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

[midwestphd]

People are wondering, as well as I am, , " Could a grown man be so stupid as to do an abduction in his own driveway?"

This has nothing to do with this case, I think. It is another priest from MN, but he did not serve in that area that I know of.

He was busted for having *advertiser censored* on his computer, but now they are looking at him for child *advertiser censored*.

2 things. The church cover up and the most important. The priest gave his computer to a rummage sale and that is how the images were found.

How stupid is that?????? So how stupid are pervs? You decide

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/stor...sored*-case-involving-minn-priest-archdiocese

I heard about this on the radio. Local LE was quoted on the radio saying, "We trusted that the church would do the right thing. And we can see how far that got us."

 

[ELOCsoul]

DR stopping by the mailbox doesn't raise any flags for anyone..it's thinking much deeper than that... because after all these years and everything that's happened it was just funny how that was one of the things he remembered about the day is all.

My point exactly. He lived there, of course his "presence" in terms of prints and / or scent would be expected to be all over the place. I just find it odd that after 23 years he mentions picking up the newspaper by the mailbox (abduction scene). Could it be that he was trying to pre-emptively explain his presence at that spot that day, in case it had come up in LE evidence reports? Yet he can't remember if he saw a person in the passenger seat of a strange car in his driveway via normal memory vs hypnosis? Why remember picking up the paper? Why even mention it?

Again, not saying that this tidbit should draw suspicion to DR. I just find it a curiosity.

 

[midwestphd]

DR saying he went to the mailbox is another one of those little "coincidences" that keep pointing to DR. I agree that there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for him saying that: it was true. It is his property.

And yet, Wisdom is right that he does admit to being at the crime scene. In the evening. Did he go out there earlier, maybe to get the mail, and then see the boys coming down the road? Is that what Aaron heard in the ditch?

He admits to being at the crime scene. He's the only one, other than Kevin.

 

[marlins]

My point exactly. He lived there, of course his "presence" in terms of prints and / or scent would be expected to be all over the place. I just find it odd that after 23 years he mentions picking up the newspaper by the mailbox (abduction scene). Could it be that he was trying to pre-emptively explain his presence at that spot that day, in case it had come up in LE evidence reports? Yet he can't remember if he saw a person in the passenger seat of a strange car in his driveway via normal memory vs hypnosis? Why remember picking up the paper? Why even mention it?

It also seems odd that DR went to the mailbox late in the afternoon to grab his Sunday paper. To most, the Sunday paper is a morning tradition to be enjoyed with breakfast and coffee.

 

[cGorg]

A teacher better have a commanding presence or they will be toast with the kids.

I think the " Don't look back or I will shoot, " is totally a cliche phrase. I would expect,that phrase in many mystery and action thriller books. Nothing interesting about that phrase to me.

With all of the perverts listed on here, there sure are enough to go around for plenty of crime.

And those are only the ones that are caughtt

but didn't the perp say: 'don't look back or I'll shoot?'

 

[cGorg]

In the lower right picture. What is the narrow dirt road the tape is on?

What is the wide dirt road directly across?

Is the police car in one picture on the narrow dirt road?

As a rural 'kid'...I'd say the narrow dirt road is an 'approach'....something farm vehicles accessed the fields.
The 'wide dirt road across' is the gravel driveway to DR's farmhouse.
The police car is on the west 'dirt road'...the 'approach' as I call it. Looking at that picture...it's a low cut grass field....no crops per se. Where the 'woods' are I don't know.....there's a row of trees in the distance....but 'woods'? And given the darkness....why would the perp say to run toward those woods if it was so dark? there must have been some sort of ambient light to discern that there were woods in the distance.

 

[Trackergd]

The fact DR walked up the driveway to the mailbox and back should have been obvious in the print evidence. If more of his tracks were found at the abduction scene and mixed with Jacobs prints, that would directly contradict is statements of only being there to check the mailbox. The taped area does not contain all of the foot prints visible in the picture. I would have also checked for prints along both sides of the paved road and the access road to the field. The prints from the other boys should have been on that road or in the field as either prints or vegetation push downs. Why is the crime scene tape on the field access road if Jacobs prints were in DR's driveway?

