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[Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, thanks
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for listening. I'm your host, Nick, and with me is a man that told me very recently he would be extremely lucky to
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last 48 seconds in the ring against a woman. It's good to be seen and it's good to
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see you. Welcome to part two of the Jacob Wetling case. We got so much to talk about that we thought we'd put out
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two episodes this week because we love you. [Music] And this week's beer of the week is
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Redacted Rye IPA by Renegade Brewing Company from beautiful Denver, Colorado grade. Four out of five bottle caps.
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Redacted is a rye IPA. It's Renegadees flagship beer and it has citrusy hops and spicy rye which is a fantastic
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combo. And this week's beer is brought to us by Sheldon from Portage L Prairie. Shannon from Albany, New York. Anthony
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Anthony. We also have Melissa in Mint Hill, North Carolina. Melissa, she says that we help her through her workday and
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she loves The Captain's Voice. >> Also, we have Deborah from New York. Deborah asked if we could cover the
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double initial murders from Rochester and recommends a beer from Genese. Now, I tell you what, Deborah, we actually
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covered that case back in season 2, so it's only available on the iTunes store or on our website. Uh, but we titled it
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the Alphabet Murder. So, check that out. And I also recommend to you check out the book uh The Miss Begotten Son. I
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think we've recommended that one before, but it's about Arthur Shawcross who was
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a Rochester serial killer. And last but not least, we have Janine from Washington who says, "You guys are so
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addicting." So, thank you all for helping out this week. And if you want to buy us around for next week's show,
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>> And if you want to purchase the alphabet murders or any of our old episodes, do
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that at the iTunes store or you could do that on our website, true crimegar.com.
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>> Yeah, we had a couple issues with PayPal, but we think we got those figured out now.
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>> Oh, we've gotten them straightened out over there. >> Yeah, I held them down and I said, I'm
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going to straighten out your jib. >> You should have put them in an arm bar. >> I did.
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Rousey arm. >> Yeah. All right, Captain. That's enough of the business. So, everybody gather
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around, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime. [Applause] [Music]
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We start this morning with breaking news in the Jacob Wetling investigation. Sources say the suspect in the case led
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the FBI to remains that are now being tested for DNA. In the last 40 minutes, Patty Wedling texted WCCCO's Esme
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Murphy. Our hearts are broken. We have no words. WCCCO's Jennifer Merrill learned of these significant
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developments in the last two days and she joins us now with more. Jen, the man named as a suspect in Jacob Wetland's
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abduction led FBI agents to where he says they'll find the missing boy's body. We have heard they have found
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remains. This all happened in the last few days as agents pressed Danny Heinrich for information on the nearly
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27year-old mystery. Sources tell me that the FBI took Hinrich out of jail at least twice this week. It's during that
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time that Hinrich told investigators where they'd find Jacob's body. We know searchers have been at a site in Sterns
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County for several days. 11-year-old Jacob Wetling was on his way home from Tom Thumb with his brother and a friend
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on October 22nd, 1989 when he was abducted by a man with a gun. The attacker told the two other boys to run
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and not look back or he'd shoot them. Jacob was never seen again. Danny Heinrich was arrested last October at
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his home in Anandale. Prosecutors charged him with several counts of child pornography and named him as a person of
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interest in Wetling's kidnapping. We'll have more on just how early Heinrich was
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looked at in this case in a moment, but again, sources tell me that the man suspected of kidnapping Jacob Wedley has
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told authorities where they'll find his body. Searchers have been at that site for the last few days. Heinrich was also
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scheduled to be in Minneapolis federal court yesterday at 2:30. We were prepared to be there. That court hearing
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was cancelled early yesterday. >> It really is a stunning development, Jen. It is.
