MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #8

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Interesting. I've seen many conflicting dates. I believe I initially saw Feb 2004, then May 2004, now this. Not a huge window, but intriguing

Kevin came forward to police in October 2003. Police went public with the turn in their theory of the investigation in February 2004.
 
Where are DR's footprints from his run in the mid afternoon? He noted running up the driveway.

http://www.joybaker.com/2013/02/23/dans-story-2/
After running through the Del-Win parking lot and taking note of the Polka Fest, now in full swing, Dan cuts back over to 91st Avenue and heads toward home. He remembers stopping at the farm mailbox and picking up the paper, then continuing down the driveway toward his house. Nothing is out of the ordinary. It’s a beautiful day.

As I finally caught up in the threads yesterday I came across some comments by a professional tracker. While I’m not a tracker myself, I wondered if I could verify any of the things he was stating at a gross, amateur level. I re-examined the photos we have of prints on the driveway and concluded that we can probably verify that:

1. The tire prints in the soft section of the driveway are not consistent with a Grand Prix.
2. The tire prints in the soft section of the driveway are rare because they are narrow.
3. However, I am not convinced the make and model of auto can be discerned based on the quality of those pictures.
4. It is important to be clear that this road was a packed, mixed gravel and dirt driveway. Therefore, over time, a hard packed tire “trail” formed so that driving off that “track” would be very noticeable to a driver and not natural. A person would normally be compelled to stay on that track if driving the full ¼ mile span of the driveway, and especially if transiting it by entering and leaving.
5. The tire track laid next to JEW’s last impression occurred at roughly the same time as JEW’s impression.
6. The odds of this configuration appearing randomly are very low.
7. It is true (I was not convinced earlier) that there are not enough adult prints near JEW’s to explain their presence, since this is a soft area of soil which should have taken the adult’s prints. Any narrative must account for a perpetrator acting in “stand-off” by walking and standing on a packed gravel track. This also makes sense if the perpetrator is taking a dominant stance to the victim.
8. JEW’s last print indicates that he was lifted up to a height he could not himself reach, that he did so under his own power as well as the assistance of a person standing inside the car. This is why the professional tracker noted exhibition of traits such as “balance and control” and a fore to back tension (relative to JEW) in the last impression. This is natural when being assisted upward and toward the car. The disproportionate depth of the toe section and heel section suggests center of gravity was forward, as expected for being lifted.
9. The only explanation for the stand-off position of the perpetrator outside the car is that he was armed, or carried that pre-text, which is consistent with what the other 2 victims (witnesses) stated. This perpetrator likely used psychological means to control the victim.
10. While it is possible the car departed and the person outside the auto, known to be male, simply continued walking on a packed section of driveway, it is more likely he would have simply walked over to the car and climbed in, also leaving several clear prints.
11. The absence of a full set of clear, fresh prints near the victim’s indicates the perpetrator identified by witnesses did not enter the car, but rather continued walking on the packed section.

Assume:
1. Kevin and gf existed
2. Kevin or gf drove a Grand Prix into DR’s driveway, all the way to the top and back out

Then the Grand Prix most likely followed the packed tract, leaving tire tracks in the turnaround area at the top, but not others. The professional tracker believes the vehicle involved was a volkswagon. I do not have an opinion but think the vehicle, whatever make, continued up the driveway and:

1. Likely did not turn around due to the lack of a fresh print of additional tire tracks
2. Likely continued forward, up the driveway and not out.
3. Likely continued thence to a structure on the property driving over packed tracks and not leaving a tire print.

I am now left to explain this collusion between two adult males. It must have been at least 2 because the prints require this. It could be more, but to assume that is an unnecessary assumption for now. Finally, now that I know the fulcrum of the event at the moment of JEW’s last impression, I can begin tracking the personalities with greater confidence.