 

[thenotebook]

DR saying he went to the mailbox is another one of those little "coincidences" that keep pointing to DR. I agree that there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for him saying that: it was true. It is his property.

And yet, Wisdom is right that he does admit to being at the crime scene. In the evening. Did he go out there earlier, maybe to get the mail, and then see the boys coming down the road? Is that what Aaron heard in the ditch?

He admits to being at the crime scene. He's the only one, other than Kevin.

I don't think he meant that he got the paper in the evening. When he said "it was a beautiful day" to me that sounds like it was still light out, so maybe more around 4-5pm in the afternoon, not around 9pm when the boys would have been strolling by

 

[thenotebook]

Why is the crime scene tape on the field access road if Jacobs prints were in DR's driveway?

I think they had the tape there because that is where the scooter and bicycles were. Maybe they then removed the bikes/scooter but left the tape to search the ground for evidence

 

[Trackergd]

I think they had the tape there because that is where the scooter and bicycles were. Maybe they then removed the bikes/scooter but left the tape to search the ground for evidence

Got it. When I look at the picture of the detective spraying the prints, I can see the tape, this is what got my orientation of the scene mixed up.

What I am getting at, is if there were any prints on the field access road (and I am betting there were), why would they drive a police car over them as shown in one picture?

I hope they got lots of good pictures and casts, because it appears to me from the pictures that the print evidence and the crime scene were not well secured and marked. I really hate when that happens....

Was this all handled by the rural police department, or were State resources brought in?

 

[thenotebook]

Good points Tracker. They brought in the FBI very quickly....the next day I believe. I think there ended up being way too many "cooks in the kitchen" so to speak, they had alllll sorts of police departments and investigators around. It was a zoo from what I've read.

 

[Trackergd]

Good points Tracker. They brought in the FBI very quickly....the next day I believe. I think there ended up being way too many "cooks in the kitchen" so to speak, they had alllll sorts of police departments and investigators around. It was a zoo from what I've read.

And that points directly towards an initially bumbled investigation by individuals without the proper background and training to know what they were looking at and/or how to preserve evidence...hence the patrol car parked on the access road. This happens all too often in SAR missions...we get to the pace last seen and it looks like a Fred Astaire dance class was held there. We Trackers call it the AOTD "Area Of Total Destruction" and we have to circle it to find the prints of the missing person exiting from it.

I wonder if this is why they are not sharing information with me? The darn shame of it is that if there are a lot of good photographs, I might sill be able to pick something out and make them look good.....

 

[shergal]

I would think the FBI at the time had footprint experts study the prints and take pics and make the casts of them. I'm willing to bet if you went to the sheriff's office in person and spoke with them and they realized you had specialized knowledge it would be very different than just getting a call or email from someone out of state who would like to see the pictures.

The perp is still out there somewhere, so I can understand that they aren't going to hand photos out to anyone who asks.

 

[human]

That makes total sense sher!

 

[ELOCsoul]

I would think the FBI at the time had footprint experts study the prints and take pics and make the casts of them. I'm willing to bet if you went to the sheriff's office in person and spoke with them and they realized you had specialized knowledge it would be very different than just getting a call or email from someone out of state who would like to see the pictures.

The perp is still out there somewhere, so I can understand that they aren't going to hand photos out to anyone who asks.

It's clear that once outside authorities came into the case, the next morning, that greater care was taken to preserve the crime scene.

Note however that DR says within a few days of the abduction, the searchers were allowed to run their horses all over the path that the 3 cars took in his driveway on the day of the abduction. He says LE never investigated that area until later. Wonder why they would put up crime scene tape in the driveway and by the mailbox, and make no attempt whatsoever to protect the tire tracks up by the DR residence and outbuildings??

 

[ELOCsoul]

Trackergd
SAR Search Manager

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Posts: 467
Initial Print Analysis:
Yellow: Tire Prints - Narrow bias ply ribbed tire pattern
Light weight or smaller vehicle. Defined sharp edge.

Red: Not sure about these - Unknown disturbances if no other
pictures are available.

Blue: Larger prints with force - Heel digs? Mounding on sides
Very deep with force. Cannot tell if sole pattern is like green.

Green: Shallow prints - flat with little force or mounding
No defined pattern - Flat sole shoe?

