Later on tonight (Monday night) 20/20 on ID will be airing an hour long program on the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. Though this was never on UM, it often gets attributed to UM and it's a very famous case. Check local listings for air times, I believe it airs a few times during the night. I will be recording it.

Later on tonight (Monday night) 20/20 on ID will be airing an hour long program on the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. Though this was never on UM, it often gets attributed to UM and it's a very famous case. Check local listings for air times, I believe it airs a few times during the night. I will be recording it.



I thought I read something not too long ago where authorities were searching an older man's house in relation to this case: did they find Jacob Wetterling's remains or any other evidence that could tie the suspect to this case?

Wetterling has not been found, dead or alive. Some theories state that he could have been alive for a while after his abduction, although the same reports also state he was (it pains me to type this) sold into sexual slavery. I do recall something about them searching an older guy's backyard, but don't think anything ever came of it.

Nonetheless, it should be an interesting documentary.

I also vaguely remember something about police checking out a man's apartment (he's now deceased) and they found pictures of Jacob Wetterling, newspaper clippings about him, drawings the man had done of kids (prono type stuff), but they didn't think he was actually connected to the case.

Anyone remember something like that or am I thinking of a different case?

The Jacob Wetterling story was on Missing Reward and Americas Most Wanted. There have been a lot of updates on this case. But nothing panned out. They did search a property of an older man who lived out in the woods in area were Jacob was taken He worked as a barber in town and had some fascination with missing kids and believe he himself to have been kidnapped. Though his shrink could find no proof of it. When he did not show up for work , he was found dead in his cabin. Heart attack. The cops searched his property and dug up the ground and found nothing. They tested all the kids thing found at his residence, odd kids shoes and some clothes. Nothing there either. The only thing he did have was a missing poster of Jacob and a recording of a news story on him. Which was why the search was prompted in the first place.


They have questioned the fella that lives in the house across were they boys were held up by the kidnapper. It was the garbage cans of this house that the kidnapper hid behind waiting for the kids. The fella that lives in house has talked to cops from the beginning telling them when he heard his dogs bark and about the two strange cars he saw driving buy his house. He was alone that night , as his parents he lives with went out and he is a teacher at the local school. Recently they interviewed him and searched his yard and barn and dug up the ground and found nothing. He was and may still be in a law suit with the cops , he is angered at their repeated investigations of him and treating him like a suspect. There was probably a settlement.

At one point a young man came forward scared saying he was raised buy a man and does not know were he came from and it was thought he maybe Jacob. DNA tests were done and he was not.

Wonder what they will say on the 20/20 special?

It's also reairing this Saturday morning in case you missed it.

I watched it. Very interesting program. I have to make a correction in the info that I previously made,. The young fella who was thought to look like one of Jacobs age progressions by his co -workers. Gave finger prints not DNA. His finger prints did not match Jacobs. I read that Unsolved Mysteries turned down the family on doing a story on Jacob. What did they think his story would not give them enough ratings?

I know this case has been brought up a lot of times on the forum, but I don't think it's been actually discussed much. Other than the common knowledge that the boys were biking home with a movie from a convenience store, a masked gunman told them to ditch their bikes and lay down in a field, asked their ages, told Trevor Wetterling and Aaron Larson to run away, and then grabbed Jacob.

Here are some things from the 20/20 broadcast that aren't common knowledge

-The search for Jacob was the largest in Minnesota state history.

-Patty Wetterling, among other accomplishments, got the law passed that requires a community to be informed when a sex offender moves in to the neighborhood.

-Patty declined the boys request to go and get the movie. The father caught wind of it and approved it, without Patty's knowledge.

-They showed a picture of the road where Jacob was taken from. It is a long road, but in a desolate area. For the longest time, it was believed that the predator was from out of the area, but opinions have shifted to someone local. I think I agree with that because I get the sense the perp probably spotted the boys on their way to the store, and figured they would take the same route back. That might explain how he came from seemingly out of nowhere in the field. I feel that this was a crime of opportunity. He saw boys without an adult, at night, and took advantage. Jacob's father, Jerry, feels that Jacob may have been stalked for days beforehand, but I'm not sure I get the same sense.

I read elsewhere on the web that there were a lot of sex offenders in the area molesting children, including several priests, a Scoutmaster, teachers, and someone working with law enforcement. :barf:

I watched this program when it aired the other night. Talk about the ultimate 80s nightmare -- kids on bikes going to the local convenience store to rent a VHS, boogey man pops out of nowhere and one kid completely disappears.

