As I previously mentioned, On The Hunt with John Walsh aired this case on Sunday, joining the ranks of 20/20 and Missing: Reward of shows that have profiled this case.

Before I get to the latest news on the case, I feel inclined to forewarn anyone who hasn't seen it yet but intends to: it is probably the most chilling crime recreation I have seen in years. The whole thing lasts about a half hour, and there's more than a few moments that are creepy, disturbing and downright chilling (as if the case itself wasn't horrifying enough). I could actually feel my heart pounding.

Now, many people know about the Jacob Wetterling abduction from St. Joseph, MN. Some know that in the same year, in the neighboring town of Cold Spring, a boy was pulled into a car and molested and then pushed out. It was thought the 2 cases were likely connected, especially since the perp had warned the kid (or kids) in both cases to run away or risk getting shot.

On The Hunt with John Walsh had some information I had never heard before: in the years 1986, 1987, and 1989, there were 11 incidents of molestations of boys (or perceived attempts) in Paynesville, MN, which is another town that neighbors St. Joseph (and Cold Spring).

In the first incident, a man driving a car approached a boy and asked him if he wanted a ride, and the boy replied "no". The man then asked the boy if he wanted to go to a toy store, and again the boy replied "no." The man subsequently drove off.

In the next two incidents, the man approached a boy outside and molested him. I don't know about the rest as the program glossed over these very quickly, but I intend to do research on them ASAP.

There were no attacks in 1988 and it is believed because the man was incarcerated. Unfortunately he got out and apparently resumed his crimes in 1989. He was subsequently arrested again in 1990. Stearns County, MN Sheriff John Sanner stated that he was not able to give out this man's name as the investigation is ongoing, but it certainly seems authorities have a pretty good idea of who did this and it is (or was) someone local.

One thing that really bothers me is this: In the first incident I talked about above, the man approached a boy but didn't molest him. He was probably working up his nerve and getting used to approaching boys. In all (except for the last) subsequent incidents, he molested boys. In the final (known) attack, which was on Wetterling, he may have killed him or Lord knows what else. This seems to fit the pattern of many other criminals. They start off slow, then build up to more and more serious crimes, in many cases culminating with murder.

Credit to Joy Baker (who was interviewed for John Walsh's show) -- she has a very informative blog that includes (among other things) detailed accounts of some other attempted attacks in the same area and time frame, and more details on the 11 Paynesville attacks. Also an interesting tidbit that perhaps the original target wasn't Jacob but another boy that frequented the Tom Thumb store, who had a couple of close calls with the perp.

http://www.joybaker.com/tag/jacob-wetterling/

I finally got a chance to watch this online today because my DVR messed up the Sunday recording since there was severe weather here. :mad: Patty and Jerry Wetterling's recollections of the evening of Jacob's abduction were heartbreaking. :(

okay, here's some more info from the blog:

the perp was also spotted in Avon, another city in Stearns County, during the time frame, including one at a convenience store (like Tom Thumb). Numerous reports of him leering at customers and not buying anything. One account, a few weeks after the attack, stated that the suspect "laughed" at Jacob's case and said "that boy will never be found." This is pure speculation, but I have to wonder if Jacob did something that angered him during the attack and the perp killed him. :mad:

There are numerous descriptions of the attacker from several of the victims, and they are all the same. Guy with low, raspy voice. Chunky, but not what you'd call conventionally fat. All of the attacks also have numerous things in common: they all happened at night, or in the early morning hours (up to 2 a.m.), most of the kids were on bicycles at the time. He spotted all of the kids downtown (he would sometimes accost them there, or follow them to a more rural area).

Has been in jail since 1990, shortly after Jacob's abduction. Don't know what put him there, but I would imagine sexual molestation of children.

A lack of communication between police precincts in neighboring towns is a large reason why there hasn't (until now) been a connection between the attacks or even common knowledge of them outside of the respective cities they occurred in (except for Jacob of course). Also, in Jacob's case, I have to wonder if the police got overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tips and simply didn't see the perp even though he was right there in front of him.

Thanks Wiseguy, for sharing info you found and keeping us up to date on this case. It's very much appreciated.

As you might know, we don't have TV so I can't watch the true crime programs anymore and lately, I haven't had much time to be online to research any details.

Why are authorities launching a new campaign if they are pretty sure who did it? http://www.startribune.com/local/278959001.html

Why are authorities launching a new campaign if they are pretty sure who did it? http://www.startribune.com/local/278959001.html

That's pretty common actually. How many cases on UM had the police pretty much know who did it, but didn't quite have the proof to put them away? Lots. Since there's probably not any DNA in this case, they're looking for someone with inside knowledge.

