MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #10

[ThePhantom]

Is the reputation of the Rassier family in the local community analogous with the Ramsey family in their community -- such that police could not conceive that something criminal may have been occurring in the exact location Jacob was last seen?

 

[ThePhantom]

Is it possible that DR erased incriminating info on his computer prior to LE taking it? If so, could the FBI retrieve it? If the computer contained child *advertiser censored* that should have been enough to make some kind of arrest.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Is it possible that DR erased incriminating info on his computer prior to LE taking it? If so, could the FBI retrieve it? If the computer contained child *advertiser censored* that should have been enough to make some kind of arrest.

Doubtful, nothing could hardly be fully erased in 2004. Everything he did is on the hard drive. This also brings me to thinking that since they seized his pc, is that when he began journaling altogether? Because they didnt seize his journal, vcr tapes, photos, clippings in that search.

 

[ELOCsoul]

The question remains: did DR's statement of witnessing a small dark car with headlights close together occur pre-Kevin or post-Kevin?

cGorg - please clarify what you mean to ask. Not sure if you're asking did DR make the statement before Kevin came forward?…..or, are you asking did the car DR described come through the driveway before or after Kevin did?

There is no doubt that his statement preceded Kevin coming forward. Dan was quoted directly, in the 10/24/89 St. Cloud Times. "I saw lights close together, like a small car. It caught my attention because it's unusual for a car to be out here at that time."

 

[Trackergd]

It depends on the sophistication of the individual with the computer containing incriminating information. There are programs that will erase entire encrypted files if the incorrect password is entered to a DOD level of erasure. Another tactic is to place a very strong magnetic coil near the point of egress to the room the computer is in that will erase the entire hard drive as it passes by. The two clues in these scenarios are a completely wiped hard drive (magnetic coil) or the remains of the wipe program. Both would make the individual look very suspicious, but would eradicate any evidence. Some times Kroll Ontrack can recover bits of data from a wiped, burned or scrubbed hard drive, but it is rather expensive to use their services.

 

[Trackergd]

Is it possible that DR erased incriminating info on his computer prior to LE taking it? If so, could the FBI retrieve it? If the computer contained child *advertiser censored* that should have been enough to make some kind of arrest.

There has been a sharp rise in individuals in the teaching profession who have been caught with child *advertiser censored* and/or have had relations with their students. The problem with DR is that it appears nothing of an incriminating nature (stand alone evidence) was found on his computer. Individuals of this nature tend to revert to their instinctual drive and I would have thought after this period of time, would have offended. Quite the opposite has occurred. Even with the stigma of being a POI, has retained his job with children and seems to be well liked.

 

[Trackergd]

Doubtful, nothing could hardly be fully erased in 2004. Everything he did is on the hard drive. This also brings me to thinking that since they seized his pc, is that when he began journaling altogether? Because they didnt seize his journal, vcr tapes, photos, clippings in that search.

Odd that they did not seize the journal, VCR Tapes, Photos, clippings etc, UNLESS it was obvious they had no connection to the case and/or were not within the scope of the search warrant.

 

[ThePhantom]

In the Dugard case, along with the three young ladies in Ohio, and Shawn Hornbeck, the victims were kept within or near the home. Could DR have constructed some kind of sound proof room in or around his home? Wouldn't dogs have been able to at least recognize scent if it had been in a location somewhere on the property? Inside the home -- we're dogs ever taken inside the home in later years? The answer is yes, right? Because the cadaver dogs hit on the chest or please correct me -- was that in an outside location?

I would think that it would be difficult to hide all traces of a body, especially with dogs on the scene.

 

[ThePhantom]

Well, if DR kept tokens of his offense, he might be able to live on that for a while. And if it turns out he was the perpetrator, perhaps he found means other than his students to satisfy his desires. I think his DNA did not match the DNA taken from Jared.

Wow, it is odd to have that many sex offenders in one relatively small area -- St. John's Abbey, Paynesville, DR? Jared --

 

[Sasquatch321]

Well, if DR kept tokens of his offense, he might be able to live on that for a while. And if it turns out he was the perpetrator, perhaps he found means other than his students to satisfy his desires. I think his DNA did not match the DNA taken from Jared.