This case is just so haunting given the terrifying nature of the initial incident, coupled with the lack of evidence afterwards. Is Jacob alive? Or was his life taken immediately after the kidnapping? WHO was the masked man??

Also, did his disappearance have anything to do with another kid being molested in the same area around the same time? (That child escaped the car, and the molestor was never caught):

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/wetterling_jacob.html

Finally, did the disappearance have anything to do with the earlier disappearances of Johnny Gosch and/or Eugene Martin? Was there a child killer stalking that part of the Midwest in the 1980s? :eek:

Yes, I agree this is a particularly disturbing case. I have to think Jerry Wetterling made an error in judgement by allowing them to go out at dark and after 9, although there were 3 of them, so he probably figured they would be o.k. in a group.

I do believe the Wetterling case and the Cold Spring case are connected. The m.o. was the same, and I think the suspect sketch of Wetterling's abductor came from the Cold Spring victim, since nobody caught a glimpse of Jacob's abductor (he was wearing a mask.)

It's interesting you mention Johnny Gosch and Eugene Martin, as I remember posting earlier about how I thought those cases might be connected with Wetterlings. Also Marc James-Warren Allen

Another update . This past summer investigators were investigating a suspect. A priest and camp councilor who has been arrested for molesting boys. One of his accusers stated the priest took him and showed him were Jacob was kidnapped at putting the priest under suspicion. Upon investigation that ruled him out as having anything to do with Jacobs abduction. He has an alibi he was with one of his victims out in the woods There was also another criminal who said he and his bother were from area and took Jacob. Said he used to ride bikes with Jacob. This was dismissed by cops as a ploy to get out of prison. Frankly the person who took Jacob did not know who the kids were he even had to ask their ages and make a decision as to who he was going to take. This obviously is not person who new any of the kids or hung out with them.

Here's another update (a person of interest has been named):

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/warrant-mans-home-searched-evidence-wetterling-case-34831828

Here's another update (a person of interest has been named):

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/warrant-mans-home-searched-evidence-wetterling-case-34831828
Saw this on my break and nearly jumped up and cheered. I'm really hoping they can tie him to the case and find some evidence on his property.

As you may have seen in another post of mine, I'm confident this is the guy. So happy for the entire Wetterling family tonight. They've waited a long time for answers, and I think now they are finally getting some.

And Jesus, what a pervert this Heinrich guy is. They also found videotapes of him secretly recording boys doing their everyday activities (riding bikes, getting the mail, etc).

There's always been a lot of debate as to whether or not a car was involved. I've always been under the impression there was a car because if there was not, then the perp would have had to been someone who lived right in that immediate area and it seems like LE would have caught him right away. Jared, who was attacked 9 months before Jacob, was forced into a car, driven elsewhere, assaulted, and then released.

I think he intended to do the same thing with Jacob, but something "went wrong."

Glad to know Heinrich is finally going to get what he has coming to him.

Props to the people who created that composite sketch way back when. It looks exactly like Heinrich, even though he has doubled in age since then. Jeannie Boylan would be proud.

Some more details are trickling out. Unfortunately none of them are good.

-Prior to taking off with Jacob, the perp fondled Aaron Larsen's (the friend's) genitals. :(

-During one of the Paynesville attacks, a boy shouted "You already got me!", before he was assaulted again. :(

-Heinrich would place a quarter on a staircase and wait for boys to pick it up so he could record shots of their rear.

And a few details from the book.

-On the way TO the convenience store, Aaron thought he heard a noise that sounded out of place, but decided not to say anything because he didn't want to scare Trevor, the youngest.

-Talk about creepy. The boys decided to rent a movie since there was nothing on t.v. that night. The Sunday night movie of the week was about a child molester who fondled young boys.

Props to the people who created that composite sketch way back when. It looks exactly like Heinrich, even though he has doubled in age since then. Jeannie Boylan would be proud.

Some more details are trickling out. Unfortunately none of them are good.

-Prior to taking off with Jacob, the perp fondled Aaron Larsen's (the friend's) genitals. :(

-During one of the Paynesville attacks, a boy shouted "You already got me!", before he was assaulted again. :(

-Heinrich would place a quarter on a staircase and wait for boys to pick it up so he could record shots of their rear.

