MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #16

[nmogren]

I believe this abduction was planned (IMO), and that the predator had accomplices.
Someone had to tell this predator these boys were going to the Tom Thumb.

His accomplices were in a ditch, and looking for the boys coming, then told the predator. There may have been as many as 4 people involved in this. The person who told the predator the boys were going to the Tom Thumb, the accomplices who looked for the boys, and the predator.

The car was either hidden in the driveway, or behind the brush on the road. The driveway seems more likely since there's a twisted foot print by a tire track ..... Like the boy was picked up, carried, then one foot hit the ground while he was forced into the car.

Good luck planning this in advance with multiple people when the boys just decided at the last second that they were going to bike to the Tom Thumb for the first time in their life. They must have had a crystal ball.


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[Trackergd]

He could have been out for a run and saw them coming down from their house.

He heard them talking and saw the light from their flashlight.

Running up his driveway would be nothing to a guy who runs marathons. Three blocks up and three blocks down. How many minutes at the most fo do that?

To me it is incredibly easy

Respectfully, to me it's a stretch and I used to run half marathons on a regular basis. Secondly, I don't remember (please correct me if I am in error) anything indicating he had been out for a run that evening, on the contrary, that he had been in the house for the evening. He would not have known the flashlights were from children from the house, and I would wonder how he saw the flashlights through the thick woods behind the house.

 

[Trackergd]

I believe this abduction was planned (IMO), and that the predator had accomplices.
Someone had to tell this predator these boys were going to the Tom Thumb.

His accomplices were in a ditch, and looking for the boys coming, then told the predator. There may have been as many as 4 people involved in this. The person who told the predator the boys were going to the Tom Thumb, the accomplices who looked for the boys, and the predator.

The car was either hidden in the driveway, or behind the brush on the road. The driveway seems more likely since there's a twisted foot print by a tire track ..... Like the boy was picked up, carried, then one foot hit the ground while he was forced into the car.

I might buy one additional person, but not three. To me it is clear the person planned the abduction well or had experience in abducting children. Picked up can carried is very probable, as is being picked up and carried, set down for a second for a better grip and then carried further.

 

[Sasquatch321]

He could have been out for a run and saw them coming down from their house.

He heard them talking and saw the light from their flashlight.

Running up his driveway would be nothing to a guy who runs marathons. Three blocks up and three blocks down. How many minutes at the most fo do that?

To me it is incredibly easy

My first thought as well. He is out running, the adrenaline is high, he runs with the boys all the way to the store and then goes back to his house to get scary and suddenly take things too far. The gun is a joke, the disguise is a joke. noone can shoot and expect to hit anything 10 feet away in the black of night.

 

[Jewelia]

Good luck planning this in advance with multiple people when the boys just decided at the last second that they were going to bike to the Tom Thumb for the first time in their life. They must have had a crystal ball.


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No crystal ball needed. Just someone who knew Jacob/his family, and knew the perps. "Planned", means there was someone who contacted the abductor, and knew the boys were going to the Tom Thumb. Otherwise, how would abductor know these boys were heading that way?

A predator would have a very long wait, not having any idea these boys were outside at all. I guess the abductor would need this "crystal ball" you speak of to know these boys were going to the Tom Thumb, then heading towards this driveway on the way back.

 

[Jewelia]

The only way I see this possibly being "solved" is by DR hiring an atty & convening a Grand Jury probe. Probably the best bet to get to the truth of what happened.

 

[Fukiyama]

Since no one knows what a medical cop is, could we brainstorm on maybe he misheard and what could it be?

I do not think LE refers to themselves as cops

I've brought this up before, but no one ever commented on my thinking, so I'll do it again.

Could the "medical cop" have been some kind of county or state health department official with police/arrest powers?

 

[livstabler]

Since some folks scenarios point to DR as the abductor, let me ask some questions. If you look at the distance between the farm house and the main road (length of the driveway), why would DR be hanging out at the end of the family driveway waiting for children to walk past so he could jump out and abduct one? Like any other potential suspect, how would he know the boys would be going past the end of his driveway? I seriously doubt he could have seen them from the farmhouse. If he were out for an evening run and saw them, he would not have had enough time to run home and change into a disguise.