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>> All right. Thank you. [Music] Jacob Wetling, 11 years old, along with his brother Trevor and a friend Aaron
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went to their local video store around 900 p.m. on Sunday, October 22nd, 1989. Now, as the boys rode their bikes home,
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a man suddenly emerged from a wooded area with a gun, and he forced the boys to the ground. First, he told Trevor to
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run and not look back, and then he told Aaron to do the same. When the boys did look back, the man was gone and their
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friend and brother, Jacob Weatherling, was gone as well, without a trace. Now, that was 1989. Where we left off was
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2003 where the Dan Rasier was on the hot seat. He had become a big part of the investigation. Uh, some would call him a
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suspect. He lived right by the crime. >> Yeah. I talked to police officers that night and he was a local music teacher.
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>> Mhm. Uh well the the following year they get another tip. Okay. We were going
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through tips that were coming in and one of those tips is what led them to believe Dan Rasier could have committed
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this crime. But that following year we get another tip. This time it's a man in his late 20s who lived in Cold Spring as
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a child. Cold Spring, Minnesota is about 12 or so miles from St. Joseph, where Jacob's hometown was and where he had
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disappeared from. >> The man's name is Jared. Uh, and you can look it up and you can find Jared's last
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name, but for the majority of this investigation and for the majority of the times that he comes forward to
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media, uh, he's simply known as Jared. Will give him that respect. Um, Jared comes forward and he says, you know, he
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has a story very similar to Jacob's. Jared was abducted. The man had a gun. The man threatened to kill Jared. Um,
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and from my understanding, this was a bit of old news for some of the investigators whom had known about this
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attack the whole time. >> This attack, yes, it took place 9 months before and 12 miles away from the
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abduction, but Jared as a boy was even interviewed additional times after he was attacked. They they started
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reviewing his case again and went back and interviewed him again. I believe this was about 6 weeks after Jacob was
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taken because the attacks sounded so similar. >> Yeah, >> there were so many similarities. Mainly
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the verbiage of the attacker was was the same. Jared was abducted by a man in a car. The car had stopped to ask Jared
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for directions. >> Jared got closer to the car when the man stepped out of the vehicle and he said,
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"I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it. Get in the vehicle." The man inside of his car, he had a police scanner. He
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drove Jared to a remote. >> I take back my comments about wanting to get a police scanner. I don't want one
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anymore. >> I think bad guys are using these for for for bad purposes. >> Yeah, I'm not a bad guy. I'm not going
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to buy one of those now. >> So, after he has the young boy in the vehicle, he drives Jared to a remote
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location and he sexually assaults him. Uh he then drives Jared back toward the town where he had taken him from. Now,
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all this time he that he's driving him back there, he keeps asking him, asking Jared over and over again, can you
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recognize me? Do you know who I am? Would you be able to recognize me? Questions like of that nature? And Jared
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very wisely constantly, he just says, "No, no, I wouldn't be able to recognize you. I don't know who you are. I I I
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don't know what you look like." And it's probably because of this that Jared was
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able to u live to tell his story, >> right? He was released. >> Yeah. So Jared was just 12 at the time,
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you know, roughly the same age as Jacob Wetling. Jacob Wetling was 11. Uh, and he and his parents would eventually move
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away from Cold Spring sometime after Jacob was abducted because even though he had reported the crime to the police
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and his parents had reported the crime to the police, it it was this is a tough thing for a kid to go through.
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>> Mhm. Um, and I don't know if it's any easier >> tough thing. I mean, >> I don't even know if tough is the right
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word. >> Well, for obvious reasons, but but for the reason that I'm going to get into is
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there's there's other kids, you know, and kids can be cruel. Um, and >> he he's getting pulled out of this is
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after Jacob has been abducted. He's getting pulled out of class constantly to be interviewed, you know. No, they
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never really said they had announced that there was a similar attack on a boy that took place about 9 months before
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Jacob was abducted and but they never they didn't say who the boy was, >> you know, rightfully so. But when you're
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getting pulled out of class and you're seen talking to the sheriff's department time and time again, they they get a
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good idea that you're that boy. Um, and sometimes sometimes kids can pick on a a
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child that's a victim uh because they don't understand uh they don't know any better to be honest with you. Or or
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>> Yeah. Or they're just >> or they're dumb mean kids, >> right? They're [ __ ] you know? I
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mean, how many how many kids did you go to school with that were just super [ __ ]
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>> Well, eventually Jared and his parents move away. And part of that may be because of the kids. Part of it may be
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because of the investigators. Um, and he does kind of tell them who >> Well, I wonder too if there was
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this kid has this fear of this this attacker, you know, he's sexually assaulted by this guy
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>> and then the attacker is saying, "Can you recognize me?" And now with this other kid going missing, I wonder if
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there was a thought or some maybe he was scared that this attacker was going to come back after him.