The person who witnesses saw I will designate S1 (Suspect 1). I don’t need to know his name just yet. The driver of the car I will designate S2 (Suspect 2). I do not need to know their rationale for using a car; they just did. But it isn’t all that shocking to imagine their reasoning being consistent with the preoccupation of most persons engaged in serious crime:

Flight was their primary objective, and it might have been believed by one or both S1 and S 2 that using a car would aid in flight over a length probably equal to or greater than ¼ mile.

S1 and S2’s personalities are considerably different given the behaviors now identified at the crime scene. Their Axis II presentation was likely not as severe as would be the case in a single actor narrative, or in the case of the involvement of a 21 and 22 year-old male and female. This means we should be looking for personality disorders in the mild to moderate range rather than the moderate to severe. This, and the presence of both S1 and S2, has major ramifications for how I understand JEW’s disposition.

S1 likely knew S2 for at least a few years, was likely a close friend or intimate, likely harbored an Axis II Histrionic Personality with features of Axis II Anti-Social Personality. S2 likely harbored an Axis II Narcissistic Personality with features of an Axis II Histrionic Personality. S1 was likely experienced in the terrorizing and control of persons of the victim’s age range and his movements and actions before and after this crime should be scrutinized and investigated. Rare in this case, is that S1 appears to not be socially incompetent, two males are involved, not one, and both S1 and S2 likely worked in professions that gave them access to children in the same age range as the victim. S2 was likely a confederate and S1 likely the primary actor. The pair likely parted ways after JEW’s last impression, but likely rejoined a distance not greater than 300 meters from JEW’s last impression, but probably less than 100 meters distant.

S1 was most likely intending to remove evidence of this crime from the property of S2 very soon, including JEW himself. S1 sought a live captive, also rare but supported by the personality I think I can now start tracking. This is working out to be an odd case, imo.

~ svh

Note: that this was S2's property is an unnecessary assumption, but what matters is that S1 likely intended to remove evidence from the property where the driveway was located.
 
Read this timeline dated 11/4/89. It mentions the white van in a previous abduction attempt (?!)

http://globegazette.com/jacob-wette...cle_2b0e6832-84d0-11df-85ff-001cc4c03286.html

"Dec. 14, 1989: Attention turns to links between Jacob’s abduction and the abduction and sexual assault of a 12-year-old Cold Spring boy in January. A sketch of the suspect is released. Details lead investigators to think the two could be related. The sketch generates 400 tips and six officers rejoin the case."

"October 2003: The driver of a long-sought vehicle comes forward. Authorities rule him out as a suspect in the abduction. The theory of the case changes, leading investigators to focus on local suspects who could’ve been on foot when snatching Jacob."

"May 2004: Media reports surface that link Jacob’s abduction to the abduction and sexual assault of the 12-year-old Cold Spring boy. The boy was taken 10 months before Jacob. The victim comes forward and said he believes links exist. Authorities receive about 20 new tips. But investigators believe the cases likely aren’t related."

These three events will show you how confident LE is in accounting for all the tire tracks on the driveway. It was only between 9 15 and 9 45 that one or two vehicles left their tracks on the driveway. If there was even miniscule evidence of another vehicle besides kevins than investigators would still have to believe in a link to the cold spring case.
 
known pedophile
home in Cold Spring
possible friends with DR through bands/music
played at the Del-Win frequently, thus knew the area
polka fest that evening at the Del-Win
51 years old at the time

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/co...priest-retirement-income-came-with-a-premium/

Very good stuff. I'm thinking my S1 was there at the Rassier property for a few days, not one day. I wonder if we have anything on the Padre that might tell us about his whereabouts, or suggest he wasn't around for a few days? Or even just at the time of the abduction?

~ svh
 
Kevin came forward to police in October 2003. Police went public with the turn in their theory of the investigation in February 2004.

Do you happen to know if police made it known that Kevin had come forward in Oct 2003 when they went public with the information in Feb 2004?
 
Where are DR's footprints from his run in the mid afternoon? He noted running up the driveway.

