MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #7

[VinylTravis]

Wanted to say 'Hi!' This is my first post here after studying all seven threads over the course of a couple years and am now totally caught up, so I finally registered to offer insights where I can. Forgive me/let me know if my signature is inappropriate, I just want to point out that I am a clinician in private practice and deal with aberrant behaviors for a living, unfortunately I'll never go broke doing so. I grew up about an hour away from St. Joseph and was a year or so younger than Jacob was when the abduction happened, so it left a huge mark on me. My aunt still has an original flyer on her front door, twenty five years later, you can barely make it out but it's greeted everyone knocking on her door for the last twenty five years. I hope I can offer some input or at least look at some things with fresh eyes. Thanks for having me!

 

[human]

Welcome Vinyl. Do you think DAH could commit this crime?

 

[VinylTravis]

Welcome Vinyl. Do you think DAH could commit this crime?

My experience has taught me that literally anything is possible but from what I understand he wasn't ever convicted of an abduction, stalking or attempted abduction was he? He primarily was a groomer of local non-relative youth?

Different types of pedophiles don't typically deviate from their method of choice, but The concurrent substance use disorder and other psychopathology make for an extremely unpredictable man. Intoxicated and there, he VERY WELL could have, I've personally seen more shocking things. The question would be why was he there/could he have been there?

Could he have covered it up as I've seen you ask before? I don't think he had to, if it were him. If he deviated and was sometimes or just once a stalker/abductor type, the type that is hard-wired to eliminate witnesses and keep the memory for themselves alone, it'll likely never leave his own head (he was also a loner, no?); IF it was him. I honestly believe that, very sadly, from the beginning, many opportunities were missed as the technology and crime scene investigative techniques were simply not in place.

Deep down, personally, I don't think DAH had the resources to be the perp here unless he can be tied to the man of the hour, Mr. DR.

 

[Trackergd]

Welcome VT!

"Groomer" is an interesting choice of wording. This supports the "more than one actor" theory.

If DR is an occasional stalker/abductor who eliminates evidence, would he not keep a memento of each victim? And FBI BAU agent was explaining this to me on a missing child case I worked. Something about the object causes them to relive the "moment" whenever they feel the desire.

 

[Sasquatch321]

I believe i have solved the case of jacob wetterling. When you put a vehicle on the table there is 4 billion people that could have done this. When you take the vehicle off the table there is by scientific calculations only one person that could have done this. We ruled out the vehicle ten years ago.

 

[Tammy N]

Ruling out a vehicle only limits how far Jake was immediately taken from the abduction site. It puts DR right smack in it, surely, but doesn't preclude another/others from being a part of it, and this isn't even close to 'solving' this case. If it were that simple, truly, then clearly we'd have had an arrest by now. Just sayin.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Ruling out a vehicle only limits how far Jake was immediately taken from the abduction site. It puts DR right smack in it, surely, but doesn't preclude another/others from being a part of it, and this isn't even close to 'solving' this case. If it were that simple, truly, then clearly we'd have had an arrest by now. Just sayin.

I believe law enforcement and the wetterlings are where I'm at. They have enough right now circumstancially to convict DR. But its too risky to lose, at this point we are patiently waiting and watching with a hawk on our shoulders. We got him.

 

[ELOCsoul]

I believe i have solved the case of jacob wetterling. When you put a vehicle on the table there is 4 billion people that could have done this. When you take the vehicle off the table there is by scientific calculations only one person that could have done this. We ruled out the vehicle ten years ago.

You're kidding, right? Show us a legitimate source where it says a vehicle was ruled out, please.

Now if your statement was that you have solved it to your satisfaction in your mind, that would be believable. To state that the case is solved without any support information is not.

The purpose of this forum is not to vilify Dan Rassier. Many are convinced he did it, and that's fine. Repeatedly stating that he did it has no value or effect. I hate to be blunt, but it needs to be said.

 

[Sasquatch321]

You're kidding, right? Show us a legitimate source where it says a vehicle was ruled out, please.

Now if your statement was that you have solved it to your satisfaction in your mind, that would be believable. To state that the case is solved without any support information is not.

The purpose of this forum is not to vilify Dan Rassier. Many are convinced he did it, and that's fine. Repeatedly stating that he did it has no value or effect. I hate to be blunt, but it needs to be said.

I think it's obvious I'm not taking all this is as seriously as you are. I'm just trying to humbly share my opinions, that's it. It's pretty obvious the police have refocused most of their efforts to the local part of it.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Well I believe I have put in enough time here on the case for now. I am thankful to those of you who helped me get to where I'm at now. I hope we get another break soon. Take care people.

