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

[shergal]

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.

I just checked and Paynesville is actually IN Stearns County. So that kind of shoots the "LE in Stearns County didn't know theory."

http://www.google.com/#q=what+county+is+paynesville,+mn+in

 

[shergal]

I actually never heard the theory that Jacob's abduction could have been part of a prank. But since it was near Halloween, is it possible?

Aaron has also stated at first he thought it was someone playing a prank. I suppose because it seemed so unreal.

I've entertained the possibility that it was a prank where someone (Bahners, DR, whoever) just planned to scare the boys and Jacob was accidentally suffocated while being held somewhere, or hit his head and died and then whoever it was had to hide the body. It's probably not as likely as an abduction, but who knows?

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Not sure if this has been discussed but I found it in an article about the 10th anniversary:

One of the eeriest calls came several years ago, when someone claiming to be Jacob called the Jacob Wetterling Foundation office in St. Joseph at 3:13 a.m.

That morning, Patty Wetter-ling dreamed that her son was trying to phone home. She said she saw Jacob and the image of his abductor in her dream, but couldn't make out the abductor's face. Startled, she woke and looked at the clock. It was 3:11 a.m.

Authorities traced the call to a pay phone near a shipping business in New York City. "We did as much as we could in trying to find who made the call," Nohner said. "But we were never able to establish who placed [it] because it was made on a pay phone."

So someone in NYC calls up the foundation at 3:13 AM claiming to be Jacob. I know there are people who claim to be missing people, and I guess if you're smart, you would use a pay phone so you wouldn't be traced, but there is just something about the call being made at 3:13 AM that seems odd to me. And that would be 4:13 AM in NYC. Who is even up at that hour? Also, despite having many articles on Jacob's case, I can't find any mention of this call besides the 10th anniversary article. There are many articles on sightings of Jacob. It makes you wonder if they kept the call out of the media on purpose? And the fact that the payphone was near a shipping business. IDK. It probably wasn't Jacob, but it's still weird to me.

 

[shergal]

Eileen, here are the 2 video interviews that DR did with Julie Nelson. It's in 2 parts. In the second one he mentions talking with Patty and the "prank" theory.

Also Tracker - check out the 2nd video around :32 on - I think that may be your 3 wheeler, they have several shots of LE driving all over both the road and DR's driveway with 3 wheelers, looking in the ditches.

Part 1:
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=875911&catid=396

Part 2:
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=875817

 

[cGorg]

Yea, we all make mistakes. I have said what I think about the "mistakes". Saying LE did not know about 1987 is not a mistake.

I just hope,the info is accurate and people correct the errors so that misinformation does not perpetuate itself. I think moat people have read some of the more odd, shall we say, comments out there.

Did you read ELOCsoul's post #300? Joy responded to ELOCsoul's question about the 1987 info.

 

[cGorg]

I actually never heard the theory that Jacob's abduction could have been part of a prank. But since it was near Halloween, is it possible?

It (the prank) has been discussed here previously. I don't think it's a prank despite being close to Halloween. IMHO it's a deliberate, focussed effort to abduct a young boy.

 

[cGorg]

Not sure if this has been discussed but I found it in an article about the 10th anniversary:



So someone in NYC calls up the foundation at 3:13 AM claiming to be Jacob. I know there are people who claim to be missing people, and I guess if you're smart, you would use a pay phone so you wouldn't be traced, but there is just something about the call being made at 3:13 AM that seems odd to me. And that would be 4:13 AM in NYC. Who is even up at that hour? Also, despite having many articles on Jacob's case, I can't find any mention of this call besides the 10th anniversary article. There are many articles on sightings of Jacob. It makes you wonder if they kept the call out of the media on purpose? And the fact that the payphone was near a shipping business. IDK. It probably wasn't Jacob, but it's still weird to me.

I had read this article as well. I thought that Patty's dream and awakening was at 3:13 am and the call placed to the JW Foundation was at the same exact time and that the call was recorded on an answering machine. Very very strange. I would never doubt a parent's intuition about one of their own children.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I had read this article as well. I thought that Patty's dream and awakening was at 3:13 am and the call placed to the JW Foundation was at the same exact time and that the call was recorded on an answering machine. Very very strange. I would never doubt a parent's intuition about one of their own children.

Yes, the part about Patty having the dream and waking up 2 minutes before is weird. I agree with you about a mother's initiation. And apparently, all the caller said was "It's Jacob" right? Or they haven't released everything. It's odd though because normally when you hear about people pretending to be missing children, there are comments from the parents saying how upset they were, but there wasn't any of that. And it's weird too that there was nothing about how the voice compared to Jacob's. And how they kept the call and the search for the caller out of the media until 1999. And the call being called "eerie" instead of "disgusting" or "exploitative". IDK...I just feel like it wasn't treated like it normally is when people pretend to be a missing child. And I am not saying it was Jacob, but what if they couldn't 100% eliminate it?

 

[human]

Did you read ELOCsoul's post #300? Joy responded to ELOCsoul's question about the 1987 info.

Yes. My point exactly. Clear up the disinformation right away so it does not become urban legend

 

[human]

Yes, the part about Patty having the dream and waking up 2 minutes before is weird. I agree with you about a mother's initiation. And apparently, all the caller said was "It's Jacob" right? Or they haven't released everything. It's odd though because normally when you hear about people pretending to be missing children, there are comments from the parents saying how upset they were, but there wasn't any of that. And it's weird too that there was nothing about how the voice compared to Jacob's. And how they kept the call and the search for the caller out of the media until 1999. And the call being called "eerie" instead of "disgusting" or "exploitative". IDK...I just feel like it wasn't treated like it normally is when people pretend to be a missing child. And I am not saying it was Jacob, but what if they couldn't 100% eliminate it?