I think there are multiple, prosaic possibilities. That he ran on the packed track is logical for a runner and the simplest explanation. The other is that he didn't run at all.

~ svh
 
Do you happen to know if police made it known that Kevin had come forward in Oct 2003 when they went public with the information in Feb 2004?

Yep, it's mentioned many times in articles.
 
How do you know he played at the Del Win regularly?

He was not on the bill for that night. I have the advertisement. The Nite Owls, Play Mor, and Johnny Helget were scheduled performers.

The Polka Padre lived in a twin cities suburb at the time.

It was a Sunday night, he could have been in Cold Spring for the weekend at his lake home.

Because he wasn't on the bill that night doesn't mean he wasn't there.

And I got the information that he played there regularly from the case facts:

MN MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, 22 Oct 1989 ***CASE FACTS***NO DISCUSSION*** - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
 
How do you know he played at the Del Win regularly?

He was not on the bill for that night. I have the advertisement. The Nite Owls, Play Mor, and Johnny Helget were scheduled performers.

The Polka Padre lived in a twin cities suburb at the time.

ELOCSoul, do you think there could have been someone else there?

~ svh

I mean, someone else at the Rassier property besides DR or Kevin
 
For whatever they are worth, a few observations:

1) I have know of unofficial, unauthorized road just sort of developing on undeveloped land. If the land between the Del-Win and 95th was otherwise passable, It is very possible that a dirt track existed, perhaps near where Jefferson is today. That could be the "back road" Kevin was referring to. It would also be a place a vehicle have been stashed if there was a path through the woods that separated 95th from DR's farmhouse.

2) Something I find very strange is that nobody from Law Enforcement contacted DR before he called 911 at around 11:30. By that time that had had dogs and men with flashlights searching around the wood piles. They appear to have made the assumption that Jacob had been taken away in a vehicle that was parked along the driveway but they must have assumed it turned around well before it could be seen from DR's farmhouse. Perhaps the was a "turn-around" near where Jacob's footprints were seen. Whatever, they didn't deem it necessary to knock on DR's door and ask if he had seen anything.

3) Gravel tracks tend to have two parallel ruts with a raised area right down the middle. Most people drive right down the middle with their wheels in the ruts. These grooves tend to be hard-packed but the dirt on either side is more likely to be soft. I am wondering if the spot where the photo of Jacobs footprints are next to the vehicle tracks believed to be Kevin's is what could be a "pull-over" spot or if the tracks were in the grooves. Does anyone know?

4) One of the surviving boys said that, at first, he thought it was an older kid playing a joke. I know the assailant wore a mask, had a gravelly voice and it was pretty dark, but impressions based on build, posture and body language often are accurate regarding age. I wonder if the assailant was very young.

5) Sexual predators who kill usually dump the body quickly at a location that they can't be linked to. Effectively concealing the body is unusual and is suggestive of planning and the likelihood that that the murder was premeditated. The Paynesville and Cold Springs cases did not involve unnecessary injury to the victim. Either the perp was different, this case represented a major escalation on the part of the perp or it was just a "grab and snatch" case that got out of hand and the perp saw fit to conceal the body. There are a number of cases when a rapist will stop after one of his rapes results in murder.

Kemo provides useful information here. Could the abductor have ran with jacob over his shoulders to a car on this area noted as #1?
 
ELOCSoul, do you think there could have been someone else there?

~ svh

I mean, someone else at the Rassier propierty besides DR or Kevin

I think it is possible, yes.
 
Kemo provides useful information here. Could the abductor have ran with jacob over his shoulders to a car on this area noted as #1?

I feel like it would make more sense that the perp held Jacob at gunpoint and led him away. Running with him on the shoulders doesn't make sense. I know that Jacob's last footprint doesn't either since it just disappears. I believe the perp made an effort to disguise his tracks by shuffling and maybe Jacob tried to run and that's his last step. Maybe perp grabbed him and flung him to the grass and continued on his way to wherever through the grass. Maybe perp came out at 4 am after cops, etc had gone and placed that last Jacob footprint (by placing his hand in Jacob's sneaker and pressing down) conveniently by the Kevin's tire track to confuse the investigation team and make it look like the car took him.