That's pretty common actually. How many cases on UM had the police pretty much know who did it, but didn't quite have the proof to put them away? Lots. Since there's probably not any DNA in this case, they're looking for someone with inside knowledge.

Could they be hoping that the killer or people around the killer will crack with guilt? I hope that's what happens.

Credit to Joy Baker (who was interviewed for John Walsh's show) -- she has a very informative blog that includes (among other things) detailed accounts of some other attempted attacks in the same area and time frame, and more details on the 11 Paynesville attacks. Also an interesting tidbit that perhaps the original target wasn't Jacob but another boy that frequented the Tom Thumb store, who had a couple of close calls with the perp.

http://www.joybaker.com/tag/jacob-wetterling/

I'm getting caught up in this thread so I'm sorry for the repeat post. I've been reading this blog and I have chills going down my spine when she addresses Jacob's killer directly.

Anybody know if they ever looked at this person as being a suspect in the Johnny Gosch case? Iowa isn't that far from MN. That's another truly scary case.

Could they be hoping that the killer or people around the killer will crack with guilt? I hope that's what happens.

Sometimes that happens when the perpetrator is near death, as in the case where a man named Bob was accused by the police of shooting himself, the family all said he was murdered by an intruder, later they received a letter confessing to the killing but I think the letter was written anonymously.

Has Jacob's family accepted that he is dead? Last I saw they hadn't and there is no proof of it. If he isn't, remaining possibilities are pretty horrible.

1. He was completely brainwashed and has utterly forgotten his true identity.

2. Scary possibilities arose with the Johnny Gosch case, of these boys being used for child pornography, then trained as C. I. A. operatives or such. Not that I really believe all this, but what if Jacob was compelled to do something horrible and illegal, such as participate in a kidnapping which led to a murder, or even in a murder itself? Other kidnap victims have been through this--most notably in the Shawn Hornbeck/Ben Ownby case. Jacob would be both afraid of prosecution, and feel his family would never accept him. So best to remain missing under whatever new identity he may have assumed.

I'm getting caught up in this thread so I'm sorry for the repeat post. I've been reading this blog and I have chills going down my spine when she addresses Jacob's killer directly.

Anybody know if they ever looked at this person as being a suspect in the Johnny Gosch case? Iowa isn't that far from MN. That's another truly scary case.

Not a problem. I remember Patty saying something to the effect of "I don't want a 25th anniversary, I want answers." That line stuck with me. She has been through a lot the last quarter of a century (including two failed congressional bids) and I'm sure it's taken a toll on her.

I actually posted earlier (though I don't think it was this thread) how I thought there might be a connection between Jacob Wetterling and the Johnny Gosch/Eugene Martin/Marc Allen cases, but I've since come to the realization he's probably not connected. The latter 3 were all cases of Iowa newspaper carriers who went missing, whereas Jacob seems to have been abducted by the perv who was out trolling for victims and molesting boys. Jacob was the first one he didn't release (that we know of).

There is a strong suspect (which I mentioned earlier), though we don't know anything about him other than he was incarcerated for sex crimes shortly after Jacob's abduction and is still behind bars. Apparently, the crimes stopped after his arrest. I would imagine the pressure being placed on him is because people know he might as well confess if he's behind bars anyway. Closure is being sought.

Not a problem. I remember Patty saying something to the effect of "I don't want a 25th anniversary, I want answers." That line stuck with me. She has been through a lot the last quarter of a century (including two failed congressional bids) and I'm sure it's taken a toll on her.

I actually posted earlier (though I don't think it was this thread) how I thought there might be a connection between Jacob Wetterling and the Johnny Gosch/Eugene Martin/Marc Allen cases, but I've since come to the realization he's probably not connected. The latter 3 were all cases of Iowa newspaper carriers who went missing, whereas Jacob seems to have been abducted by the perv who was out trolling for victims and molesting boys. Jacob was the first one he didn't release (that we know of).

There is a strong suspect (which I mentioned earlier), though we don't know anything about him other than he was incarcerated for sex crimes shortly after Jacob's abduction and is still behind bars. Apparently, the crimes stopped after his arrest. I would imagine the pressure being placed on him is because people know he might as well confess if he's behind bars anyway. Closure is being sought.

I've followed those Iowa cases a bit because of the Johnny Gosch case (one of the creepiest cases I've seen) and I think that those three cases are linked. I don't know much about this case other than the fact that Iowa is close to MN. The more I read about it the more I see that Jacob's case probably isn't connected to the Gosch case.

