MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #1

[2sisters]

only the 1st 2 look alike to me, the one on the end i don't think fits with the group, the first one actually looks like geroge clooney. i think people maybe don't want to belive in what you say b/c it is scary to them. i dont know if I believe it or not, it is all to weird but you may be right

 

[LillyRush]

Wasn't there a person of interest who commit suicide after being interviewed regarding jacob? I can't remember for sure. Does anyone know if this person resembled the person who abducted him or saw him at the rink?

I think you may be thinking of Leanna 'Beaner' Warner. There was a pedophile in her immediate neighborhood who committed suicide not long after her disappearance. That was in 2003, also in Minnesota but farther North (Duluth/Superior area) from St. Joseph.

 

[reb]

i think one very important thing that people tend to forget... is that crimes like this may well have been committed not by a lone predator, someone with a criminal background, a known NAMBLA member, the local weirdo or pervert who lives in a remote area... but by a husband/father/family man, the local priest/preacher, a prominent businessman or politician, teacher or coach, someone who works with kids,, and so on. you know, those men who live very upstanding lives, are well-admired.... and the stress of it somehow makes them crack and develop this whole other split deviant personality.
something to think about, anyway.

 

[Trino]

Please keep your porch lights on in remembrance of Jacob Wetterling.
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_294225148.html

 

[maima]

Poor sweet Jacob. I hope one day soon that his long-suffering family -- and all of us -- find out what happened to him.

 

[shergal]

I saw it mentioned on the news this week that Jacob is one of the old cold cases they are looking at along with other missing boys. Jacob was 11 when he was taken just like Shawn Hornbeck and Missouri is only 2 states away from MN with Iowa in between. Wouldn't it be something if they find info on Jacob after all these years while investigating Devlin?

 

[shergal]

for that story:
http://wcco.com/crime/local_story_033072958.html

 

[Gina_M]

I think it is very likely that Jacob and this other boy, Jared, were abducted by the same person:

Earlier in the year, a 12-year-old boy had been pulled into a car and molested. The boy had just finished ice skating with friends and was walking home alone. When the man dumped the boy out of the car, he was told to run. If he didn’t, he would be shot. Not only did the methodology fit, but so did the geography. This crime happened about 10 miles from where Jacob had disappeared.

http://www.sequoyahcountysheriff.org/jacobwetterlingact.htm

A former Cold Spring man, who was abducted and assaulted just ten months before Jacob Wetterling disappeared, is coming forward to tell his story publicly for the first time in hopes it will trigger new leads in the Wetterling case.

Jared's story begins on a winter night in Cold Spring, Minnesota. It was Friday, January 13, 1989.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=63324

 

[CrimeSolver]

I think it is very likely that Jacob and this other boy, Jared, were abducted by the same person:

Earlier in the year, a 12-year-old boy had been pulled into a car and molested. The boy had just finished ice skating with friends and was walking home alone. When the man dumped the boy out of the car, he was told to run. If he didn’t, he would be shot. Not only did the methodology fit, but so did the geography. This crime happened about 10 miles from where Jacob had disappeared.

http://www.sequoyahcountysheriff.org/jacobwetterlingact.htm

A former Cold Spring man, who was abducted and assaulted just ten months before Jacob Wetterling disappeared, is coming forward to tell his story publicly for the first time in hopes it will trigger new leads in the Wetterling case.

Jared's story begins on a winter night in Cold Spring, Minnesota. It was Friday, January 13, 1989.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=63324

It is almost certainly the same abductor. Was any DNA found on Jared? It states the kidnapper took his pants and underwear, but the poor kid might have had some DNA on his body.

I recall the Wetterling kidnapping very well. I was only a couple of years older than Jacob at the time, and I remember thinking how terrifying it is that some creep will abduct a happy-go-lucky kid riding his bike on a lonely country road. Does anyone else here remember seeing the very moving missing-kids special that aired on CBS in the spring of 1991? It was hosted by Michael Landon, a couple of months before he died, and it featured a lengthy, heartrending segment on Wetterling.

-Did the brother and friend hear anything in the moments after Jacob disappeared? I imagine they were in shock, but if the perp had a car nearby, they should have heard it leaving. Otherwise it is fairly safe to assume it was a local, since no one would risk walking quite a distance through the woods, let alone along a road, with a captive. How thoroughly was the unhelpful neighbor investigated? He sounds like a prime candidate. Does he resemble the composite?
-I remember reading (maybe here) that the father had a creepy encounter with someone at a skating rink the day the boy was taken. Has anything come of that?
-Have there been any leads or clues whatsoever? I realize investigators must keep sensitive information close to the vest, but sometimes I think it might be wiser to be more forthcoming with evidence. The public is usually the best resource to solve the case.