Maybe he was down by the wood pile with his atv and trailer (if he had such things) collecting wood or shooting mice with his bb gun, or whatever... he's sees flashlights coming down the road and goes to look (rustle), figures they'll be back and gets ready (or he already has a skimask in his coat). Completely unplanned, but a fantasy unfolding before his eyes. He doesn't know if they'll come back that way, but assumes they will, and even if they don't, what does he have to lose? Parks the atv/trailer a ways up the driveway and waits in the ditch... throws JW in the trailer, ties him in with wood straps or hits him with a chunk of wood and drives him up to the shed. The end (this is just my theory, obviously).

 

[Trackergd]

Maybe he was down by the wood pile with his atv and trailer (if he had such things) collecting wood or shooting mice with his bb gun, or whatever... he's sees flashlights coming down the road and goes to look (rustle), figures they'll be back and gets ready (or he already has a skimask in his coat). Completely unplanned, but a fantasy unfolding before his eyes. He doesn't know if they'll come back that way, but assumes they will, and even if they don't, what does he have to lose? Parks the atv/trailer a ways up the driveway and waits in the ditch... throws JW in the trailer, ties him in with wood straps or hits him with a chunk of wood and drives him up to the shed. The end (this is just my theory, obviously).

This is a partially possible scenario, with that said, DR does not have a recorded history of any negative interaction with children either before or after the abduction. I have not even seen any comments in MSM of him being regarded as "creepy" by children or their parents. Elements of your theory that are plausible are a) A heavy quilted work coat (such as Carhart) can produce a bulky look and b) The tire prints could be as much a trailer as a vehicle and would make me question if the ATC tire prints were LE or DR's.

To rule this in or out would require a) A check of all DR's shoes to see if any of the prints around Jacobs were DR's with the activity indicated by the prints consistent with the movements of Jacob, and b) A check of the tires on any ATV or ATC's on the farm matching the odd tire prints in the driveway along with tires on the firewood wagon matching what have been considered to be vehicle tracks.

LE "should" have that information...and it may very well be the smoking gun they are keeping close to the vest.

 

[Sasquatch321]

This is a partially possible scenario, with that said, DR does not have a recorded history of any negative interaction with children either before or after the abduction. I have not even seen any comments in MSM of him being regarded as "creepy" by children or their parents. Elements of your theory that are plausible are a) A heavy quilted work coat (such as Carhart) can produce a bulky look and b) The tire prints could be as much a trailer as a vehicle and would make me question if the ATC tire prints were LE or DR's.

To rule this in or out would require a) A check of all DR's shoes to see if any of the prints around Jacobs were DR's with the activity indicated by the prints consistent with the movements of Jacob, and b) A check of the tires on any ATV or ATC's on the farm matching the odd tire prints in the driveway along with tires on the firewood wagon matching what have been considered to be vehicle tracks.

LE "should" have that information...and it may very well be the smoking gun they are keeping close to the vest.

The fact that DR has no negative comments or observation about him in his professional life means nothing to me. I think what does mean something is he is legally a POI. Jacob has been gone for 25 years without a sighting, someone is keeping a secret. Someone is fooling everybody.

 

[Sasquatch321]

"Above all, we share a common goal. We want to find out what happened to Jacob. Our hope is that if we can put the facts out there, in order, exactly as they occurred, maybe someone can add to the story. And maybe that someone will have just the piece that will finally solve this 23 year old puzzle.

So, here we go. Let’s start with Dan."

http://www.joybaker.com/2013/02/23/dans-story-2/
Hi Dan, after learning of the abduction, how soon did you come forward with information about the car that turned around in your building site?

Joy, he hasn't stopped working with you, has he?

