MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #14

[ELOCsoul]

Anything you would like to share that you gleaned ELOC?

Like Jacob's case it was a mystery that went unsolved for a very long time, and like Jacob's case there were several suspects and shady characters who were scrutinized from the beginning. There was very little evidence in the case except that there were bodies found within a couple of days. I don't want to give anything away, it's a good read for anyone wanting to get a behind the scenes look at the investigative efforts in the Chicago case. There are characters that remind me very much of characters in Jacob's case.

 

[ELOCsoul]

I think so, read it pretty much over the weekend. It's in the MORE library system.

 

[ThePhantom]

Just mailed order to ELOC for book. I am giving copy to daughter studying criminal justice in order to get an unbiased opinion from her. I am afraid I am stuck in one mind set just as I once was with thinking the abbey held all the secrets to Jared, Jacob and Joshua. What I find overwhelming is the sheer number of possible suspects for both cases. Yet, only one person has been formally identified by LE in Jacob's case. I am also struck that it has been 25 years and counting with no arrest. I remain at once baffled and intrigued that the perp in Jacob's case appears to have pulled off this crime without leaving sufficient evidence to catch him. Ditto Jared's perp.

 

[human]

There could be plenty of evidence but not enough.

Think of Casey Anthony, Can you imagine that she could get off?

And how about the crazy Jodi Arias stuff? Mind blowing

 

[Sasquatch321]

Casey Anthony waited a month before giving in that her daughter went missing, DR waited until 2 investigators showed up at his work to reveal cars, one of those cars specifically at the time of the abduction.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Stallone " NO EASY WAY OUT ": https://youtu.be/QNgOIOQ3JaM



"Yes, there is horrible evil in this world. But let’s not forget there is also incredible good. Evil can only win if we allow it to overcome our perceptions, to shake our peace and fill our hearts with fear. Let us not forget that good will prevail." Blurbs Of Grace

 

[thenotebook]

DR waited until 2 investigators showed up at his work to reveal cars, one of those cars specifically at the time of the abduction.

I want to dig in a little more to this statement. When exactly do you expect that DR would have mentioned those cars? On his 911 call about the woodpile? Maybe the whole event was a shock to him, and he didn't put two and two together until the next morning when investigators showed up. It's not like he waited 5 years to mention the cars. He mentioned them the next morning, correct?

 

[shergal]

I want to dig in a little more to this statement. When exactly do you expect that DR would have mentioned those cars? On his 911 call about the woodpile? Maybe the whole event was a shock to him, and he didn't put two and two together until the next morning when investigators showed up. It's not like he waited 5 years to mention the cars. He mentioned them the next morning, correct?

Well, if he was too shocked to mention it to the 911 operator, you'd think when he walked out to the road and talked with Bechtold later that night he would have mentioned it to him. If someone tells you a child was abducted in front of your driveway earlier, wouldn't your first thought be, "Hey, I saw a car come in and turn around in my driveway earlier."?

And then he walked under crime scene tape the next morning (by his own admission) and talked with LE again. LE obviously had the scene taped off because of tire and foot prints. Yet it doesn't occur to you to mention you saw a car last night turn around in your driveway?

Seems it took quite a while for this to "coalesce" in his mind.

 

[ThePhantom]

Shergal, didn't he also say something in the vein of -- nothing he could do about it so he went to sleep for the night? Something along those lines. That always struck me as -- cold.

 

[human]

Cold is an understatement!

 

[Sasquatch321]

Well, if he was too shocked to mention it to the 911 operator, you'd think when he walked out to the road and talked with Bechtold later that night he would have mentioned it to him. If someone tells you a child was abducted in front of your driveway earlier, wouldn't your first thought be, "Hey, I saw a car come in and turn around in my driveway earlier."?

And then he walked under crime scene tape the next morning (by his own admission) and talked with LE again. LE obviously had the scene taped off because of tire and foot prints. Yet it doesn't occur to you to mention you saw a car last night turn around in your driveway?

Seems it took quite a while for this to "coalesce" in his mind.

Also after he had searched his outbuildings he admits in one of the interviews that he was in his house and noticed LE was around the gravel pit, he says "I wondered if I should go down there, but I didnt" DR is a teacher who should have been able to deal in this type of emergency.And it just got worse, the next morning he crossed under the crime scene tape and goes to work without giving a description of a car.

 

[shergal]

Shergal, didn't he also say something in the vein of -- nothing he could do about it so he went to sleep for the night? Something along those lines. That always struck me as -- cold.

He said it, but he says it was taken out of context.

It's entirely possible someone else took Jacob and he had nothing to do with it. His statements do seem odd though.

 

[shergal]

Also after he had searched his outbuildings he admits in one of the interviews that he was in his house and noticed LE was around the gravel pit, he says "I wondered if I should go down there, but I didnt" DR is a teacher who should have been able to deal in this type of emergency.And it just got worse, the next morning he crossed under the crime scene tape and goes to work without giving a description of a car.

As DR has stated, he lives in his own little world. He doesn't seem to have much empathy. That hasn't worked out well for him.

 

[chaplain1]

As DR has stated, he lives in his own little world. He doesn't seem to have much empathy. That hasn't worked out well for him.