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>> I think you're exactly right. moving away as a form of defense and getting your child out of there. Um, and and
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especially now because the stakes have been raised because this guy could have could have done this to somebody else
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and this child has never resurfaced again. Um, I think you're exactly right there. He eventually moves away. But
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it's in 2003, 2004 that he comes forward to remind everybody, you know, I was attacked nine months before, right?
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>> And it was very apparent to me by the questions that the investigators were asking me that my case was probably
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related to Jacob's case. And if if this guy assaulted me and he assaulted Jacob,
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he probably did this to other boys as well. we might be able to get enough people to come together, tell their bits
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and pieces of their story that they know of, and maybe we can figure out who this
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guy is. I mean, we're talking about Jared was able to give some specific details. He gave a description of the
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vehicle, saying that the man had a police scanner in the car and give a give somewhat of a description of the
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man himself. >> Yeah. And I think also having it be 14 years later, I mean, maybe there's
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there's a possibility that he's resurfacing to go, hey, look, if this happened to anybody else, come forward
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now. And maybe at 12 years old or 14 years old or or whatever age that this takes h if if somebody approached you
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when you were 12, maybe you're not likely to come forward um and and tell the police about it. But maybe 14 years
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later, you'll go, "Hey, I had this thing happen and and I saw this guy or this guy came up on me and told me he had a
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gun, but I ran away." >> Yeah. Or maybe you had somebody that tried to grab you but wasn't successful
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and you you have a description of that man in the vehicle that he was in. You know, these little things can matter.
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These details can matter. Um in 2009 though, we're talking about tips and leads here. In 2009, in my opinion, we
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get the strangest lead in this case so far. in this very lengthy case, an investigation would come, this strange
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lead would come about in January of 2009, all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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>> And we're going to bring in my one of my favorite characters in this whole case.
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>> Now, on December of the previous year, a St. Francis Barber, he was 62 years old.
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His name's Vernon Seats, and he tells his psychiatrist that he had killed two boys back in 1958.
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And I want to throw this in here though. I I found several accounts of what the doctor said,
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>> right? >> Uh on one occasion, she says that that that Vernon Seats had said he had killed
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two boys in 1958. On another account, she says that he had said 1959. So this man tells his psychiatrist that he had
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killed two boys in 1958 andor 1959. >> Right. And who is this guy? This is the guy that we talked about in part one
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where uh we talked about the psychics that were coming to the Wetly family and trying to get some information and
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saying, "Hey, give me um some of his clothing and maybe I can uh see something for you and maybe I can give
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you a psychic reading." He is one of those uh guys that were claiming to be a psychic.
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>> Mhm. Yeah. And he would drive, it's like over 400 miles to get to uh the Wetling
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House, right? and and meet with Patty Wetling on two occasions and tell her that I'm a psychic. I, you know, I'm
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trying to get some information on the abduction. And by the way, here's a painting that I did of of your abducted
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son. >> So, we this we got this guy claiming to be a psychic. Like we said, he was a
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barber and then he uh admits to his doctor that he killed kids. Now, you would start thinking, well, maybe he he
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has to be somebody that we need to look into further on the Jacob case. Mhm. Now, I know some people out there are
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thinking, well, what about, you know, doctor client privileges here? You know, should this doctor be notifying the
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police? But I and I don't know what what the law is exactly on that. I'm sure there's some legal jargon that I
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wouldn't understand, but the psychiatrist says that the reason why she came forward was because she he had
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been seek seeking her help for quite some time. This was not their first interaction. This is somebody that he
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had been going to for a while. She says months. I don't know exactly how many months, but she said that the reason why
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she notified the police >> is so that they can speak with Vernon Seats because he is ready to make a
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confession. Well, before the police can get to Mr. Seats to interview him, he actually dies of natural causes.
