The remains of Jacob Wetterling, a boy of 11 kidnapped from a rural Minnesota road nearly 27 years ago, have been identified, authorities said, providing long-awaited answers to a mystery that has captivated residents and sparked changes in sex offender laws.
A masked gunman abducted Jacob in October of 1989 near the boy’s home in St Joseph, about 80 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement on Saturday that “Jacob Wetterling’s remains have been located” and that the Ramsey County medical examiner and a forensic odontologist identified them on Saturday.
More DNA testing to be conducted
Additional DNA testing will be conducted and investigators are continuing to evaluate new evidence in the case, the sheriff’s office said, adding that authorities expect to be able to provide more details early next week.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press earlier on Saturday that a person of interest in Jacob’s abduction took authorities to a field in central Minnesota last week.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing case, said remains and other evidence were recovered and that the remains had been buried.
Our hearts are broken: mother
Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, sent a text message to KARE-TV earlier Saturday, saying that Jacob “has been found and our hearts are broken.” She did not immediately respond to calls and text messages from AP.
Jacob was riding his bicycle with his brother and a friend on October 22, 1989, when a masked gunman abducted him.
Authorities said the man held on to Jacob and told the other boys to run. Jacob hadn’t been seen since, despite extensive searches, tens of thousands of leads and offers of a monetary reward.
No one charged as yet
No one has been arrested or charged in his abduction, which led to changes in sex-offender registration laws.
But last year, authorities took another look at the case, and were led to Danny Heinrich, a man they called a “person of interest” in Jacob’s kidnapping.
Heinrich (53) of Annandale, denied any involvement in the abduction, and was not charged with that crime. But he has pleaded not guilty to 25 federal child pornography charges and is scheduled to go on trial on those counts in October.
He sexually assaulted boys
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said previously that Heinrich matched the general description of a man who assaulted several boys in Paynesville from 1986 to 1988.
Earlier this year, Heinrich’s DNA was found on the sweatshirt of a 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped from Cold Spring and sexually assaulted just nine months before Jacob’s abduction.
