Jacob Wetterling, is it possible Devlin is the perp?

[MrsMush99]

Is Devlin connected to the Jacob Wetterling abduction?? This has been going through my mind for quite some time now, and reading this article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/01/national/a134733S47.DTL

Investigators are checking for connections between Devlin and other missing-person cases in the country. On Thursday, authorities confirmed they were looking for possible connections in six cases of missing or slain children dating back to 1988, including four in Missouri, one in Minnesota and another in Illinois.


Jacob was 11 and kidnapped off his bike. Also the kidnapper had a gun. He was also taken in October. I wonder if this is the case that LE is looking into in Minnesota.

[MrsMush99]

Oh My Goodness!!! They ARE looking into it!!!

http://www.wctrib.com/articles/index.cfm?id=15944&section=news&forumcomm_check_return&freebie_check&CFID=18248069&CFTOKEN=45747528&jsessionid=8830566e76362a387a16

Wouldn't that be something? Jacob's case has always haunted me.

[LionRun]

Thank you Mrs. Mush for starting this thread. This article is very interesting. According to Jacob's brother and his friend, Jacob's abductor was about 5' 8" and was between 40 and 50 years old. Devlin is 6' 4". Although, a child may not be proficient at estimating another person's height, especially when terrified, LE is usually pretty good at helping to figure out a fairly accurate general height. I could see the height being off by 2 to 4 inches. But, the difference here is 8 inches. More importantly, Devlin would have been about 24 years old at the time of Jacob's abduction. I doubt the children would have made an error in age estimation to that degree.

However, for all we know Devlin could have been part of a loosely knit or even organized pedophile ring. Or he could have been the younger, less experienced member of a pedo perp duo. I think it would be a long shot, however possible.

Most of us agree that Arlin Henderson and Scott Kleeschute are on the list of the 6. Has anyone got ideas on who the other 4 may be? Is Jacob in fact, on that list? I don't know how to do a search of an area with specific descriptions, dates, and circumstances. For example, I wouldn't know how to search Missouri for missing boys between the ages of 7 to 14 from the dates of 1983 until the present. However, i would like to learn. Can anyone explain how to me? I would be most grateful.

Lion


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/01/national/a134733S47.DTL

[QUOTE] Shawn Hornbeck's first month of captivity involved such intense isolation and abuse that he eventually assisted his alleged captor's efforts to keep another boy hidden in his apartment, an official close to the investigation told The Associated Press.


Shawn's eventual cooperation with Michael Devlin helped keep 13-year-old Ben Ownby captive while Devlin was at work, said the official, who requested anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to speak publicly about the case.



Shawn was traumatized after his abduction in 2002 and the experience essentially tore apart the 11-year-old's identity, the official said. Over time, Shawn began to see Devlin as his protector and surrogate parent in a pattern common to many abuse victims, the official said.
[QUOTE/]

[MrsMush99]

I'm not sure how the boys knew the abductors age since I read that he was wearing a mask:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Wetterling

Jacob Erwin Wetterling (born February 17, 1978) was an American boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped from his hometown at the age of 11 on October 22, 1989. He, his brother, and a friend were bicycling home from a convenience store, when a masked man came out of a driveway and ordered the boys to throw their bikes into a ditch and lie down on the ground. The man had a gun, so the boys complied. He asked each boy their age. Jacob's brother and friend were told to run toward a nearby wooded area, but Jacob was abducted.

I just read another article about this, it seems that Jacob's mother asked them to review it:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16606976.htm

As soon as Patty Wetterling heard about the abduction of a Missouri boy, she called the Stearns County sheriff's office and asked them to take a look at whether the case could be connected to the 1989 kidnapping of her son.

The sheriff's office did and Missouri investigators said Thursday the Jacob Wetterling case is one of five a taskforce is checking for connections to Michael Devlin, who is charged in the abduction of Ben Ownby.

[LionRun]

Hmmm. Good question as to how the boys could have estimated the age as from between 40 and 50 if the man had a mask on. If the man had a deep voice the boys or even an adult could have guessed him as older than 24. Now I wonder what Devlin's voice sounds like. I'm not sure how to explain the large height discrepancy, though.

Lion

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16606976.htm

Jacob was 11 years old when he abducted by an armed man in St. Joseph in October 1989 while riding his bike with his brother and a friend.
The other cases the task force is checking for possible connections to Devlin are:

— Charles "Arlin" Henderson, then 11, who disappeared in 1991 while riding his bike on a rural road in Moscow Mills, about an hour's drive from St. Louis.

— Scott Allen Kleeschulte, who was 9 when he disappeared while riding his bike near his home in St. Charles, Mo., during a thunderstorm in June 1988.