Does anybody know what the suspect did that landed him such a long sentence? It must have been pretty severe if he's been behind bars all this time. I wonder why he hasn't talked yet?
The suspect has been

I've followed the Wetterling cases since he was kidnapped and I saw the report on the Bill Oreilly version of Inside Edition. I've said before in other post he (Jacob) reminded me of a friends kid brother. The Paynesville attacks that were brought up in the show were certainly new information I was not aware of, and its hard to believe they are not connected. The Payneviller attacker may be in jail but while reading Joy Baker's blog "Jared" one of the victims mentions that one of the jailed suspects who had assaulted other kids had a different MO (subduing victims with drug and alcohol vs the brute force assaults of the Paynesville attacks)

I think the Wetterlings have accepted that Jacob is no longer with us but they need more than anyone the restive peace of knowing where Jacob is and what happened to him. While there certainly cases of abductees being re-united with their loved ones, male victims like Shawn Hornbeck and Steven Stayner are a rarity. Does anyone know where an adult male who was abducted as a child was reunited with their family? Both Shawn and Steven were teenagers. An adult male would be more of a threat and not as easy to control.

I don't think Jacob was kept for more then a few days. The publicity in the midwest was intense. IF the killer lived in that area of Minnesota he couldn't have wanted to risk the chance of being found.

Because what I read about the paynesville attacks and Jacob's case, I think the suspect was evolving from pure sexual predator to a serial killer, and he is in prison for a previous assault or died unexpectedly.

While there hasn't been any major news here lately, some informative tidbits continue to trickle in. Once again, these all come from Joy Baker's blog:

-A positively CHILLING account from a 12 year old boy who was waiting outside school for his ride. (He had been waiting outside with another boy who was crying because he thought his parents forgot him and he'd have to wait at the school all night. That boy's ride eventually came). Said an old, beat up car circled at least 10 times, driving slower each time, and the driver staring at him. Later sees masked man walking towards him, which sets off a foot race. Seems like he barely escaped becoming a victim.

-There is some talk about the area from which Jacob was abducted, which was near his home. Though it's pretty common knowledge that this is an isolated, rural area, there was a spot (if not, several spots) nearby that were known to older teenagers as party spots. These were areas in which teens would sneak off to drink, smoke and party. It has been speculated that perhaps the perp was attracted to this area for some reason relating to the party spot (perhaps as a drug supplier, or perhaps he was scouting slightly older victims), though it's a bit speculative at this point.

-Here's an oddity: Jacob's bike had been stolen out of his front yard the night before his disappearance. Apparently, the guy who stole it was questioned and cleared, but I have to wonder about it. What man steals a KID'S bike?!

Here again is the link to the blog if you want to catch up on all the latest:

http://www.joybaker.com/category/jacob/

Also wanted to say there's a new book about this case as well. "It Can't Happen Here: The Search For Jacob Wetterling".

Today must be a tough day for the Wetterlings as is the 26th anniversary of Jacob's disappearance and still no answers yet.

Joy Baker must have taken a break from her blog. Either that, or there's absolutely nothing new to report.

Wow, exactly one week after the anniversary of Jacob's abduction, and they've announced a new person of interest:
http://www.startribune.com/new-developments-to-be-announced-in-wetterling-case/338399961/

Thus far, this guy has been arrested on charges child pornography and while they've yet to find any direct evidence tying him to Jacob's abduction, he did live in the area at the time and certainly fits the profile of someone who would do this.

Of course they are making a huge deal about this, I know the stations here preempted programming to cover the presser. Personally I'm not too excited about this relating to JW. I'm glad they are getting one more scumbag paedo off the streets and hopefully they can convict him in the case that they have the DNA from. They've already talked to him about JW, and I thought the description of the man was much older than 26, which he would have been at the time?

I guess I'm just not sure what all the hoopla is about. Yes, I am glad they continue to think of JW and investigate his disappearance after all these years. But this isn't a new person to the case, there is no evidence linking him, he's not even named a suspect. Hopefully this is something where the police are not saying everything and they are close to solving this. And I hope they do, I have always hoped that. Maybe i'm just a little jaded because we've had a few other red herrings with POIs being named years later and nothing coming of it.

Believe me, I would love nothing more than for this case to be solved so P&JW and their other kids can have some kind of "closure" instead of wondering forever, but I'm not holding my breath over this guy turning into anything. If he did it hopefully he'll confess though I highly doubt it after getting away with it all this time, especially after being searched and investigated before with nothing coming out of it.

