MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #4

[human]

maybe DNA was not quite where it was at with the Jared case?

http://www.ehow.com/about_5285970_history-dna-testing-criminal-cases.html

 

[jenilou]

Interesting. I don't think there is a statute of limitations for kidnapping in MN...and honestly I can't imagine that there is one for a sex crime against a minor. But I will check.

 

[jenilou]

looks like if good usable DNA was collected during a sex crime in MN, there is NO statute of limitations...if it's not, then there is a statute of limitations of 9 years.

scroll down to page 4- theres a list of MN statutes of limitation. There is not one for kidnapping.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/statlmt.pdf

 

[SpringThyme]

Here's what I found out about DNA and sexual assaults.

http://www.rainn.org/get-information/aftermath-of-sexual-assault/importance-of-dna

 

[human]

it appears that DNA started being used in 1987. The crime with Jared was early in 1989? Anyway, DNA was just a baby then, so who knows what LE has for DNA from that time

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/...=display_arch&article_id=1320&issue_id=112007

 

[ELOCsoul]

I've driven with a few miles of the abduction site about 200 times over the last few years. On Thursday I'm going to go check it out, get a feel for the area, the town, etc.

Does anyone know if freight train schedules were checked out during the early phases of the investigation? Railroad tracks are a common denominator for Jacob, Jared, and Josh cases.

 

[jenilou]

I don't know anything about trains regarding the cases- how are they involved?

 

[ShyViolet]

I don't know anything about trains regarding the cases- how are they involved?

I am also curious to hear more about that? Tia!

 

[ELOCsoul]

The train idea was really just a brainstorm, as I noticed the rails track through all the areas where these 3 cases occurred. My thought was that there could be train layovers at these locations, or the trains in this area could be operated by a small independent operator that shuttled rail cars in the area.

I did a little digging and found that there is a company called Northern Line Railway that operates the car changes from Cold Spring to St Cloud, and from St Cloud to St Joseph. However, this company started in 2004. It is unclear how that section of rail was operated in the late 80's, but it appears it was owned by BNSF.

Again, the rail theory was really just a brainstorm on my thought, and found it interesting there had not been discussion of a possible link between rail and JW's abduction.

I did visit the area last week, and talked to several people about the case. I'll post more about that later.

 

[jenilou]

The train idea was really just a brainstorm, as I noticed the rails track through all the areas where these 3 cases occurred. My thought was that there could be train layovers at these locations, or the trains in this area could be operated by a small independent operator that shuttled rail cars in the area.

I did a little digging and found that there is a company called Northern Line Railway that operates the car changes from Cold Spring to St Cloud, and from St Cloud to St Joseph. However, this company started in 2004. It is unclear how that section of rail was operated in the late 80's, but it appears it was owned by BNSF.

Again, the rail theory was really just a brainstorm on my thought, and found it interesting there had not been discussion of a possible link between rail and JW's abduction.

I did visit the area last week, and talked to several people about the case. I'll post more about that later.

Interesting, although rails run through most areas of the country. That to me seems much more unlikely though than DR as a suspect. I haven't heard a theory yet that makes more sense to me unfortunately.

I'd be interested to hear some of the other theories of posters on this board. I've heard about the abbey etc....and while I do think all of that is crazy, it doesn't seem plausible. (that a priest from the a abbey was out trolling for boys on country roads at night ) What does seem plausible is that there is some connection between abuse at the abbey and DR and that leading him to commit something like this. Am I the only one who thinks that? Am I making sense? I'm trying not to say too much. but just wondering about DR's involvement in that church, could he have been abused as a boy and that has led to possible abusive behavior as an adult?

 

[human]

or could Abbey friends been over that night?

 

[Lotus]

I don't know if Jacob's kidnapper would have taken such a big risk abducting a child from his own driveway. In the Cold Spring assault, the perp drove Jared 5 miles away to an isolated area before he felt comfortable enough to carry out the assault, so the idea of taking Jacob just a few yards away from where he was abducted just doesn't make much sense, but anything is possible.

I have no clue what possible direction the kidnapper took Jacob, it's possible that a car was involved (sorry I couldn't find the entire article posted below).

Jacob Wetterling Case
2/27/2004

An investigator who worked the Jacob Wetterling case 14 and a half years ago is not giving
up on the theory the 11-year-old was taken by someone in a car.

FOX 9 news first reported new investigators are looking at local suspects from the
neighborhood. That happened after the innocent driver of a car spotted in the area that
night finally came forward.

A now-retired detective told FOX 9 on Friday there may have been another car at the scene
and Jacob's footprints appear to have led to the tire tracks of a parked car.


Or maybe the kidnapper lived in a nearby halfway house:

Eighteen months after Jacob’s disappearance a man was arrested for burglary in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Upon running a criminal background check, law enforcement officials discovered that the man was a previously convicted sex offender. Further, the St. Joseph police learned that in October, 1989 the man had lived closer to Jacob’s abduction site than did the Wetterling family; yet, local police had not been aware of his presence within the community. In fact, unbeknownst to local police at the time of Jacob’s disappearance, there were halfway houses in the St. Joseph area that housed sex offenders upon their release from prison. This information was disconcerting because during the search it was commonly assumed that Jacob’s kidnapper had attempted similar behavior in the past. The St. Joseph police lamented that prior knowledge of the presence of these previously convicted sex offenders may have prevented Jacob’s abduction in the first place.

I found that disturbing bit of info here:http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&context=wmborj

 

[Jbrown324320]

Jenilou,
I can see it entirely plausible that an Abbey monk was trolling for boys. Channel 9 news (KMSP Fox 9) did an investigative story about priests staying at the Abbey who were on "restriction" who went off campus all hours of the day and night in regular clothes and was having a relationship with a woman.
http://mnsnap.wordpress.com/1139-2/

Also, one of the restricted priests raped children at knifepoint.
http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/sins-of-a-father-sauna-kids-abuse/

 

[Leprikawn]

the sad part is we dont really know......it could have been two people, with one waiting in a car a short distance away!

 

[ShyViolet]

I can't speak for jenilou, but for me, it is not so much that I find the residents of the abbey incapable of such an act. What I find unlikely, is that anyone would be trolling for children on a dark country road after 9 pm.

 

[Cappuccino]

I can't speak for jenilou, but for me, it is not so much that I find the residents of the abbey incapable of such an act. What I find unlikely, is that anyone would be trolling for children on a dark country road after 9 pm.

Shortly after 9pm isn't that late to be trolling for children if "anyone" knows that there's no school the next day. And as myself and other posters have pointed out before, he didn't need to be trolling on the dark road, he could have been parked at the turn outside the road and seen the children cycle towards the store. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to predict that when they'd finished in the store they would go back down the same dark road they came from.

 

[human]

there is no way that anyone could have seen anything from that turn to which you are referring Cappucino.

It would be at least 1/2 mile on a dark road with no street lights I am not even sure that the road is a straight road Is it?

 

[Cappuccino]

From the turn I'm referring to, someone could easily have seen the boys cycle out of the country road and head towards the store.

 

[human]

OK But there is no way for that person to see how far the boys came from

No street lights No moon Dark dark dark

 

[Cappuccino]

They didn't need to see how far the boys came from, that's completely irrelevant. Once they'd seen which road the boys cycled out from all they had to do was drive down the same road and park inside the first driveway they came to. (And as cars have headlights the lack of street lights and moon is irrelevant too).

Back in 1989, the first driveway they came to would be DR's.