The decades-long mystery about the abduction of the 11-year-old by a masked gunman appears close to being solved

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Remains found in central Minnesota are those of Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year-old boy who was abducted in 1989, authorities have said.

Jacob was kidnapped in October 1989 from a rural road near his home in St Joseph, about 80m northwest of Minneapolis, setting in motion a decades-long mystery about his whereabouts and bringing changes in sex offender laws.

The day my brother was taken Read more

In a statement released on Saturday, the Stearns County sheriff’s office said it “confirms that Jacob Wetterling’s remains have been located”. The statement said that the Ramsey County medical examiner and a forensic odontologist identified the remains on Saturday.

A law enforcement official told Associated Press 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.

Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, sent a text message to KARE-TV earlier on Saturday saying that Jacob “has been found and our hearts are broken”.

Jacob was riding his bicycle with his brother and a friend on 22 October 1989 when a masked gunman abducted him from a rural road near his home in St Joseph. He had not been seen since.

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, Minnesota denied any involvement in Jacob’s 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.

The FBI 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.

Heinrich was questioned by authorities shortly after Jacob’s disappearance, but he denied involvement. Court documents say his shoes and car tires were “consistent” with tracks left near the site of Wetterling’s abduction, but couldn’t be ruled an exact match. Authorities also searched the home where Heinrich lived with his father at the time and found scanners, camouflage clothing and a picture of a boy wearing underwear.

Heinrich’s attorney did not respond to emailed requests for comment Saturday.

Jacob’s abduction shattered innocence for many in rural Minnesota, changing the way parents let their kids roam. His smiling face was burned into Minnesota’s psyche, appearing on countless posters and billboards over the years. Each year, Minnesota residents were asked to keep their porch lights on for Jacob’s safe return.

Patty Wetterling always kept hope her son would be found alive. She became a national advocate for children, and with her husband, Jerry Wetterling, founded the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, which works to help communities and families prevent child exploitation. In 1994, Congress passed a law named after Jacob Wetterling that requires states to establish sex offender registries.

Officials with the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center posted a statement on its website Saturday, saying they were in “deep grief”.

“We didn’t want Jacob’s story to end this way,” the statement said. “Our hearts are heavy, but we are being held up by all of the people who have been a part of making Jacob’s Hope a light that will never be extinguished. ... Jacob, you are loved.”