MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #6

[thenotebook]

I think that's what we're trying to figure out here. Are there two perps out there who assaulted kids in Paynesville - DAH and someone else? Or is there only one perp who did all of the assaults - DAH??

 

[Jbrown324320]

wow, I think from what I read from her blog, Joy is actually getting somewhere with Stearns County Sheriff about the assaults in the Paynesville Press. Human remembered them, I just got a subscription to their archives and looked for his name and found the article about DAH. In the article I found, it said "...Hart has not been connected to the five different incidents of a man accosting Paynesville boys in 1987..." Maybe it was because DAH was arrested in Kandiyohi County and not Stearns County? This was before the sex predator database.

The poster who wanted me to clarify why Stearns County isn't being cooperative? They don't return my emails nor do they want help from Tracker. In my personal experience, if the detective isn't getting anywhere with a case, they release a small bit of info to try to generate new leads. That wasn't done.

 

[Jbrown324320]

From what I have researched, molesting a child known over a period of time takes a lot of grooming and trust. This is one method and the method of grabbing an unknown child off the street like Jared and Jacob (I feel they are related) with two witnesses is an advanced crime with a whole level of brazenness. This is different method from someone with a lot of experience. So far in our research, DAH has experience doing the second method- kidnapping and probable molestation. RB has experience with the first method according to the arrest records.

 

[thenotebook]

Oh I completely agree with you JBrown. How could they not have known about the Paynesville stuff?? They never thought to call other police departments in the area or search through newspaper archives? Wow. And citizens are offering their help and they don't even bother to respond? I don't understand.

 

[shergal]

I'm finding it difficult to believe LE didn't know about this also, especially if it was on the front page of the Paynesville Press. Maybe the FBI knew, and just didn't coordinate with the Stearns county sheriff's office? After all, if they questioned DAH about Jared, they would have had to have known about other assaults in the area when it was mentioned in articles about Jared's assault.

I wonder if the sheriff's office is just saying they didn't know about it to any citizens who email or call in about it? They don't seem to want to work with non-LE such as Tracker or anyone else.

Even if the Paynesville cops never mentioned it to Stearns County, surely, like human said, some of those 15,000 tips would have been from residents of Paynesville that remembered it. Not sure who to believe on this case anymore.

 

[JerseyJo]

Wow....

I'll second that.

This is the part of Joy's blog that I found particularly chilling (as it possibly relates to Jacob)

"The last incident happened when two young men were riding their bikes home. One young man was grabbed off of his bike and the other young man went for help."

The entire article was actually chilling, so many similarities to Jacob's abduction.

I do find it rather curious though regarding the time frame of the 5 Paynesville incidents. Joy states "Every instance occurred on a weekend night after dark — between 9:30pm and 2:00am."

I can't imagine young boys, even at age 16, out alone at 2:00am.

 

[human]

This has been bothering me all day.

The idea of these assaults has been known for months now, but Joy kept it to herself.

At least 5 boys were affected by this and perhaps Jarrd and Jacob.

So what does Joy do? She waits until the anniversary date like it's a big reveal like on reality TV shows.

What is this all about? Some career move ? A way to make money? What?

Using these kids is reprehensible to me. If there was true compassion, it would not have come out like this.

Others, such as Tracker and JBrown as well as midwestphd have given of themselves without fanfare. Just care.

I am gob smacked, as they say in England

 

[Cappuccino]

I'll second that.

This is the part of Joy's blog that I found particularly chilling (as it possibly relates to Jacob)

"The last incident happened when two young men were riding their bikes home. One young man was grabbed off of his bike and the other young man went for help."

The entire article was actually chilling, so many similarities to Jacob's abduction.

I do find it rather curious though regarding the time frame of the 5 Paynesville incidents. Joy states "Every instance occurred on a weekend night after dark — between 9:30pm and 2:00am."

I can't imagine young boys, even at age 16, out alone at 2:00am.

If they snuck out without permission I could imagine it.

 

[Alyssa2013]

You said before that the perpetrator would lure boys and try to gain their trust first before abducting them, but isn't there a possibility that if he was really desperate he would go out on a limb and break that pattern? I'm just wondering because you made it seem as if he fit a particular MO.

 

[shergal]

So the article I found saying the festival was going on when Jacob was abducted was correct. I'll see if I can find more articles now that I know the exact name later.

eileen: I was just reading back a ways, did you ever find any more info on the festival?

 

[ELOCsoul]

So, ELOC, you posted about this back on Aug. 22 on here. (link and post below) So did you give this info to Joy back then, and then she went searching through 1987 papers in Paynesville to find more info? I'm trying to understand the delay from August to October. You said in your post in August "let's not forget there were several boys assaulted in the Paynesville area in 1987" like it was common knowledge. Has this been posted about previously on this board? I think at the time we all assumed you were talking about DAH's numerous assaults.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215905&page=23

post 574 From ELOCsoul:

"Regarding the masked man - let's not forget there were several boys assaulted in the Paynesville area in 1987, by a man who either wore a mask or hid his face. This, in the Paynesville Press, 1/30/90:

So far, Hart has not been connected to the five different incidents of a man accosting Paynesville boys in 1987, Kleinhuizen said. The boys assaulted in those incidents ranged from 12 to 16 years of age. The man doing the accosting in those incidents was reported by Paynesville Police to be about 5' 10" tall, not fat, but chunky. He always wore dark or black clothing and none of the boys accosted were able to see the man's face. In some instances, the man wore a ski mask.

Remember that Duane Allen Hart's MO, that we know of, was less mysterious. He allegedly assaulted several boys repeatedly, and tended to lure them rather than abduct or surprise them.

Note also that the (physical) description of the 1987 perp is virtually identical to Jared's abductor."

