The abduction of Jacob Wetterling, which made parents more vigilant and led to the first national requirement that states track sex offenders via registries, took place before moonrise on a warm October night in 1989. Around 9:20, three boys — including 11-year-old Jacob, who loved steak, football and the color blue — rode home along a dead-end road on their bikes and scooter from the Tom Thumb store in St. Joseph, Minn., where they had rented The Naked Gun.

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iTunes | RSS | More Image at top: The site of Jacob Wetterling's abduction. Jeff Thompson for APM Reports

On a deserted stretch, they were stopped by a man with a gun, dressed in black with his face covered, perhaps by pantyhose. The boys were told to lie in a nearby ditch and each was asked his age. Two were told to run for the woods without looking back, but Jacob was taken. For nearly 27 years, the case went unsolved, no body, no abductor. Until now.

In late August 2016 a man named Danny Heinrich pointed authorities to Jacob's remains, and then he admitted in court that he had abducted, assaulted, killed and buried Jacob in Paynesville, some 30 miles away.

For the people of Stearns County, the abduction drew a hard line between life before the crime and after. The long search destroyed lives, confounded investigators and forced Jacob's parents, Patty and Jerry, to consider the theories presented by every person with good or bad reasons to call their home.

In the beginning, the case seemed to have a lot going for it: The abduction took place on a dead-end road with limited escape routes, there were two witnesses who reported it right away, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office responded almost immediately. Yet as the circle of geographic possibilities widened by the hour, the police made decisions that would hobble the investigation for decades to come. Heinrich, questioned as early as 1990 about the abduction, lived under the noses of police. Why did it take so long?

Timeline of events

Interactive by Jaime Chismar and Matthew Van Dusen

The 911 call

Jacob Wetterling 911 call

At 9:32 p.m., Merlyn Jerzak, a neighbor of Patty and Jerry Wetterling, called 911 from the Wetterling house. His daughter, who had been babysitting at the Wetterling house, called him to come when she learned of Jacob's abduction.

Video

"Those were words that forever changed our lives." Video by Jeff Thompson Jacob Wetterling recorded this video as part of a school project on Oct. 12, 1989, 10 days before he was abducted. Video courtesy of Wetterling family

Profiles



ABDUCTED BOY

Jacob Wetterling

His disappearance on Oct. 22, 1989, became a national spectacle and led to a 27-year investigation.



JACOB'S MOTHER

Patty Wetterling

More than anyone else, she has been the face and voice of the search for Jacob.



JACOB'S FATHER

Jerry Wetterling

More reserved than his wife, he struggled with the investigation and turned to psychics.



NEIGHBOR

Dan Rassier

He called 911 the night of the abduction as the search near his home was underway.



STEARNS COUNTY SHERIFF

Charlie Grafft

Nothing frustrated him more than not solving this crime.

NEXT EPISODE

That first night, law enforcement didn't cover all the basics. → That first night, law enforcement didn't cover all the basics. → Episode 2: The Circle

HOST AND LEAD REPORTER

Madeleine Baran Madeleine Baran SENIOR PRODUCER

Samara Freemark ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Natalie Jablonski EDITOR IN CHIEF

Chris Worthington EDITORS

Catherine Winter

Hans Buetow WEB EDITORS

Dave Peters

Andy Kruse VIDEO

Jeff Thompson THEME MUSIC

Gary Meister ADDITIONAL REPORTING

Curtis Gilbert

Jennifer Vogel

Will Craft

Tom Scheck

Emily Haavik

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