by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Patty and Jerry Wetterling stood before an auditorium of people in Paynesville and thanked them for speaking out about the attacks in the 1980s that have been possibly linked to the abduction of their son, Jacob.
They asked for help in finding answers about what happened to their 11-year-old, who was taken from a rural road near their St. Joseph home on Oct. 22, 1989.
The Wetterlings organized the meeting in the Paynesville High School auditorium on the evening of Dec. 6 to help residents shocked by revelations about crimes committed in that area in the 1980s.
Daniel James Heinrich, 52, of Annandale, was arrested Oct. 28 and charged with several counts of receiving and possessing child pornography. He has recently and in the past repeatedly denied having abducted Wetterling. At the same time as the above charges, he was named as a “person of interest” in the unsolved Wetterling abduction.
Authorities also are now investigating Heinrich for a series of earlier attacks in Paynesville, which occurred within blocks of his residence at the time. Years ago, Heinrich had been under suspicion of having assaulted at least five boys in that city, groping them sexually before letting them go. The incidents occurred in a time frame between 1986-89. Several of the boys he allegedly groped were riding bicycles in the city. In years past, law enforcement tried to find solid connections between Heinrich and the Wetterling abduction but connections were impossible to prove.
The Wetterlings urged anyone to share anything they know about Heinrich or Jacob. Those who came to the meeting were offered blank forms for tips and comments. If you have information about any of these cases, call the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office at 320-259-3700 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