 

[Jbrown324320]

Sasquatch, show me where LE has definitively ruled out a vehicle. I haven't see any language of the sort. And yes, we take this case very seriously. This is someone's child. How would you feel if this happened to your child?
And if anything in this case was obvious, it would have been solved by now.

 

[Jbrown324320]

Welcome Vinyl. It is nice to have someone on the thread with professional experience. DAH has sexually attacked several young male victims hundreds of times each. In different counties. He also has a record of committing sexual offenses as a juvenile and an adult. He was involuntarily committed to Moose Lake MSOP as a sexually violent person. DR I don't believe has any record at all. I do not know if there is a juvenile record for him as that would probably be sealed. There could be one though. I can not say anyone did it, but I myself would lean towards DAH than DR. DAH had school behavior problems and was kicked out, he didn't have close family (I think he was adopted) and he has alcohol related and sexual assault related offenses in his past. This is why I am leaning towards DAH.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Sasquatch, show me where LE has definitively ruled out a vehicle. I haven't see any language of the sort. And yes, we take this case very seriously. This is someone's child. How would you feel if this happened to your child?
And if anything in this case was obvious, it would have been solved by now.

From the St. Autumn Blog-

" 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."

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

DR has no criminal history (that the public is aware of), no motive (that the public is aware of), and there is no evidence linking him to any crime (that the public is aware of).

 

[Sasquatch321]

DR has no criminal history (that the public is aware of), no motive (that the public is aware of), and there is no evidence linking him to any crime (that the public is aware of).

So what does that mean? What are you implying? That he couldn't have done this? He's not a person of interest without reason.

 

[VinylTravis]

I believe i have solved the case of jacob wetterling. When you put a vehicle on the table there is 4 billion people that could have done this. When you take the vehicle off the table there is by scientific calculations only one person that could have done this. We ruled out the vehicle ten years ago.

I don't think *I* know for sure right now if there was or wasn't a vehicle. It seems to me that the scene was potentially contaminated and not preserved, obviously, to the degree it might have been today, from the onset. Take people who have just experienced major trauma and ask them to recall specific events that were happening when they were experiencing a major fight-or-flight response, is not the most accurate. Hypnosis will not 'fix' this all the time either. I don't know if DR was or wasn't involved, but perhaps a vehicle was somewhere else on the vast property so why only consider a vehicle at the driveway when vehicles travel all over farms? It seems to me someone or perhaps someone's prepared enough to do this could have also have been prepared enough to pull this off were also prepared enough to hogtie and carry a fighting child to a vehicle somewhere or perhaps to a house on the land somewhere.

I somewhat lean away from DR being a lone abductor, honestly, unless it was a one time 'prank' or thrill kill (very unlikely) as he has worked with children all his life and no one has come forward with anything aberrant. But I would lean towards his knowing or at least having an idea of who the perp/perps are and is scared, maybe not even for himself but for people around him. We have seen that he has at least casual online contact with at least one questionable person. It would make TOTAL sense to me that if DR had any friends his parents maybe didn't approve of due to any aberrant behaviors or he simply didn't want to expose his parents to, he would have had them around when they weren't home, this is a big speculation.

I've often wondered once his parents pass if he'll have some new ideas....

 

[VinylTravis]

So what does that mean? What are you implying? That he couldn't have done this? He's not a person of interest without reason.

I'll speak for myself. A person of interest is just that, a person if interest. Perhaps law enforcement is interested in DR for the same reason I am, because they believe that he either has a pretty good idea who might be responsible for this crime or perhaps became wrapped up in a cover-up after the fact or at the time. Again, stranger things have happened. Either way, he's the most unlucky man in the world or has some explaining to do.

 

[KeepHopeAlive]

So what does that mean? What are you implying? That he couldn't have done this? He's not a person of interest without reason.

I'm saying that it's just as possible that he's not guilty based on lack of physical evidence as it is that he's guilty based on circumstantial evidence.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Given the incredible hell this must be for Daniel rassier, I can't buy into the theory of a cover up. Police have already surely offered him freedom if he does know.

 

[Jbrown324320]

thank you for the quote Sasquatch about the vehicle and LE abandoning the idea. I don't know why they would "abandon" the idea of a vehicle. Now I am wondering why LE took the word of this "Kevin" person. Did the officer remember talking to Kevin? Is Kevin credible?