And a few details from the book.

-On the way TO the convenience store, Aaron thought he heard a noise that sounded out of place, but decided not to say anything because he didn't want to scare Trevor, the youngest.

-Talk about creepy. The boys decided to rent a movie since there was nothing on t.v. that night. The Sunday night movie of the week was about a child molester who fondled young boys.


:eek: :eek: :eek:

This is such a sad case. There are videos on the forbidden site of interviews with Aaron Larson (the friend) and Jarred (the boy who was kidnapped and assaulted 9 months before Jacob).

Both of them are 37 years old today. They seem to have become well functioned adults with wives and children, and that's nice to see. But the survivors guilt they both live with will break your heart. Both of them have said in separate interviews, "why am I here today and Jacob is not?" Aaron in particular had a depressing statement that after Jacob was kidnapped, he was too afraid to get close with any friends growing up for fear he wouldn't be able to handle going through this ordeal again should anything happen to them. :(

I'm looking at the area where Jacob's abduction happened and it's so desolate, it just looks like an extremely easy location to get away with a kidnapping. And with it being dark (the three boys had to use flashlights while riding their bikes just to see where they were going) it just adds an extra layer of convenience for a sicko like Heinrich to get away with something like this.

I'm glad Heinrich is in jail but this case is just so incredibly sad. I tear up just watching interviews with the family and friends.

Kudos to a 'Current Affair' for broadcasting Jacob's story nation wide just 4 days after the kidnapping.

I came across this new article with some utterly horrifying details of some of the Paynesville attacks. As I feared, there seem to be more attacks than what was reported. Sadly, it seems LE dismissed much of the these incidents.

http://www.startribune.com/paynesville-victims-recount-painful-attacks-in-the-years-before-wetterling-was-kidnapped/348576511/

Here's another article stating a house known to Heinrich burned down 3 weeks after Jacob's abduction and that arson is suspected. Sadly, this may mean there may not be much if any at all of Jacob's potential remains that could be collected.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/11/13/heinrichs-strange-connection-to-another-wetterling-case-suspect/

this has a lot of interesting info:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/11/17/couple-believe-they-saw-wetterling-suspect-on-night-of-disappearance/

terrifying

http://www.fox9.com/news/49908959-story

This was a very sad case in which the family was unjustly blamed. People were suspicious about a masked man supposedly jumping out of nowhere, and suspected that the other two boys accidentally caused Jacob's death or witnessed it and lied to avoid trouble. The parents being gone that evening also raised suspicions and they were accused of arranging to have their oldest son sacrificed as part of their religion (which is not at all and never was a part of their religion but someone said it and a number of people repeated it).

I have just now started delving into this case -- wow, what a nightmare.

One thing I am trying to figure out about this case is where exactly the abduction took place. Was this literally on a country road? If so, how could the perp have possibly gotten there without a car? Was the road covered in trees or what did that particular spot actually look like?

I have been able to find maps of the area, but not any actual photos of what the abduction spot looks like...has anyone ever seen any?

I have just now started delving into this case -- wow, what a nightmare.

One thing I am trying to figure out about this case is where exactly the abduction took place. Was this literally on a country road? If so, how could the perp have possibly gotten there without a car? Was the road covered in trees or what did that particular spot actually look like?

I have been able to find maps of the area, but not any actual photos of what the abduction spot looks like...has anyone ever seen any?

Yes, country road. I attached a picture below. There was a lot of initial debate as to whether or not he had a car, but eventually it was determined he almost certainly had a car since tire tracks were found in the area. Additionally, Heinrich lived in another city at the time and would have needed a car to get to St. Joseph. (however, this was unlike the rest of his attacks since he wasn't in the car at the time he approached his victim).

The actual abduction took place near the end of the Rassier driveway. That particular driveway is a long and winding one. Dan Rassier stated he saw a car speed out of there at the time of the abduction, but didn't think anything of it at the time. After telling the other two boys to run away, Heinrich apparently dragged Jacob up the driveway some distance (presumably where his car was parked. Dogs traced Jacob's sent a short distance up the driveway, I think about 40 yards or so. There were also signs that Jacob put up resistance).