Red W/Yellow: Great pattern prints - flat bottom rib pattern
Commonly called a "crepe" sole
LE should have been able to tell if these were Jacobs or a perp

Jumble of prints with a tire track. "Appears" to be more than one person and some on top of others. Cannot tell if red marked disturbances are prints that were run over or disturbances caused by stones that caused mounding by weight of car.
Attached Thumbnails

Tracker,

Take a look at the picture of the footprints again, something I noticed to help orientation. Notice the shadows on the far side of the deeper prints? The camera angle is facing mostly south, a little southwest. The prints seem to veer toward the bottom of the picture at this point - towards the fence that is along the driveway.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37778&d=1380809058

 

[ELOCsoul]

Someone asked where were the woods that the perp told the boys to run to. Well I think they were straight ahead from the abduction site. See the attached picture from Joy's website.

The Wetterling home and Tom Thumb location are accurate as indicated. The abduction location is off a bit though. The abduction took place between the "A" and the "v" in the word "Avenue" on the street. I believe the woods straight across the road from DR's driveway are the woods the boys were ordered to run to.

 

[midwestphd]

I don't think he meant that he got the paper in the evening. When he said "it was a beautiful day" to me that sounds like it was still light out, so maybe more around 4-5pm in the afternoon, not around 9pm when the boys would have been strolling by

Or he's lying about a bunch of stuff.

 

[cGorg]

You could make the equal argument that the man was LE as many departments adopted the SWAT or Military BDU uniform in black as a major cost savings over custom uniforms. And LE are trained to use a "command presence" voice.

It should be noted that BDU uniforms pants are available from many outlets and mail order. Black "cargo pants" can also be mistaken for BDU's.

Black is only used by LE, SWAT and Security firms. The Army has always used OD green, jungle pattern, cammo pattern and now digital. The Air Force and Navy also use a digital pattern in either greens or blues.

Isn't black also worn by clergy?

 

[cGorg]

Trackergd
SAR Search Manager

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: S.E. Pennsylvania
Posts: 467
Initial Print Analysis:
Yellow: Tire Prints - Narrow bias ply ribbed tire pattern
Light weight or smaller vehicle. Defined sharp edge.

Red: Not sure about these - Unknown disturbances if no other
pictures are available.

Blue: Larger prints with force - Heel digs? Mounding on sides
Very deep with force. Cannot tell if sole pattern is like green.

Green: Shallow prints - flat with little force or mounding
No defined pattern - Flat sole shoe?

Red W/Yellow: Great pattern prints - flat bottom rib pattern
Commonly called a "crepe" sole
LE should have been able to tell if these were Jacobs or a perp

Jumble of prints with a tire track. "Appears" to be more than one person and some on top of others. Cannot tell if red marked disturbances are prints that were run over or disturbances caused by stones that caused mounding by weight of car.
Attached Thumbnails

Tracker,

Take a look at the picture of the footprints again, something I noticed to help orientation. Notice the shadows on the far side of the deeper prints? The camera angle is facing mostly south, a little southwest. The prints seem to veer toward the bottom of the picture at this point - towards the fence that is along the driveway.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37778&d=1380809058

ELOCsoul....your observation is VERY profound. I have had to go back + forth studying your statement as well as the photograph. I had always looked at that photo assuming that the fenceline was on the top(north) of the picture....however, your comment that the photographer is actually facing southwest based upon shadowlines turns the mind 180 degrees! If this is the case, THEN: the footprints are leading NE to the farmstead(DR dragging Jacob) OR the perp with Jacob in tow stops, then turns, forcing Jacob into the vehicle that is facing west. I simply cannot tell by the photograph what the footprints are 'saying'. I notice the horizontal striations(perpendicular to the length of the shoe) of 2 footprints(assuming they are the same footprint)....one facing east and the other facing southwest....could be the perp forcing Jacob into the vehicle. (Perp + Jacob) Walking from the west, heading east, upon reaching the vehicle their footprints abruptly change direction as the vehicle is facing west. A 180 degree if you will...to enter the vehicle. However, if DR was dragging Jacob east and there was resistance, then this would explain the confluence of footprints...he(DR) would have carried Jacob beyond this point. I don't know which scenario governs....but your observation of the footprints is enlightening.