MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #15

[ThePhantom]

I find it at once frightening and interesting that a person can pull off a crime without leaving enough evidence to make an arrest. I know it happens all the time. All those missing people (where are Gricar, Guimond, Lyall, Modifferi, M. McCann etc etc) -- all those unsolved murders. But I have also learned throughout the years that LE often has particular people on their radar, but cannot make an arrest due to lack of evidence. Then, too, look how long BTK got away with his atrocities, which is especially scary given that he was not on anyone's radar. Frustrating!!! I think Jacob was stalked prior to his abduction, but for some reason I do not think the abductor sought to kill him -- *unless and until* ... Jacob recognized him. And of course I think Jacob did. I think the culprit was a local and had a history. I think they still look at him to this day as a potential suspect. And I think he is someone who could make a confession before he leaves the planet.

 

[chaplain1]

I find it at once frightening and interesting that a person can pull off a crime without leaving enough evidence to make an arrest. I know it happens all the time. All those missing people (where are Gricar, Guimond, Lyall, Modifferi, M. McCann etc etc) -- all those unsolved murders. But I have also learned throughout the years that LE often has particular people on their radar, but cannot make an arrest due to lack of evidence. Then, too, look how long BTK got away with his atrocities, which is especially scary given that he was not on anyone's radar. Frustrating!!! I think Jacob was stalked prior to his abduction, but for some reason I do not think the abductor sought to kill him -- *unless and until* ... Jacob recognized him. And of course I think Jacob did. I think the culprit was a local and had a history. I think they still look at him to this day as a potential suspect. And I think he is someone who could make a confession before he leaves the planet.

I am intrigued by MF and the other guy.

 

[Sasquatch321]

I tried to find out if MF could have been alone in the area between 8 and 10 and came up unsuccessful. I was told he has an air tight alibi and to just "drop it".

 

[shergal]

I tried to find out if MF could have been alone in the area between 8 and 10 and came up unsuccessful. I was told he has an air tight alibi and to just "drop it".

You were told to drop it by who? LE? or just someone with another opinion? MF isn't totally off my radar.

 

[shergal]

In ELOC's book, he has a couple pages on MF. It does say MF was cleared twice in Jacob's case. LE looked into him twice because he had molested so many boys the same age from that area. I think it's possible he could have called someone else and told them he saw 3 boys alone on the road and whoever he called could have grabbed Jacob. So that's why I haven't ruled him out completely. Again, LE may have more info that rules him out, but we aren't privy to that info.

 

[Sasquatch321]

Today I brought my wife who is from the Little Falls area and was affected by the abduction just like I was, to the area and site of Jacobs abduction for the first time. Her first surprise was how close Jacob was to getting home. Then I asked her, Do you see a stranger coming into this area at night and being able to pull this off? her response was no. I then asked her, does it seem like someone would plan this, to ultimately use that gravel driveway as a staging point? her response was no. I then pointed out to her to my surprise, because I hadn't seen this the first time, a spiking manmade woodpile on DR's property, it's at least 35 feet tall. I said Look at that!!! What is that!!! Is that normal? then I said this the guy that was named a person of interest, and if responsible is possibly a psychopath who most likely killed Jacob, now look at that woodpile!

 

[ThePhantom]

Thirty Five foot high woodpile? Wowzers who chopped all that?! Interesting to hear your wife's impressions. It sounds so isolated there -- almost desolate! Well we know the search crew found something suspicious on the farm -- and they're not saying what it is. They stated they are "waiting for advancements in technology." So maybe they found something from which they were unable to extract full DNA? Or, perhaps they found a computer with a cleaned up hard drive --

 

[ThePhantom]

I didn't get a warm reception either when I started asking questions about the Guimond case. I guess they don't want to taint the case in any way. My attitude about cold cases is go for it -- throw everything at it you can until you uncover the truth. Then again, how do I know LE doesn't have an inkling about what might have happened to Joshua and/or Jacob. They might be trying to piece together all kinds of things. I hope so.

 

[human]

In ELOC's book, he has a couple pages on MF. It does say MF was cleared twice in Jacob's case. LE looked into him twice because he had molested so many boys the same age from that area. I think it's possible he could have called someone else and told them he saw 3 boys alone on the road and whoever he called could have grabbed Jacob. So that's why I haven't ruled him out completely. Again, LE may have more info that rules him out, but we aren't privy to that info.

I doubt if he had a cell phone. They cost thousands of dollars back then, so he would have to go to a phone and call someone who would have to be ready to drive to the spot in time. Pretty hard to believe when MF had grooming access to kids.