Wow, it is odd to have that many sex offenders in one relatively small area -- St. John's Abbey, Paynesville, DR? Jared --

Well I think you have the priests (Jerry Sandusky's) living over there. Then down in Paynesville we have some problems there, maybe a few a different perps assaulting there. Then we have DR, who I believe is responsible for Jacob and Josh.

 

[wyome]

I wish I knew more about Smokey, DRs dog...how far he could travel around the property. Was he tied up or loose? Dan claims he heard the dog barking twice that night (Joy's blog) -- once when noticed the small, dark car turn around in his property after dark, and once when he was alerted to the flashlights from the policemen. Dan told Joy that he was an outside dog, and a pretty alert one at that (my opinion), and definitely a barker.

So, did the dog have the ability to see down the long driveway towards the road, or was he chained up and could only notice what was at the end near the house towards the loop? I just can't see any way a stanger to the property could stash a car and lie in wait for the boys with that dog there. The car would have had to have been much closer to the road to not be heard by the dog, but then wouldn't the boys have noticed one?

 

[Trackergd]

What bugs me about the car question is that the prints identified by LE as Jacobs stopped at the tire prints. Even if one or more vehicles had run over them, some evidence would have remained. Sasquatch performed the print analysis test I suggested and it appears that Jacob stepped up into a vehicle.

The only way this works (to me at this point) is if the perp had a second person waiting in a car that he signaled when he had Jacob and the other boys had left.

OR...something else occurred and we don't have enough physical and print evidence to make any kind of educated guess with.

 

[Jbrown324320]

If Stearns County was in charge of the search of DR's computer, forget it. They told Josh G's family there was nothing on his computer, but KMSP TV crew found his roommate was deleting files, looking up how to "whitewash" a computer and the computer had fake id program on it. Nothing they say? I wouldn't believe it.

It depends on the sophistication of the individual with the computer containing incriminating information. There are programs that will erase entire encrypted files if the incorrect password is entered to a DOD level of erasure. Another tactic is to place a very strong magnetic coil near the point of egress to the room the computer is in that will erase the entire hard drive as it passes by. The two clues in these scenarios are a completely wiped hard drive (magnetic coil) or the remains of the wipe program. Both would make the individual look very suspicious, but would eradicate any evidence. Some times Kroll Ontrack can recover bits of data from a wiped, burned or scrubbed hard drive, but it is rather expensive to use their services.

 

[shergal]

In the Dugard case, along with the three young ladies in Ohio, and Shawn Hornbeck, the victims were kept within or near the home. Could DR have constructed some kind of sound proof room in or around his home? Wouldn't dogs have been able to at least recognize scent if it had been in a location somewhere on the property? Inside the home -- we're dogs ever taken inside the home in later years? The answer is yes, right? Because the cadaver dogs hit on the chest or please correct me -- was that in an outside location?

I would think that it would be difficult to hide all traces of a body, especially with dogs on the scene.

I think I recall dogs were taken inside the home, but I'd have to go back and check that. The trunk with blood residue was found outside in a loft over a garage type building (storage area). Because the trunk had originally been in the house, that is how they got the search warrant to go into the house.

 

[shergal]

Well, if DR kept tokens of his offense, he might be able to live on that for a while. And if it turns out he was the perpetrator, perhaps he found means other than his students to satisfy his desires. I think his DNA did not match the DNA taken from Jared.

Wow, it is odd to have that many sex offenders in one relatively small area -- St. John's Abbey, Paynesville, DR? Jared --

IMO, his DNA was never compared with the DNA taken from Jared - because there were reports that Jared's DNA was not properly preserved and it degraded.

 

[Trackergd]

I think I recall dogs were taken inside the home, but I'd have to go back and check that. The trunk with blood residue was found outside in a loft over a garage type building (storage area). Because the trunk had originally been in the house, that is how they got the search warrant to go into the house.

Jog my memory... Was it ever confirmed to be human blood and if so, was any DNA testing performed.


I am sorta wondering if this is the missing link that is keeping DR a POI. If it was human blood, the DNA had degraded and cold not be confirmed, the trunk having been moved from the house to the barn taken with all the newspaper clippings etc...LE may "think' DR is guilty, but do not have conclusive evidence. If DR was not involved, monitoring DR is letting someone else get away.