One thing it had been assumed (until recently) was that the perp saw the boys going to the convenience store and decided to strike when they made their return. This theory is now called into question after one of the recent articles I posted stated two witnesses saw Heinrich leering at the boys at the convenience store when they were in there. Since there have been long-standing reports that believe Jacob was stalked for some time before his disappearance and that the perp was stalking his victims, it seems that Heinrich saw the boys alone, knew where the Wetterlings lived and headed in that direction and waited for them. Heinrich is truly a sick individual.

informative article

http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2015/11/21/pis-1990-notes-mention-heinrich/76052842/

It's hard to believe Heinrich, if he is indeed responsible for Jacob's abduction, simply stopped assaulting and kidnapping boys. I wonder if there were any more assaults and abductions in the area? The timelines I've seen don't list anything past October '89, and with so few other suspects other than Duane Hart, it really makes me wonder what's been going on since then.

It's hard to believe Heinrich, if he is indeed responsible for Jacob's abduction, simply stopped assaulting and kidnapping boys. I wonder if there were any more assaults and abductions in the area? The timelines I've seen don't list anything past October '89, and with so few other suspects other than Duane Hart, it really makes me wonder what's been going on since then.

I've always believed that "something went wrong" when he abducted Jacob. I tend to believe his original plans didn't involve him killing Jacob, but something happened that led him to. Whether he snapped, was worried about being identified or what, I don't know.

The Paynesville attacks were all similar in that they all involved fondling or no sexual contact. The Cold Springs attack was definitely an escalation as he kidnapped the victim for some time and sexually assaulted him (presumably more than fondling), before releasing him. I tend to think he planned on doing something similar with Jacob.

As weird as it may sound, Heinrich may not think of himself as a murderer so that may be a possible explanation for why he quit, and also why he didn't keep any "souvenirs" of Jacob.

One last note, and this cannot be underestimated: The media attention for Jacob, particularly in the direct aftermath of the abduction, was enormous. To say that the immediate area, heck, even the entire state of Minnesota was saturated with Jacob posters, flyers, buttons, etc would be putting it mildly. Composite sketches of the perp were in the newspapers and such. Heinrich was lucky he got away with it for as long as he did and knew if he tried anything like that again, he may not be so lucky the next time.

Everything I've read suggests the Paynesville police department didn't investigate the attacks much at all. Then there was the Cold Springs attack and the police there took that more seriously, but it was a different city in a different time and nobody made the connection until recently (Joy Baker). Then there was Jacob in St. Joseph, which led to a lot of local citizens banding together to make sure what happened to Jacob didn't happen to any other kid. Heinrich only got away with the previous attacks largely due to lack of police involvement, but the St. Joseph area simply wasn't going to tolerate future attacks.

I've always believed that "something went wrong" when he abducted Jacob. I tend to believe his original plans didn't involve him killing Jacob, but something happened that led him to. Whether he snapped, was worried about being identified or what, I don't know.

One last note, and this cannot be underestimated: The media attention for Jacob, particularly in the direct aftermath of the abduction, was enormous. To say that the immediate area, heck, even the entire state of Minnesota was saturated with Jacob posters, flyers, buttons, etc would be putting it mildly. Composite sketches of the perp were in the newspapers and such. Heinrich was lucky he got away with it for as long as he did and knew if he tried anything like that again, he may not be so lucky the next time.


All excellent points, and especially the two above. I'm also considering the possibility he kept Jacob for an extended period of time, similar to the case of Steven Stayner. Hopefully we'll have some more answers in the coming months.

some more information from the book:

In July of 1989, three months before Jacob's abduction, there was an abduction attempt of a 9 year old boy in St. Joseph. He was able to get away. The perp drove a van. A composite sketch was made and curiously, this one doesn't look like Heinrich, although I believe he may have made a disguise and/or altered his appearance, which included wearing glasses.

Also around this time, a woman was checking in nightly on a new house that was being built for her. She would arrive at 6 p.m. at leave at 9 p.m. Every night, she saw a man in a van staring at kids playing, which included 4 of her own. She thought the guy was out of place since he wasn't with the construction crew or anything. She was somewhat bothered by him, but never did anything or inquired about him.

Numerous reports of a creepy guy matching Heinrich's description at the Tom Thumb store the night of Jacob's abduction, first being seen at 6 p.m., then later at 9 p.m. (right around the time of Jacob's abduction). Virtually all reports state the same thing: guy never making any purchases and staring at people's kids, with one woman being so disturbed by it she left without getting what she intended to buy.