People think he has Asperbers. People I know with aspergers are not as cold as DR. Some are different ducks, sure, but would help police out if an armed kidnapping occurred at their property in the middle of nowhere.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Something that I kind of wonder about; I wonder if there's any kind of underground networking between sex-offenders. I basically assume that there is between certain ones who know each other, and maybe, some networking could occur when any one, two or three who know each other, bring in others, that they happen to know individually. It'd be kind of hard to say; and it's kind of hard to imagine how they'd get to know each other, but, certainly not impossible; also, considering, since any number of them have spent time in prison or whatever kind of institution and met others. Makes you wonder if there's someone out there who knows who Jacob's abductor is, or, even maybe has a pretty good idea, but, isn't willing to give him up. Just a possibility.

I'm also wondering about this in 1989 terms; I'm pretty sure today that with the internet, that there are groups on the internet, and every once in a while you hear about a whole group being busted. At the same time, it just occurred to me; it wouldn't be impossible, if someone now on the internet would have been among a group from 1989 or the '90's who had some inside information on who took Jacob. Not impossible; but, who knows.

I'm thinking more along the lines of computer bulletin board systems which were more widespread at that point than internet access was with the mainstream population.

BBS systems were typically single microcomputers running on a second phone line in a back bedroom. There were BBS' for all kinds of interests but I wouldn't be surprised if these guys had something like that. In my years of using BBS' I encountered special interest BBS' that weren't necessarily publicized and where the number was passed from person to person.

Those were mostly used for trading illegal software but it wouldn't surprise me if guys like this had their own little space to talk about their "interest."

 

[Dave K]

I'm thinking more along the lines of computer bulletin board systems which were more widespread at that point than internet access was with the mainstream population.

BBS systems were typically single microcomputers running on a second phone line in a back bedroom. There were BBS' for all kinds of interests but I wouldn't be surprised if these guys had something like that. In my years of using BBS' I encountered special interest BBS' that weren't necessarily publicized and where the number was passed from person to person.

Those were mostly used for trading illegal software but it wouldn't surprise me if guys like this had their own little space to talk about their "interest."

While I don't know what kind of electronic systems may have been available for communication, etc..., my thinking and curiosity is, that, even without them, there may well have been some form of networking going on, in what way I don't know, but, making me wonder, whether there are people who may have been within some certain network, who may either know, or have some good idea as to who took Jacob. Also, with the much broader use of the internet coming into play, not long after his abduction, whether there may have been some networking that took place in years after the abduction, that included people who may have known. But, it's so hard to say, and I almost think that if there were much of any individuals that had information about the abduction, that, it would have surfaced somehow or another by now. It's just something that I've wondered about as a possibility for information that could possibly be out there somewhere. At this point, I really don't think that it's that likely, just something I'd wondered about; whether there's someone(s) out there in that community who either know, or have some pretty good idea as to what happened.

 

[Sasquatch321]

The search is over. If anyone knew about secret networking in 1989 it would be DR. He was into computers beginning in the 70's. These secret places online have become public since, on Facebook there is a group called "MN Gay Guys" and it's full of sexual enthusiasts. But really the search is over for me, I have to rely on and hope that LE has the right man identified at this time. All the tire activity was finally accounted for in 2003.

 

[mamamumbles]

Great info Jewelia. I also think the Bahners story when the one Bahner admitted he was there and the whole story about Jacob being dragged away makes so much sense and I don't understand why they have not been investigated more or why their buddy Louis hasn't been investigated.

 

[Jewelia]

mamamumbles,

Exactly!
There's been ample opportunity for LE to investigate this with the Bahners, but the tapes came up missing, and they never contacted DM for the remaining information which corroborates it all together. At the very least, it could lead to other information to who took Jacob, if it isn't Lou. The assigned person in Stearns LE is Pam Jensen.

Apparently she was in charge of "traffic" before this. I hope she was in charge of "child trafficking", then this might make sense. But if it was vehicle traffic, then I don't understand why they'd put her in charge of a high profile abduction case, and she's been on it since 1999.

I don't think DM can do this on her own, and I think she needs a lot of support from the community, as it sounds very much like the Stearn's County Sheriff's office is trying to avoid this information for some reason. She's been trying to get them to fully investigate for 18 years. What do these Bahners know, and who do they know? They're not the sharpest tacks in the bunch, as I hear they have low IQs, but I think they were used to look out for the boys on the bikes, for the third party. OVERSIGHT is needed badly on this case. Yesterday I tried to do a FOIA request on court records for Richard Bahner, and it required a case number??? I've done a lot of open records requests, and if I didn't know the case number, there were other options, like putting their name in. This would make it impossible for the news media to do open public records requests, as well as any other citizen who has a right to see these criminal records. Stearns County seems to have it all buttoned down, don't they?

 

[Jewelia]

It could be Lou Kohl's vehicle, and the Bahner Brothers were in the ditch, looking for the boys on the bikes. DM has a lot of information that has never been looked into by Sheriff Kastreba when he was in office, and Sheriff Sanner. She's tried, but they have never contacted her, despite her efforts in trying to get them to look into these Bahners further.