 

[livstabler]

Who knows what burned up in that shed? And they searched the house a week later, but did they search all the outbuildings and equipment as well? I think these type of tires look like those other prints:

 

[Wisdom]

The point about DR never being involved in anything similar over the years gets brought up quite a bit and it should. The one thing that has always bothered me with him being the perp is the motive... even though I wholeheartedly believe he was responsible for this for whatever reason. This below is quoted from Eloc's book and it makes you wonder if this is what triggered something in his mind....like possibly being molested at a young age himself?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There wasn’t much of interest on TV that night from the
major television networks. One of the major television networks
featured a movie titled Do You Know the Muffin Man? The plot of
the movie involved a man who molested a young boy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097214/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

[bucshunter]

The fact that DR has no history of any type of atrocities means everything to me. Being named a POI doesn't mean anything to me. I just do not believe that DR had anything to do with this and I think that most of the local community feels the same way.

 

[Wisdom]

The fact that DR has no history of any type of atrocities means everything to me. Being named a POI doesn't mean anything to me. I just do not believe that DR had anything to do with this and I think that most of the local community feels the same way.

I get what you are saying but you are wrong about how the local community feels. Everyone I've spoken with in that area believes "the guy on the farm" did it.

 

[bucshunter]

I get what you are saying but you are wrong about how the local community feels. Everyone I've spoken with in that area believes "the guy on the farm" did it.

In fact I don't believe the Wetterling's believe he did it.

 

[Wisdom]

In fact I don't believe the Wetterling's believe he did it.

I don't believe that either. I would bet he's at the top of the Wetterling's suspect list also. At one point it sounds like Patty was pretty convinced of his guilt and LE still is.

 

[shergal]

Since some folks scenarios point to DR as the abductor, let me ask some questions. If you look at the distance between the farm house and the main road (length of the driveway), why would DR be hanging out at the end of the family driveway waiting for children to walk past so he could jump out and abduct one? Like any other potential suspect, how would he know the boys would be going past the end of his driveway? I seriously doubt he could have seen them from the farmhouse. If he were out for an evening run and saw them, he would not have had enough time to run home and change into a disguise.

DR did go for a jog in "late afternoon" - whatever time that would be - between 4 pm and 6 pm, maybe? Or that's what he says anyway. The Polka Fest at the Del-Win went until 10 pm.

"As early afternoon yields to late afternoon, Dan decides to take a break from his typing and go for a jog. (Note, Dan is an avid runner and still participates in several races each year.) He takes off through the back fields and heads toward the Del-Win Ballroom which is located immediately north and west of his property. (In those days, the neighborhood that existed just north of Dan’s property was not there; it was all woods at that time.) There was a Polka Fest taking place at the Del-Win that day, and the place was packed.
After running through the Del-Win parking lot and taking note of the Polka Fest, now in full swing, Dan cuts back over to 91st Avenue and heads toward home. He remembers stopping at the farm mailbox and picking up the paper, then continuing down the driveway toward his house.
After 23 years, Dan is a bit vague on what time he returned from his jog, but he assumes he showered and probably made something to eat for supper before returning to his typing. At any rate, it’s dark out when he hears his dog, Smokey, start to bark (Smokey is an outside dog). The window is still open, and Dan hears a car coming up his driveway. He shuts off his light so he can see who it is. He’s a little unnerved, wondering if it’s the same car he saw earlier in the day."
(From sasquatch's link on post #471)

 

[bucshunter]

I don't believe that either. I would bet he's at the top of the Wetterling's suspect list also. At one point it sounds like Patty was pretty convinced of his guilt and LE still is.

I found it very interesting that the latest John Walsh "The Hunt" cnn special on this abduction didn't focus on dr at all. Very interesting.

 

[Sasquatch321]

The fact that DR has no history of any type of atrocities means everything to me. Being named a POI doesn't mean anything to me. I just do not believe that DR had anything to do with this and I think that most of the local community feels the same way.

That is weak when you compare this thinking along with BTK, Ted Bundy, and Jerry Sandusky. All loved, innocent men, right?