I dunno. The article I found was from 1990. I may have shared that info, probably did. But I'm glad Joy followed up on it - really shocking if LE didn't check this out back in 1989.

One note of caution however - Keep in mind that at this point it's "current" LE that was not familiar with these 1987 abductions. They very well may have been checked out by the FBI and found to be irrelevant. Then again, maybe they missed it. One thing I do know, I've read a LOT of the St Cloud Times the past couple of years, and I don't recall ever reading about the 1987 crimes being checked out in relation to Jacob's case.

This will hopefully turn out to be a big break in the case. And even if it doesn't, I hope it will serve to be a reminder to all to keep looking, and that means keep looking in places you've already looked once or twice before. This is simply a process of sharing info, making connections, and exploring possibilities.

 

[ELOCsoul]

This has been bothering me all day.

The idea of these assaults has been known for months now, but Joy kept it to herself.

At least 5 boys were affected by this and perhaps Jarrd and Jacob.

So what does Joy do? She waits until the anniversary date like it's a big reveal like on reality TV shows.

What is this all about? Some career move ? A way to make money? What?

Using these kids is reprehensible to me. If there was true compassion, it would not have come out like this.

Others, such as Tracker and JBrown as well as midwestphd have given of themselves without fanfare. Just care.

I am gob smacked, as they say in England

Human - understood. However, think about a couple of things:

1. We had the info here on WS but nobody followed up on it that much. Even I didn't report it to LE, as I have done with some things I come across.

2. It looks like Joy did exactly as she should - find out some info, check with Jared about it, and forward it to LE. This could have taken weeks to accomplish, and obviously sensitive material here if it turns out to be newly discovered info w/ regards to Jacob's case.

3. What better day to release the info? Today it's on everyone's minds - people are googling it, searching for more info. More people today than any other day. It only takes that 1 single person to google, find the blog, and remember something from 1987.

4. I posted about this very same story, twice. And, you mentioned it once in one of your posts too. Are we guilty for not following up on it? (no, we're not)

Ok, so maybe that's 4 things.

 

[Jbrown324320]

I just hope and pray the Stearns County office does it's research and not be a sitting duck on this. The only way to get this solved is to follow all tips, allow help from all sides and determine if the info is any good. They also won't solve it if they just focus on one perpetrator without looking at all the possibilities. I still can't believe how many child sex predators there were and are in such a small town area right here in my home state. It's like an unspoken cancer that gets bigger and bigger and claims more victims every day, every year.

 

[human]

ELOC, I am more outraged than ever.

We were led to believe that this was new information. That this was a new discovery.

BS. To imply that LE did not know about this is unconscionable. The perp is probably laughing and laughing.

I have reported crimes to LE . They do not apprise me of what they are doing. Surprise surprise.

If people have followed cases on here, they see that LE keeps things close to their vest. How does LE know that someone on here is not the actual perps? How does LE know that a relative or close friend of Joy's is not the perp?

Disgusting to use this to further one's career or whatever it is.

 

[shergal]

Wow. "Keep in mind that at this point it's "current" LE that was not familiar with these 1987 abductions." That's not what is stated on Joy's blog.

She says: "I emailed the Stearns County Sheriff Department and told them Jared wanted to meet with them so he could learn more about his own case, and these five assault cases from 1987.
As it turns out, they had never heard of these five cases."

Talk about misleading.

 

[ELOCsoul]

Wow. "Keep in mind that at this point it's "current" LE that was not familiar with these 1987 abductions." That's not what is stated on Joy's blog.

She says: "I emailed the Stearns County Sheriff Department and told them Jared wanted to meet with them so he could learn more about his own case, and these five assault cases from 1987.
As it turns out, they had never heard of these five cases."

Talk about misleading.

Maybe we're reading this two different ways? I'm reading it as the folks currently at Stearns County Sheriff's office have not heard of the 1987 cases. To me, that doesn't necessarily mean it's not in the files somewhere. Keep in mind that LE staff has turned over several times over the past 24 years.....

I don't see it misleading at all, maybe just needs clarifying...

Remember also what I posted from Garber's book, that from LE to LE, there wasn't much continuity or interest in prior research.

 

[human]

Joy owns a turkey farm. What is the relationship there to DAH, if any?

 

[SpringThyme]

Glad Joy and Jared are working together to look at the Paynesville connection. (Jared has even responded to questions by commenters on her blog.) The similarities to Jared and Jacob's abduction are chilling. I think all possibilities need a second and even third look. Lots of true crime writers and TV producers further their careers trying to solve cold cases. The outcome is what's most important, IMO.

Thinking of Jacob.

 

[human]

Glad Joy and Jared are working together to look at the Paynesville connection. (Jared has even responded to questions by commenters on her blog.) The similarities to Jared and Jacob's abduction are chilling. I think all possibilities need a second and even third look. Lots of true crime writers and TV producers further their careers trying to solve cold cases. The outcome is what's most important, IMO.

Thinking of Jacob.

Sure, but don't prostitute a missing child for your advantage.

 

[SpringThyme]

Sure, but don't prostitute a missing child for your advantage.

Lots of writers investigate child abductions. Of course it brings them some advantage, but there is an advantage to the victims and families if the crime is solved.

Lots of people get paid to investigate crimes and bring perps to justice.

News outlets, with paid advertisers, have promoted interviews with both Jared and DR. Joy doesn't even have ads on her site.

She's a true crime writer who is working closely with a victim to solve the case. I don't think there's any need for personal attacks, such as accusing her of being an imposter, a relative of the perp, a WS poster in disguise, or a pimp, all which have been mentioned on this board. Ad hominem attacks do nothing to further a rational analysis of the case.

It's the quality her investigative writing that should be critiqued, IMO. In that vein, all her interviews and pieces are fair game.