Kidnappings In Minnesota: Then And Now

By Victoria Robertson on September 11, 2016

27 years ago, young Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped. Now, the man responsible has finally come forward, and it’s as tragic as it sounds.

Jacob was 11 years old when he was kidnapped, and on Tuesday afternoon, Patty Wetterling, the boy’s mother, spoke at a press conference following the confession of Danny Heinrich, the man responsible for not only kidnapping, but also killing her son.

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This all began last week, when Heinrich led authorities to a Minnesota field in which Jacob’s remains were found.

Jacob disappeared back in October of 1989, and for the past 20 years, both of his parents, Patty and Jerry Wetterline, have been seeking answers.

Patty spoke at the press conference following Heinrich’s confession to the murder of Jacob back in 1989.

In her statement, she said:

“What I really [have] to say today is about Jacob. He has taught us all how to live, how to love, how to be fair, how to be kind. He speaks to the world that he knew. That we all believe in … His legacy will go on. I want to say Jacob, I am so sorry … We love you Jacob. We will continue to fight, our hearts are hurting. For us, Jacob was alive until we found him. We need to heal.”

During his court appearance, Heinrich admitted his part in Jacob’s kidnapping and murder in stating that he abducted the boy from a road near his house in St. Joseph, Minnesota on October 22, 1989.

He was named a person of interest only last October however, when it was revealed that he was slammed with some child pornography charges.

When he took the stand, he went into detail. He stated he used a mask and had a revolver with him. He said he handcuffed Jacob and put him in his car.

According to him, Jacob asked, “What did I do wrong?”

Heinrich then went into the graphic description of a sexual assault, in which Jacob reportedly cried, complained of being cold and pleaded to go home. This assault happened in Paynesville, Minnesota.

Following the assault, later in the day, Heinrich claimed he “panicked,” which resulted in the murder of Jacob.

He returned home for a little bit, then returned later in the day to hide Jacob’s body using a shovel from a construction company. He dug a grave and filled it in with a Bobcat from the same company.

He also stated that he later had to dispose of the shoes because he forgot to bury the shoes with the body. He also stated that he acted alone.

While Heinrich was questioned shortly following Jacob’s disappearance, he claimed he was innocent. And because there was a lack of evidence tying him to the disappearance, he walked away free.

Recently, after authorities took a fresh look at the case during the 25th anniversary of Jacob’s disappearance, Heinrich was once again targeted as a suspect.

Investigators also took a look at the sexual assault of another young boy, 12-year-old Jared Scheierl. Jared disappeared nine months prior to Jacob out of Cold Spring, Minnesota. According to authorities, they believed there had always been a connection between the two cases.

Back in 1989, there wasn’t much evidence to go on. Now, with technology that wasn’t available then, investigators were able to find Heinrich’s DNA on Jared’s sweatshirt, which resulted in a search warrant for Heinrich’s residence.

During the search, a substantial child pornography collection was uncovered, and though a statute of limitations expired (meaning he couldn’t be charged for the assault on Jared), a grand jury indicted him on 25 different child pornography counts.

While normally, victims of such assaults aren’t mentioned in the media, Jared has been publicly speaking about the tragic experience he was forced into. He claims it helps him to cope with what happened.

And at the same time, he hoped it would help others, and it obviously has in the case of Jacob – while he didn’t survive, justice is finally within arm’s reach.

And of course, Jared wanted to help authorities find his attacker.

Patty Wetterling’s address on Tuesday also called out and thanked Jared.

She said, “Jared had the courage to stand up and say this happened to me.”

For many residing in Minnesota, these assaults and the murder of Jacob kept many parents on edge. Nobody wants to lose their child to such a sick, tragic death, so for many, these areas no longer felt safe.

Over the years, Jacob’s face was plastered across posters and billboards throughout the state, begging for help, asking for justice.

Patty Wetterling has used this awful experience to benefit others, even if Jacob won’t be returning home. She was hopeful throughout Jacob’s disappearance, and her and her husband became advocates for missing children across the nation.

They also founded the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, which helps communities and families to prevent child exploitation.

And back in 1994, Congress also did its part in passing a law named after Jacob that requires all states to establish a sex offender registry.

At the moment, Heinrich’s lawyers are in talks with federal prosecutors to discuss some form of a plea deal.

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