I am not talking about this very personal moment for Patty.

They got many calls and they had many people saying all kinds of things. Some sincere and some? who knows what their crazy motives are.

Everyday they have to go past the site. My heart aches for this amazing loving family.

 

[PonderingU]

Not sure if this has been discussed but I found it in an article about the 10th anniversary:



So someone in NYC calls up the foundation at 3:13 AM claiming to be Jacob. I know there are people who claim to be missing people, and I guess if you're smart, you would use a pay phone so you wouldn't be traced, but there is just something about the call being made at 3:13 AM that seems odd to me. And that would be 4:13 AM in NYC. Who is even up at that hour? Also, despite having many articles on Jacob's case, I can't find any mention of this call besides the 10th anniversary article. There are many articles on sightings of Jacob. It makes you wonder if they kept the call out of the media on purpose? And the fact that the payphone was near a shipping business. IDK. It probably wasn't Jacob, but it's still weird to me.

I had read this too. Got chills. Myself believing highly in the significance of synchronicity, IE wakens from dream re : JW at the same time a call is left on the answering machine stating he is alive, is not something to be taken lightly IMO.

I got chills again, reading the call came near a shipping yard. My mind went directly to a movie/documentary (cant remember name) about child trafficking, and kids being shipped in large containers, similar to what a train car would look like.

 

[thenotebook]

So did they ever say what the person said on the answering machine? Did he give any information or only say "It's Jacob" and then hung up?

 

[PonderingU]

So did they ever say what the person said on the answering machine? Did he give any information or only say "It's Jacob" and then hung up?

I had read that the person said This is Jacob, I am still alive. (my recollection, could be wrong) IF that is true, I'm not feeling it was actually Jacob. Maybe someone involved in the abduction of him. Seems unlikely, that some random person would go to a phone booth in a shipping yard to make a prank call like that. Or even someone that worked in the yard. Did they just stop what they were doing for a second, and think..gee, I think I will make a prank call to the JW Foundation. I doubt it.

 

[TroyinTX]

If it was Jacob, why wouldn't he have called 911 or his own home phone? Why call the JW Foundation? Where would he get the number?

I tend to believe it was someone just playing a cruel joke.

 

[thenotebook]

Yeah, we've talked about a similar incident that happened where a call came in from a pay phone in Illinois, and it was the same thing - they called an 800# off of a missing child poster, rather than 911, which I thought was odd.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

If it was Jacob, why wouldn't he have called 911 or his own home phone? Why call the JW Foundation? Where would he get the number?

I tend to believe it was someone just playing a cruel joke.

This could be why he didn't call home:

A few weeks after Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped from the streets of St. Joseph, Ken Twit sat down with the telephone and proceeded to call the Wetterlings' home phone number in every area code in North America.

It wasn't his idea; he had heard it suggested on the radio. But the notion gnawed at him, one of the many "what ifs?" that surrounded Jacob's abduction. What if Jacob didn't know about long-distance numbers? What if he tried to call home, but didn't know where he was and thought he was still in Minnesota? What if he called his home number in a different area code and the people who answered didn't even know Jacob was missing?

So Twit, the affable pharmacist in St. Joseph, kept dialing. He called close to 130 different area codes; in 40 of them, someone picked up the phone. When they did, they heard this plea: A small boy might try to call your number. His name is Jacob Wetterling and he was kidnapped...

If he was Jacob, as for why he didn't call 911, what he knew there was no way the police were going to be able to rescue him? But he still wanted to try to let his family know he was alive. Maybe he and his abductor were about to move somewhere else?

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

This could be why he didn't call home:



If he was Jacob, as for why he didn't call 911, what he knew there was no way the police were going to be able to rescue him? But he still wanted to try to let his family know he was alive. Maybe he and his abductor were about to move somewhere else?

We don't know what kind of threats he received from his abductor, either. We can only guess. There could be numerous reasons for not calling home or 911.

 

[SpringThyme]

Maybe the Paynesville perp, Jared's abductor and Jacobs were all the same. With Jared, he got a taste of having a boy in captivity. Perhaps he did a lot of planning and stalking to abduct Jacob and take him out of state. Once under his control, who knows what threats he made to Jacob and his family. A kid would be easily to psychologically dominate. Jacob may have felt he was protecting his family by not being found. Maybe it would have been too painful to hear his mom's voice if he didn't feel he could be ultimately reunited with them. Lots of conjecture, as always.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

We don't know what kind of threats he received from his abductor, either. We can only guess. There could be numerous reasons for not calling home or 911.

This is just a theory:

Let's say Jacob and his abductor are about to move somewhere else. They want to leave at a time when no one was else is out...4:14 AM EST. Now, Jacob saw the number for the foundation at another time on a poster, and he somehow remembered it. Now, they are about to leave, and Jacob has the opportunity to make a call. Or maybe his abductor even allows him to do so, knowing they will be out of the area soon. So he calls the foundation, and he knows the chance of him ever being rescued is even more slim (maybe they are going across the ocean?) so he decides to just say a few words, let his parents know he is alive, and hope they recognize his voice.

 

[TroyinTX]

This is just a theory:

Let's say Jacob and his abductor are about to move somewhere else. They want to leave at a time when no one was else is out...4:14 AM EST. Now, Jacob saw the number for the foundation at another time on a poster, and he somehow remembered it. Now, they are about to leave, and Jacob has the opportunity to make a call. Or maybe his abductor even allows him to do so, knowing they will be out of the area soon. So he calls the foundation, and he knows the chance of him ever being rescued is even more slim (maybe they are going across the ocean?) so he decides to just say a few words, let his parents know he is alive, and hope they recognize his voice.

Did they recognize his voice? Have his parents ever said whether they believed it was truly him?