 

[ThePhantom]

From: July 01, 2010 12:15 am • By The St. Cloud (Minn.) Times

“A Paynesville-area man who fit the description of a man suspected of abducting and sexually assaulting a Cold Spring boy. Authorities searched his home three months after the Cold Spring abduction. Police then said that the man wasn’t a top suspect in the St. Joseph abduction, but at least one paragraph in the search warrant was blocked out.”

I wonder to whom this article was referring?

 

[ThePhantom]

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/09/05/after-cnn-feature-new-tips-on-wetterling-disappearance/

The article describes the perpetrator as being a child predator who is still at large -- and suggest he might be in his 50's today.

 

[nmogren]

I don't know yet if we can copy/paste from ELOC's book yet, but my money is on the gentleman who was brought in for questioning by LE in both Jared and Jacob's cases, but was let go because of lack of concrete evidence. He lived in the area between the 2 boys and worked in St. Cloud. He appeared remorseful and asked to speak to a priest. He lived near Big Fish Lake where Jacob and Jerry fished the morning of his disappearance. His police records were ordered destroyed by Stearns County in the 1990's. ~ information is from ELOC's book, "It Can't Happen Here."

 

[chaplain1]

I don't know yet if we can copy/paste from ELOC's book yet, but my money is on the gentleman who was brought in for questioning by LE in both Jared and Jacob's cases, but was let go because of lack of concrete evidence. He lived in the area between the 2 boys and worked in St. Cloud. He appeared remorseful and asked to speak to a priest. He lived near Big Fish Lake where Jacob and Jerry fished the morning of his disappearance. His police records were ordered destroyed by Stearns County in the 1990's. ~ information is from ELOC's book, "It Can't Happen Here."

It's the one guy.

 

[ThePhantom]

NMogren, I don't know if we're allowed to copy and paste either, but since the potential suspect you're referring to hasn't been officially named, it might be off limits. For what it's worth, I agree with you -- but for the life of me, I don't know how or why he got off the hook....and I don't think it was for lack of concrete evidence because I believe it was (and hopefully still is?) available. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel -- bewildered, puzzled and eager to learn why his records were destroyed. We are left to contemplate and speculate, and follow whatever meager breadcrumbs of clues we can.

ELOC, please donate my extra copy (the "twin" to book #10) to whichever library you think makes the most sense-- perhaps the one nearest to Big Fish Lake. If the man who took Jacob doesn't have the moral fortitude to confess, then I pray someone with pertinent information about him will have the courage to do so.

I remain open to where the facts and evidence lead...whether it's to a farm, a lake or a track.

 

[nmogren]

NMogren, I don't know if we're allowed to copy and paste either, but since the potential suspect you're referring to hasn't been officially named, it might be off limits. For what it's worth, I agree with you -- but for the life of me, I don't know how or why he got off the hook....and I don't think it was for lack of concrete evidence because I believe it was (and hopefully still is?) available. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel -- bewildered, puzzled and eager to learn why his records were destroyed. We are left to contemplate and speculate, and follow whatever meager breadcrumbs of clues we can.

ELOC, please donate my extra copy (the "twin" to book #10) to whichever library you think makes the most sense-- perhaps the one nearest to Big Fish Lake. If the man who took Jacob doesn't have the moral fortitude to confess, then I pray someone with pertinent information about him will have the courage to do so.

I remain open to where the facts and evidence lead...whether it's to a farm, a lake or a track.

The only one officially named is DR, all the others are just potentials so I don't know.

I didn't name him and neither does the book so it's hard to discuss, but I believe he could be the one. I don't think he is in MN anymore and the records were destroyed so I don't know how a person could get any more information about him besides the web.


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[livstabler]

I then pointed out to her to my surprise, because I hadn't seen this the first time, a spiking manmade woodpile on DR's property, it's at least 35 feet tall. I said Look at that!!! What is that!!! Is that normal? then I said this the guy that was named a person of interest, and if responsible is possibly a psychopath who most likely killed Jacob, now look at that woodpile!

A shrine to the trophy and perfect crime buried underneath?

 

[human]

LE has done something. They named a POI

 

[shergal]

From what I understand, we are allowed to use the pseudonyms that ELOC gave these suspicious characters who can't be named when posting.

 

[ThePhantom]

The great thing about advanced technology is that it affords us a great deal of information that was once unobtainable. Thus we can examine and observe so much more about whatever may interest us in a case. For example, take the various cowards who commit crimes and believe their own personal renaissance takes priority over truth and "closure" for the families of victims. They can no more hide than the trash in Boston that is now slowly being exposed by the melting snow.

 

[ELOCsoul]

NMogren, I don't know if we're allowed to copy and paste either, but since the potential suspect you're referring to hasn't been officially named, it might be off limits. .

Yes, you can copy and paste from the book. You can use the pseudonyms from the book as well, but cannot speculate about real names, etc.