Also of note, DR came down the driveway in the morning and walked all over the crime scene...even lifting the crime scene tape and walking in the protected area. Trying to obliterate more tracks? Maybe, sure is super shady though. And if he did it in the morning with the cops there, then he was aware of his tracks that night as well and tried to hide them right away...
 
Also, btw, how do we explain this odd person who was apparently a "visitor" at DR's? Or was he? Anyway, this is kind of like the Kevin problem b/c I have no idea who this person is. The suspicion naturally goes to LRH but there is nothing tying him to that place and time. I'm still trying to get a pic of him, but his last skip trace was Orem, UT. Most of his long-term ties appear to be in Utah.

~ svh

DR taught music at St. John's University also. He may have been friends with several priests or monks there who have since been put on restriction out there for molesting young boys. Also in the Rassier's parish, Fr. Tom Gillespie was the parish priest in 1989. He was later removed from there and also put on restriction at SJU for molesting young boys. DR would surely have known him, sine the R family was very active in their church.

I believe we ruled the polka padre out earlier in another thread because ELOC or cGorg found out he was 6 feet tall. Too tall for the abductor.
 
that's true Human, but we can't discount the Hubers because according to the link from ifollowthis, he threatened to shoot neighbors frequently, Del bragged that he was questioned by police about Jacob and they had a white van.

The white van is not the one that was the issue. It was a tan one driven by a guy with dark hair and glasses,

The white van was the one that turned out to have a family that had a child that looked like. jacob. The story is on one of these threads.

And seriously, how do you get away from at least one of the kids talking about a putrid smell?
 
Does anyone have a link to when police were actually looking for a white van? I seem to recall that white van being ruled out fairly fast. It seems to me someone said they saw a white van on the interstate with what looked like a scared boy inside, and then a similar white van was found, but it was just a father and son. It's so long ago though, I don't recall many of the details.

I a thinking that the suspicious white van was seen around the Renville or Hector area and someone reported it because the kid looked scared or was crying. I think the person came forward that was driving the van in that area.
 
DR taught music at St. John's University also. He may have been friends with several priests or monks there who have since been put on restriction out there for molesting young boys. Also in the Rassier's parish, Fr. Tom Gillespie was the parish priest in 1989. He was later removed from there and also put on restriction at SJU for molesting young boys. DR would surely have known him, sine the R family was very active in their church.

I believe we ruled the polka padre out earlier in another thread because ELOC or cGorg found out he was 6 feet tall. Too tall for the abductor.

Thanks Shergal, imo a good strategy would be to begin looking for males of his approximate age (maybe a little older) who he was close to, then running their pics against the eyewitness statements. There should be a dead ringer in there somewhere. I know this has been attempted, but maybe we haven't found all the people he was close to?

Any who have used a threat of violence to control their victims, if known, would be important.

~ svh
 
Btw Shergal, on page 6 comment 430 you might have resolved a question I had for a while now. It might have leaked out how far the dog scent went beyond the track.

You quoted an article that said bloodhounds had traced JEW's scent 100 yards from the roadway. But JEW's prints ended 40 yards from the roadway. If this is true, it further supports the idea that he was carried in a car that was facing the house when he was picked up.

~ svh
 
Thanks Shergal, imo a good strategy would be to begin looking for males of his approximate age (maybe a little older) who he was close to, then running their pics against the eyewitness statements. There should be a dead ringer in there somewhere. I know this has been attempted, but maybe we haven't found all the people he was close to?

Any who have used a threat of violence to control their victims, if known, would be important.

~ svh

By eyewitness statements, are you referring to Trevor and Aaron? (Just want to make sure you're not talking about people at Tom Thumb who saw the staring guy.)
 
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