Of course they are making a huge deal about this, I know the stations here preempted programming to cover the presser. Personally I'm not too excited about this relating to JW. I'm glad they are getting one more scumbag paedo off the streets and hopefully they can convict him in the case that they have the DNA from. They've already talked to him about JW, and I thought the description of the man was much older than 26, which he would have been at the time?

I guess I'm just not sure what all the hoopla is about. Yes, I am glad they continue to think of JW and investigate his disappearance after all these years. But this isn't a new person to the case, there is no evidence linking him, he's not even named a suspect. Hopefully this is something where the police are not saying everything and they are close to solving this. And I hope they do, I have always hoped that. Maybe i'm just a little jaded because we've had a few other red herrings with POIs being named years later and nothing coming of it.

Believe me, I would love nothing more than for this case to be solved so P&JW and their other kids can have some kind of "closure" instead of wondering forever, but I'm not holding my breath over this guy turning into anything. If he did it hopefully he'll confess though I highly doubt it after getting away with it all this time, especially after being searched and investigated before with nothing coming out of it.

It's him. It's gotta be him.

I understand your point about the age seemingly being off. But the suspect (Heinrich) was balding in 1989 and looks a lot like the composite sketch. There's a side-by-side comparison here.

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2015/10/29/new-developments-to-be-announced-in-jacob-wetterling-case/74813880/

Tire and shoe tracks found on the scene near where Jacob was abducted match him. DNA has also matched him to the attack on Jared. He also lived in Paynesville, which is where a lot of the prior attacks on boys happened. He also has a lengthy criminal record including assaults and burglaries, among other things.

Nowadays, authorities rarely call someone a "suspect", possibly to avoid legal complications or whatever. "Person Of Interest" is used a lot more frequently these days because it's an ambiguous term. It can mean someone who is a possible suspect, but can also refer to someone who may have knowledge on the case.

It's him.

I didn't see the comparison pics but I'll go looking for them.

I really do hope this is him and they can get him. It really sucks that they can't charge him with Jared's abduction/assault because of the statute of limitations. That's BS. I might have missed this but did Jared ID him back when this happened? I know they have other evidence (the tire and shoe imprints and now DNA) but just curious if they also had a positive ID.

Anyway you look at it this guy is a scumbag and thank goodness he's off the streets.

It should be noted they contacted a profiler back when this first happened, and they were spot on in their estimate that the perp was 25-35 years old with some deformity. (In this case, the deformity being a nearly completely bald man despite being at the relatively young age of 26 at the time).

Article from a few weeks ago: http://www.startribune.com/wetterling-person-of-interest-danny-heinrich-sued-by-jared-scheierl/379075091/

Not much of an update to the whole situation, and I doubt Heinrich is going to say anything, but at least Scheierl can confront this psychopath.

This might have been asked and is probably obvious, but did they thoroughly search the woods that Jacob was lead into? I always thought that he was taken there, molested and then murdered, and that the body is somewhere there or nearby. I feel bad for Jacob's family, and that poor boy at 11, gone.

This might have been asked and is probably obvious, but did they thoroughly search the woods that Jacob was lead into? I always thought that he was taken there, molested and then murdered, and that the body is somewhere there or nearby. I feel bad for Jacob's family, and that poor boy at 11, gone.

That's what I thought for years.

There's some huge debate on that though. From 1989-2004, LE believed the abductor used a car to transport Jacob out of the immediate area. LE changed their tune in 04, swerving towards the theory that the abductor was on foot. That seems strange though. Could the perp drag a boy some distance from his house and the pair not be spotted by anyone? Plus, that would imply the abductor lived in the immediate area and stood a much greater chance of eventually being found out.

But then again, it was stated Jacob was seen being dragged toward a wooded area and the CP page backs that up, so who knows? Plus you have Dan Rassier stating he saw 2 suspicious cars use his long driveway that day, and both whizzed out of the area. It's all very confusing.

I suppose it's not out of the realm of possibility that the perp assaulted Jacob, released him and something happened to him on his way back, but that doesn't seem terribly likely. There was also a theory put out there that he was sold to a child sex ring, but I don't think that's very likely either.

In regards to the search, it was pretty massive and immediate. They had a helicopter over there in quick fashion.

It was stated there was a suspicious fire of a building related to Heinrich 3 weeks after Jacob's abduction. I fear any remains might be long gone.

he killed him that first night

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-jacob-wetterling-abduction-sentence-20161121-story.html