 

[Trino]

Updated artist's picture. Jacob's 29th birthday just passed. Can you believe it's been 18 years with no resolution for his family?

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_053223109.html

 

[missacorah]

I dont think that was Jacob. I certainly dont think the police would have witheld the fact that was his body to spare his parents.

Yhe other thing I wondered was if footprints are always taken at birth in the US? be grateful if you could clear that up for me. Thanks.

 

[CrimeSolver]

DNA testing was not quite available or widespread back then. If there is any remaining doubt whether the boy is Wetterling, that could now be easily answered.

 

[Karen R.]

Jacob's case is so haunting- I can't get it out of my head. His mom is so strong. She was on 20/20 a couple of months ago, as was Jacob's brother. There is another incident of a boy being molested about 10 miles from where Jacob was taken, also in 1989. I think they are related. Where in the world is he?

 

[eve]

I remember the day he was taken like it was yesterday. My 20 year old was 2 and I was pregnant with my daughter. My son and I were talking about Halloween costumes when it came on the news and I remember at that moment feeling I would never let him trick or treat or go anywhere! Of course, I did, but the story of the 3 boys on bikes and Jacob being singled out and abducted is one I will never forget. I live less than an hour from where he was taken. It haunts me too. What happened to him? I wish to God the truth would be discovered.

Eve

 

[lisag]

I was when this happened - I was living in Minneapolis. I have thought about Jacob often over the years and pray for answers for his family. I can't imagine having to go through this ~ and the not knowing has to be unimaginable.

 

[cheko1]

I also live close to the Twin Cities & remember it well.
It breaks my heart thinking about him......wondering etc etc

I thought for sure Micheal Devlin snatched him up, still not convinced he never. If he could kidnap Shaun & Ben he could of got Jacob also. I keep watching his case to see if LE can link him to it.

 

[Trino]

I also live in the TC area. (Small world.) Jacob Wetterling still weights on my mind, but like most everyone else, I still envision him as 12 yrs. old. It's difficult to believe so much time has passed.

There doesn't seem much that can be done to find him that hasn't already been done; the trail has apparently gone completely cold. The only hope I see is that the amoral person who kidnapped him will someday, somehow gain a conscience and tell what happened to Jacob.

God bless the Wetterling family.

 

[CarpeDiem]

I remember the day he was taken like it was yesterday. My 20 year old was 2 and I was pregnant with my daughter. My son and I were talking about Halloween costumes when it came on the news and I remember at that moment feeling I would never let him trick or treat or go anywhere! Of course, I did, but the story of the 3 boys on bikes and Jacob being singled out and abducted is one I will never forget. I live less than an hour from where he was taken. It haunts me too. What happened to him? I wish to God the truth would be discovered.

Eve

Oh me too, this whole thread brings much tears. I think of Jacob, I think and feel so for his brother. God Bless this family with answers. I was 22 when he was taken and just married - unreal it's already been 18 years.

 

[missacorah]

True but have the neccessary steps been taken to test the remains that were found and compare them against Jacob?

 

[Trino]

It's been so long that I don't see a resolution to Jacob's case. However, that said:

Possibilities:
The story of the body in the river has always been intriguing. It would be interesting to read a coroner's report on this autopsy and talk to the person(s) who performed it to see if there is any change to their views. However, I just don't think it was a ritual killing. The kidnapper's appearance just doesn't make me think of an occult person. IMO it was one individual.

The man next door to the kidnapping appears to be a strange character. How could anyone not want to help when a child goes missing? Why didn't he want to be involved? I'm sure LE has checked him/watched him and must have ruled him out.

Jared's kidnapping and sexual assault IMO matches Jacob's, except Jared was the lucky one. Did the kidnapper know the area? This really seems related. Did the kidnapper intend to take Jared but lost his nerve?

What about the connection to the Church? Were priests in the area ever questioned? And, of course, this was before the big story on priests and sexual assaults. I don't think it was a priest - i.e. mode of operation/gun, car in Jared's case.

I live in the Twin Cities, and Jacob's disappearance has haunted me for years. IMO Jacob was kidnapped by a lone adult. For years I thought perhaps it could have been a local, but nothing has happened in that area since Jacob's kidnapping. I'm sure all local offenders have been interviewed/watched.

My thoughts now are that Jacob was taken by a non-local. I think he was whisked out of state that night. I've always wondered why a kidnapper would ask who was the oldest. This question is so strange. Most pedophiles want younger kids.