Devastating End to 27-Year-Old Mystery

By, Crystal S. Kauffman , Contributing Writer

©Wetterling Family

Minnesota officials has finally learned what had happened to the 11-year-old, Jacob Wetterling, who was abducted on October 22, 1989 from St. Joseph. According to StarTribune, Jacob was riding home from a convenience store with his brother and his best friend when a masked gunman forced Jacob into his car and handcuffed him. His brother and friend were told to run or he would shoot them also. Tragically, on September 3rd, 2016, local authorities announced that they had in fact found Jacob’s remains on a farm in Paynesville, Minnesota.

Jacob Wetterling was sexually assaulted and killed on the same night he disappeared. The killer Danny Heinrich confessed to burying him and later after moving his remains to the farm where he led investigators. According to CBS Minnesota, Jacob’s mother became a national child advocate and helped create the Jacob Wetterling Act that Congress passed in 1994. This law requires anyone who is arrested and convicted of being a sexual offender must register with their state law enforcement. In addition, Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, also created the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center.

In 2015, Danny Heinrich becomes a “Person of Interest” after being arrested on unrelated child pornography charges. However, he denied his involvement in Jacob’s abduction on October 22, 1989.  According CBS Minnesota, a confession from Danny Heinrich in a plea deal has given Jacob’s family the answer that they have hoped for over the last 27 years. The killer’s confession led to Jacob’s remains and he was later positively identified by DNA. He will face 20 years in prison as a results of the plea deal for the pornography charges, but he will not face justice for killing Jacob.
  
References:
CBS Minnesota (2016) Plea Deal Negotiations Led To Discovery Of Wetterling Remains
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 8, 2016
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/09/05/heinrich-wetterling-plea-deal/?e=mKK8g--eYAKhOg

CBS Minnesota (2016) Wetterling’s Abduction & Heinrich’s Confession: A Timeline Of Events
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 8, 2016
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/09/06/wetterlings-abduction-heinrichs-confession-a-timeline-of-events/

StarTribune (2016) Danny Heinrich confesses to abducting and killing Jacob Wetterling
Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 8, 2016
http://www.startribune.com/danny-heinrich-confesses-to-abducting-and-killing-jacob-wetterling/392438361/