With that being said, I'm a little disturbed that the Tom Thumb employees didn't kick Heinrich out. Employees do have the right to kick out loiterers, especially at night. If the guy starts putting up a fuss, they could have called the police.

And something I learned online: Heinrich was known to have had 8 different vehicles in an 11 year span.

Also from the book, it appears Heinrich may have attempted assaults after Jacob:

-On November 8, two weeks after Jacob's abduction, there was an attempted abduction of a 9 year old boy in New Brighton. The boy was bicycling home when a perp matching Heinrich's description ordered him to get in the car. The boy sped off and made it safely home.

-Another abduction attempt happened a little over a week later on November 17. This was in Roberts, Wisconsin, but it was just east of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and also just 2 miles off Interstate 94. There were many similarities to Jacob's abduction. The boy was aware of Jacob's abduction and sped off.

Also of note: Heinrich was apparently arrested for the Cold Spring attack. Not sure of the time, but I believe it was in early 1990 (only a few months after Jacob's abduction). Investigators attempted to interview him, but Heinrich immediately requested a lawyer and refused to talk and the district attorney distressingly dropped the charges. The statute of limitations has since expired, so Heinrich can never be tried for that crime. Sad, they dropped the ball.

Did they go into detail about the Roberts, WI abduction attempt in the book?

I went to elementary school there and the boy in question was in the class ahead of mine. I always kind of wondered about the validity of the claim (which feels terrible to say), but at the time EVERYONE was on high alert due to Jacob's abduction. I thought the kid maybe misinterpreted or overreacted to someone. It wouldn't have been too far-fetched for this kid's personality at the time.

I remember it being a really big deal because one of the Mpls/St. Paul news stations came out to do a story on it the next day.

Did they go into detail about the Roberts, WI abduction attempt in the book?

I went to elementary school there and the boy in question was in the class ahead of mine. I always kind of wondered about the validity of the claim (which feels terrible to say), but at the time EVERYONE was on high alert due to Jacob's abduction. I thought the kid maybe misinterpreted or overreacted to someone. It wouldn't have been too far-fetched for this kid's personality at the time.

I remember it being a really big deal because one of the Mpls/St. Paul news stations came out to do a story on it the next day.

From what I understand, yes, it's a problem when the boy who cried wolf is attacked by a real wolf!

Did they go into detail about the Roberts, WI abduction attempt in the book?

I went to elementary school there and the boy in question was in the class ahead of mine. I always kind of wondered about the validity of the claim (which feels terrible to say), but at the time EVERYONE was on high alert due to Jacob's abduction. I thought the kid maybe misinterpreted or overreacted to someone. It wouldn't have been too far-fetched for this kid's personality at the time.

I remember it being a really big deal because one of the Mpls/St. Paul news stations came out to do a story on it the next day.

no, it was just a short blurb.

I tend to believe it happened though. Considering practically all of Minnesota knew about Jacob's abduction, the perp probably figured it made sense to dip into a neighboring state as he probably figured the publicity wouldn't carry over there. Since this was just a few miles off the interstate, I think he went trolling for victims.

The similarities between this and Jacob's abduction were that the perp had a deep, commanding voice, both happened at night, the perp in both attacks wore something that covered his face (such as ski mask), both happened while the boys were returning home from somewhere, both boys were roughly the same age, etc.

The perp had ordered the boy to get in the car, but he refused. Perhaps the only thing that differed was that the boy had seen the car (which was parked in a driveway that led to a school) for some time before being asked to get in it. In virtually all of the Minnesota attacks, the victims were completely surprised as the perp came out of nowhere.

That part of western Wisconsin is basically an extension of the Twin Cities. Roberts is only 25 minutes from downtown St. Paul. All the television media is from Minneapolis/St. Paul. We definitely were in the know about Jacob's abduction - it just saturated the local media.
I don't remember the details about the attempt - I don't know what was reported at the time. The town had a population around 1000 at the time, and while it wasn't uncommon to see MN license plates, it would have been odd to see someone sitting in a MN car in town.

Since Jacob's abduction was national news it was about as well known in one area as another.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/09/03/breaking-news-heinrich-told-fbi-where-he-says-they-will-find-wetterling/

I saw this over the weekend.

My heart goes out to Jacob's family. I'm sorry that their ending came in this form. As a reasonable person, I knew the chances of Jacob still being alive were very slim. But you never want to read news like this. :(