ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The parents of Jacob Wetterling addressed the media outside their home Tuesday to say they still have hope that their long-missing son will come home.
Even with the recent naming of Daniel Heinrich as a person of interest in their son’s disappearance, Patty and Jerry Wetterling said Jacob’s case is far from over.
“We still don’t know who took Jacob,” Patty Wetterling said. “We have as many questions or more as all of you. We will let law enforcement and the courts and the process to continue.
“The one question we have said for 26 years is ‘Where’s Jacob?’ And that’s all we’re going to ask.”
Jacob Wetterling disappeared 26 years ago, on Oct. 22, 1989. He was on his way home from picking up a video from a convenience store about 9:15 p.m. when a masked gunman approached Jacob, his brother and a friend.
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Heinrich had been questioned in connection to Jacob’s disappearance, but was never charged. After launching an exhaustive cold case investigation of Jacob’s abduction, DNA evidence tied Heinrich, now 52, to Jacob’s case, along with the abduction of the sexual assault and abduction of a boy from Cold Spring just months before Jacob never came home.
Heinrich has also been implicated in a series of assaults on young boys from 1986 to 1988 in nearby Paynesville, where Heinrich had previously lived. The Wetterlings praised the victims of those assaults who have come forward to offer information.
“There may be other victims. There may be other stories to share,” Patty Wetterling said.
Investigators found binders of child pornography in Heinrich’s Annandale home during a July 28 raid. They also found boys clothing and video tapes of young boys in public.
No photos or video of Jacob Wetterling were found.
Heinrich made an initial court appearance for child pornography charges last week in U.S. District court in St. Paul. Heinrich has denied involvement in the Wetterling case.
Since Jacob’s disappearance, Patty Wetterling has become a national voice in the search for missing children and serves as chairwoman of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's board of directors.
“We know that missing kids come home after long periods of time. You’ve seen those stories, I’ve met those families,” she said. “I will still always, always hope until we have our answers.”
