

 

[cGorg]

Does anyone see a slight resemblance between the person in the first sketch posted and the third in the series of three or the last one? BTW-person in first sketch is in his 60's, 5'6- 5'8 and husky. So add 20 yrs or so to the middle and last attachments.

sorry...but they look like 5 separate men to me. the difference between the 1st sketch + 5th sketch is the shape of the face and the ears-both different. I still think the 5th sketch looks like Meemken.

 

[shergal]

I agree with cGorg, the first sketch has a very square jaw, the others all have rounded jaws. And first sketch has flat ears, suspects ears stood out.

 

[midwestphd]

Stating the obvious here, but why didn't LE knock on DR's door right away that night when they arrived at the abduction spot? Other than the boys, someone at that house would be the best chance at finding an eyewitness. Especially if they thought a car was involved. And the boys claim to have seen the perp walking UP THE DRIVEWAY with Jacob, which matches with the footprint evidence.

So frustrating.

 

[jenilou]

shergal...thanks for posting these. I read them a few months ago but had forgotten about them. These postings make me more confused especially in that these other abductions/attempts involved a car. If Kevin's tracks are the only tracks then how could a car be involved in Jacob's case?

Maybe Jacob's was the only one not involving a car? And we can all guess why that would be. If DR could do it once he could certainly drive around and do it in other cities and states. Most of the boys that went missing were never found which is similar to Jacob- and we are pretty sure that the person who abducted Jared wasn't DR....so maybe that case has nothing to do with Jacob and the others, but what if Jacob and the others are all tied together? Just a thought. Time frame fits. I wonder if the various authorities have looked into DR and his whereabouts when the others went missing.

 

[marlins]

Dan Rassier out of state marathons 1998-2008:

06/21/1998--- San Diego CA (Rock n Roll Marathon)

02/15/2004--- Austin TX (Austin Marathon)

04/25/2004--- Oklahoma City OK (Oklahoma City Marathon)

06/11/2005--- Marathon, IA (Marathon to Marathon)

05/07/2006: Lincoln Nebraska (Lincoln National Guard Marathon)

06/03/2006--- South Bend IN (Sunburst Marathon)

10/15/2006--- Des Moines IA (Des Moines Marathon)

04/15/2007--- St Louis (Spirit of St Louis Marathon)

11/18/2007--- Overland Park, KS (Gobbler to Grind Marathon)

04/02/2006--- Toledo OH (Glass City Marathon)

04/29/2007--- Medford, OR (Pine Line Marathon)

05/19/2007--- Fargo ND (Fargo Marathon)

10/22/2007--- Des Moines (Des Moines Marathon)

03/30/2008--- Cape May County, NY (Ocean Drive Marathon)

10/19/2008--- Des Moines IA (Des Moines Marathon)

------- This guy really gets around! It would be interesting if ANY abductions occurred near ANY of these cities while DR was there...

 

[marlins]

Cape may NJ not NY

 

[human]

I wonder if he has hook ups to meet up with other guys who like what he does?

 

[jenilou]

Great work Marlins! where did you find those? I wonder if there are any records of older races.

 

[marlins]

Great work Marlins! where did you find those? I wonder if there are any records of older races.

Thanks. I had to go through numerous websites to piece it together. Unfortuently, I couldn't find any records earlier than 1998.

 

[ELOCsoul]

shergal, that's really what should be done. not sure if a group of people doing it would be a good idea but to verify the conditions would be worth knowing to end the speculation. i'm sure it's uncomfortable for anyone to stop in this area to investigate as one would appear to be 'lurking' and especially if Jerry or Patty were to drive by. I have a feeling one could sense the frightening aspects of the abduction by simply visiting that area in the dark.

cGorg - below is a re-post of my info from fall 2012 when I visited the abduction area well after dark. It felt creepy to be out there at night for sure!

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 Jacob’s 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 Jacob’s 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 DR’s 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 don’t 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 you’re 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. I’m 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. Doesn’t 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 Jacob’s scent only a short distance up the DR driveway, and there the scent disappeared. Had the abductor been on foot, surely Jacob’s 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, I’ll post what I heard from a few locals.

 

[cGorg]

ELOCsoul,

Thanks very much for re-posting your site visit! It chilled me to read it again. And very very descriptive and very very helpful for me to imagine the scene. Doing a 'google walk' in and of itself is sobering but to actually be there would be cold reality.
Given your experience there....do you think that 'Ben' could have actually seen MB + RB emerging from the woods?

 

[cGorg]

Does anyone see a slight resemblance between the person in the first sketch posted and the third in the series of three or the last one? BTW-person in first sketch is in his 60's, 5'6- 5'8 and husky. So add 20 yrs or so to the middle and last attachments.

puppyraiser....I have not seen the first sketch before....is this something new or a new connection of some sort?

 

[cGorg]

I wonder if he has hook ups to meet up with other guys who like what he does?

human...you mentioned DR was very muscular...I did see that marathon race photo of him running...you are right. Also, on that same page was a photo of his brother I assume. Kevin. He looked very much like DR but a little shorter.