— Bianca Noel Piper, a 13-year-old who disappeared after taking an evening walk in March 10 near her home in Foley, Mo.

— Angie Marie Housman, abducted at age 9 in November 1993 while walking near her St. Ann home in Missouri and four dead nine days later by hunters in St. Charles County.

— Dalton Mesarchik, a 7-year-old kidnapped in March 2003 from his front lawn in Streator, Ill., and found dead the next day on the banks of the Vermilion River.



I'm not sure how the boys knew the abductors age since I read that he was wearing a mask:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Wetterling

Jacob Erwin Wetterling (born February 17, 1978) was an American boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota who was kidnapped from his hometown at the age of 11 on October 22, 1989. He, his brother, and a friend were bicycling home from a convenience store, when a masked man came out of a driveway and ordered the boys to throw their bikes into a ditch and lie down on the ground. The man had a gun, so the boys complied. He asked each boy their age. Jacob's brother and friend were told to run toward a nearby wooded area, but Jacob was abducted.

I just read another article about this, it seems that Jacob's mother asked them to review it:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16606976.htm

As soon as Patty Wetterling heard about the abduction of a Missouri boy, she called the Stearns County sheriff's office and asked them to take a look at whether the case could be connected to the 1989 kidnapping of her son.

The sheriff's office did and Missouri investigators said Thursday the Jacob Wetterling case is one of five a taskforce is checking for connections to Michael Devlin, who is charged in the abduction of Ben Ownby.

[iowa gurl]

Hmmm. Good question as to how the boys could have estimated the age as from between 40 and 50 if the man had a mask on. If the man had a deep voice the boys or even an adult could have guessed him as older than 24. Now I wonder what Devlin's voice sounds like. I'm not sure how to explain the large height discrepancy, though.

Lion
I am a short person and a horrible judge of height, everybody is tall. I think the height thing is insignificant especially since we're talking about terrified children being threatened at gunpoint.

This all seems so far fetched for Jacob to be a victim. I hope and pray for closure for the Wetterlings but I think if Michael is the one or part of a group that snatched him the end of this story wont be as good as the ending for Shawn Hornbeck.

[shergal]

Lion: " Most of us agree that Arlin Henderson and Scott Kleeschute are on the list of the 6. Has anyone got ideas on who the other 4 may be? Is Jacob in fact, on that list? I don't know how to do a search of an area with specific descriptions, dates, and circumstances. "

Here's a link to a local news station in MN showing the 6 who are being looked into and Jacob is one of them.
http://wcco.com/crime/local_story_033072958.html

Also on their site is an article with Patty Wetterling's (Jacob's mom) comments on the parents saying there had been possible sex abuse of Shawn on Oprah's show.

[Leila]

Hmmm. Good question as to how the boys could have estimated the age as from between 40 and 50 if the man had a mask on. If the man had a deep voice the boys or even an adult could have guessed him as older than 24. Now I wonder what Devlin's voice sounds like. I'm not sure how to explain the large height discrepancy, though.

Lion

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16606976.htm

Jacob was 11 years old when he abducted by an armed man in St. Joseph in October 1989 while riding his bike with his brother and a friend.
The other cases the task force is checking for possible connections to Devlin are:

— Charles "Arlin" Henderson, then 11, who disappeared in 1991 while riding his bike on a rural road in Moscow Mills, about an hour's drive from St. Louis.

— Scott Allen Kleeschulte, who was 9 when he disappeared while riding his bike near his home in St. Charles, Mo., during a thunderstorm in June 1988.

— Bianca Noel Piper, a 13-year-old who disappeared after taking an evening walk in March 10 near her home in Foley, Mo.

— Angie Marie Housman, abducted at age 9 in November 1993 while walking near her St. Ann home in Missouri and four dead nine days later by hunters in St. Charles County.

— Dalton Mesarchik, a 7-year-old kidnapped in March 2003 from his front lawn in Streator, Ill., and found dead the next day on the banks of the Vermilion River.A question........I note that Bianca Piper is on the list of 6 the task force is looking into. Is it usual or a pedophile who's usual target is boys in the 11-year-old age range to go after a female?

[LionRun]

Yes, Leila, in some cases. At least that is what I have heard over the years, and it makes sense. There are cases where a pedophile abused and/or murdered both boys and girls.

It seems that some pedophiles prefer mainly girls, and some prefer only boys. Yet, for some pedophiles the gender of the child is not as important as the fact that the victim is a child.

For some there may be somewhat of a preference for a particular gender; but, if they can't get a hold of a victim of their preferred gender they will take what they can get.

Lion

[Medusa]

I just can't see Bianca Piper being related for so many reasons. The facts appear so different than the two known cases, unless the cops have some information we don't know yet.