I am convinced there is more than one individual involved, even if it is only the perp himself and a spouse or family keeping the secret.

 

[wyome]

http://greaterminnesota.kstp.com/ne...ve-interview-jacob-wetterling-person-interest


Worth watching again, imo.

KSTP interview with DR.

He briefly explains how LE obtained a search warrant for inside his house in 2010. (According to DR)

"Thanks for posting this. First time I'd seen this.

"I always hoped he's out there somewhere and just not connecting." Ewww. What an eerie thing to say.

Also, ..."the dog brings in animals from the woods and we usually throw them in the barrel of ash and that type of thing, so there are a lot of bones in there, there's pieces of clothing that have been tossed aside burned and that kind of thing, so I'm sure they found a wide assortment of things in that ash pile."

Chilling, because this is exactly what Jimmy Ryce's killer did...intentionally kill some dogs and place them around the cement planters he buried Jimmy in. It worked because if I recall correctly dogs did not pick up on the human scent and this I believe was 1995. Also, watch his demeaner when he talks about the animals the dog brings home and the part about blood on the chest, he smiles and shakes his head as he recounts -- it's obvious he's very uncomfortable and trying to not reflect that.

 

[shergal]

Jog my memory... Was it ever confirmed to be human blood and if so, was any DNA testing performed.


I am sorta wondering if this is the missing link that is keeping DR a POI. If it was human blood, the DNA had degraded and cold not be confirmed, the trunk having been moved from the house to the barn taken with all the newspaper clippings etc...LE may "think' DR is guilty, but do not have conclusive evidence. If DR was not involved, monitoring DR is letting someone else get away.

I am convinced there is more than one individual involved, even if it is only the perp himself and a spouse or family keeping the secret.

LE has never said anything about the blood or blood residue found. We only heard about the blood on the trunk through DR himself in this video that was just posted above.
http://greaterminnesota.kstp.com/ne...ve-interview-jacob-wetterling-person-interest
DR sort of stammers around about "some sort of blood residue or blood, or whatever" like he's trying to downplay it. (Starts around 4:40)

LE did say items had been sent for testing and some items were being saved for future testing when advances in technology become available.

 

[shergal]

"Thanks for posting this. First time I'd seen this.

"I always hoped he's out there somewhere and just not connecting." Ewww. What an eerie thing to say.

Also, ..."the dog brings in animals from the woods and we usually throw them in the barrel of ash and that type of thing, so there are a lot of bones in there, there's pieces of clothing that have been tossed aside burned and that kind of thing, so I'm sure they found a wide assortment of things in that ash pile."

Chilling, because this is exactly what Jimmy Ryce's killer did...intentionally kill some dogs and place them around the cement planters he buried Jimmy in. It worked because if I recall correctly dogs did not pick up on the human scent and this I believe was 1995. Also, watch his demeaner when he talks about the animals the dog brings home and the part about blood on the chest, he smiles and shakes his head as he recounts -- it's obvious he's very uncomfortable and trying to not reflect that.

Other comments that stood out to me were:

DR saying vaguely, "I can't recall what all they were looking for" when asked about what was on the list LE was searching for, but then saying at :45 that because of his journal he could tell you where he's been and what he's been doing for the past several years.

And when he says if he had read the papers and seen the interviews with himself, "I would think I did it." That reminds me of OJ's book "If I did it".

 

[ThePhantom]

So to all the people here who have been committed to understanding more about what happened to Jacob, what are your thoughts about how his case can be solved? How much and what kind of work do you think the FBI has already done to solve the case? For example, has the FBI noted the numerous marathons DR has participated in throughout the years and were there any unsolved abductions in those areas?

I'm no expert, but I believe that a violent sexual predator has great difficulty controlling desires. As one poster pointed out, the POI may have gone elsewhere to address that.

Question: Does anyone know if DR ever got any response at all from anyone regarding the letter he sent in 2012 asking to have his name cleared?

Who did DR associate with at St. John's/Benedicts? Did the FBI make inquiries to associates of DR's?