I have always felt Bianca ran off after the argument with her mother and friends either hid her out or helped her leave the immediate area (or a combination of both).


MTCW

[cheko1]

Thank you Mrs Mush 99,

With all the media looking at Devlin, I was convinced Devlin had something to do with Jacob Wetterling's kidnap. I tried finding pictures of his abductor, to no avail.
I knew he'd been kidnapped while on his bike & was the approximate same age as Shawn when he was taken. His Mother seen the similarities & contacted LE. That poor woman has been to hell & back.

[Tom'sGirl]

Task Force Finds No Strong Links to Other Abductions

02/02/2007

[/url]

There are no strong leads at this time to link Michael Devlin to six abduction cases in the region that are being investigated by a multi-jurisdictional task force, authorities said. Cpl. Julie Scerine, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said after Devlin's arrest, inquiries have grown from older "cold cases" in Missouri and Illinois. Scerine said Wednesday that the patrol is the "mouthpiece" for a task force, acting as a liaison between investigators and the media.

[url="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17801257&BRD=1409&PAG=461&dept_id=33071&rfi=6"]http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17801257&BRD=1409&PAG=461&dept_id=33071&rfi=6 (javascript: openEmailWindow();)

[LionRun]

I just can't see Bianca Piper being related for so many reasons. The facts appear so different than the two known cases, unless the cops have some information we don't know yet.

I have always felt Bianca ran off after the argument with her mother and friends either hid her out or helped her leave the immediate area (or a combination of both).


MTCW
I don't see many similarities between Devlin's known victims and Bianca either. And, although I am always hopeful, I am not so sure that Devlin had a hand in Jacob's disappearance. I am more inclined to believe that it is possible that Devlin may have been involved with Arlin's and Scott's disappearances.

Can you imagine what all of this is stirring up for the parent's of missing or murdered(unsolved) children? My heart goes out to them.

Lion

[mssheila]

Part of me thinks it's just wishful thinking, but I'd love to have an answer to what happened to Jacob. I've said this before on Jacob's threads, I was his age when he was kidnapped and lived pretty close (about an hour away) when he was taken. I think about Jacob a lot to this very day, and pray for him and his family all the time. I'll never forget hearing about how his parents can't move, or change their phone number because "What if he comes home?" :(
It is at least a 10 hour drive from Kirkwood, MO to St. Joseph, MN. I did a mapquest on it.

http://www.tiny.cc/Directions491 (http://www.tiny.cc/Directions491)

But, because Jacob was 11, and because he was just the right 'type', and the MO was almost exactly alike.... it's something they should look into. Where was Devlin around the time of Jacob's abduction?

[Gina_M]

I've been wondering about Jacob Wetterling too. He was the same age as Shawn was when he was taken, and the perp used a gun. Also, we know Devlin drove from MO to AZ for a wedding, and allegedly drove to NM for camping trips, so it wouldn't be out of the question for him to drive to Minnesota. I read a couple things just now, though, that point towards it being someone local:

Jacob's mother, Patty, became an advocate for missing children after law enforcement, family, and friends learned of a halfway house nearby that was home to released sex offenders.
http://www.nsor.net/jacob-wetterling.htm


Earlier in the year, a 12-year-old boy had been pulled into a car and molested. The boy had just finished ice skating with friends and was walking home alone. When the man dumped the boy out of the car, he was told to run. If he didn’t, he would be shot. Not only did the methodology fit, but so did the geography. This crime happened about 10 miles from where Jacob had disappeared.
The inevitable sketch was issued. Like all the others, it led nowhere.

http://www.sequoyahcountysheriff.org/jacobwetterlingact.htm

More about this abduction from earlier in the year:

A former Cold Spring man, who was abducted and assaulted just ten months before Jacob Wetterling disappeared, is coming forward to tell his story publicly for the first time in hopes it will trigger new leads in the Wetterling case.

Jared's story begins on a winter night in Cold Spring, Minnesota. It was Friday, January 13, 1989.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=63324

Sounds like the same man abducted both Jared and Jacob, one in January and one in October. If it was Devlin, he either took an extended vacation that year, or made multiple trips to the same area.

[Liz]

IMO, Devlin is not responsible for Jacob's abduction. It's always sounded more like the "MO" of Joseph Duncan to me. Not saying Duncan is responsible, by any means.


I highy doubt that Devlin held any other kids besides Shawn and then Ben. It just doesn't seem probable, imo. Now as to whether he abducted them and molested them ... that's the $64,000 question.

[Liadan]

Jared and Jacob are so similar they almost look as if they are related. The two cases just seem too eerily alike not be connected. Were these two only isolated incidents, did the the perpetrator move state? Did this perpertrator get pulled off the streets for something else?