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>> That's very odd. >> Yeah. And you would think that the strangeness ends there, but it does not.
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uh given the information that he may have killed two boys in 1958 or 1959, uh the police get a search warrant to
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search Mr. Seat's home and property. Now, keep in mind, he died in his home. Um here's a list of the items that were
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found in Vernon Seat's home. >> Okay. >> Uh first off, >> hold on. I'm I'm preparing myself to be
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creeped out. I don't know what you're going to say. >> And I'm going to warn you in advance.
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This is a long list, okay? So, Don't get mad at me here. >> I'm already mad at I'm always mad at
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you. >> First, they found newspaper articles, posters, and laminated photos. Now, some
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of these posters were laminated as well, right? >> And notes on some cardboard boxes. Uh,
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one of one of these posters, missing person's posters that they found was of Jacob Wetling and it had been laminated.
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>> They also found children's shoes. Now, keep in mind, this man lived alone, >> okay? He didn't he didn't have a he
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didn't have a big family or or uh children living with him. They found children's shoes.
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>> Oh, thank God. >> One shoe was a size 2 and 1/2. The other shoe was a size three and a half. Both
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contained DNA and were later sent for testing. They also found several books on cannibalism. One of them was titled
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Eat Thy Neighbor. Uh they found a small round bone. >> That is not a recommended reading, by
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the way. >> No, no, it's not. Um they also found a small round bone uh you know and this
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was sent for testing as well. They found >> brown patches of human hair, blonde patches of human hair, black patches of
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human hair. >> They found rings and necklaces which didn't seem accurate for a man living by
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himself himself. A flesh colored candle with a catheter attached to it covered in some strange brown substance. They
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found bondage straps and chains hanging from the inner rafters of the home. Handcuffs. A box full of negatives. This
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was these were later sent to be developed. Right. >> Pictures of unknown children. A picture
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of a boy holding a fish that was dated July 1959. >> An Illinois road map with two locations
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circled on it. They found a map of Milstream Park. This is a location that is near Jacob's abduction.
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They found photos, paintings, and drawings of children being sexually tortured. >> A novel that was written by Vernon Seats
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named Innocent Rage. A 38 caliber gun. >> What was that book about? >> I I don't know. I didn't That's who
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knows. >> Yeah, I'm not going to buy that on Amazon. >> Um and they also found, you know, we
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talked about notes and missing persons posters uh and newspaper articles about missing kids. Some of those kids that
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were that he had a built this collection of were of Sandy Bertalis and she was not a child. She was 20 years old.
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Sandra went uh missing >> in April of 1988 from a bowling alley. Uh this was in Wisconsin after telling
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her friends and family that she was going there to confront a man that she was dating for cheating on her and
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giving her a false last name and home address. Uh her car was later found in a in the parking lot of this bowling
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alley, abandoned. She's never been found. Um also amongst these newspaper articles and posters was that of Kora
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Jones. Uh she was 12 years old. 12-year-old Cora Jones was kidnapped while riding her bike in 1994.
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But this was by a by a known sex offender. This was a case that was was solved. Uh he later plead guilty to to
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the murder of the young girl. Uh they >> well obviously that this guy has obsession with kids.
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>> Yeah. >> And uh I mean the the shoe thing is super strange. The patches of hair super
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strange. >> And you don't have a hair collection at your house. >> [ __ ] no, man. That's No. Uh
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>> if anybody tells you they collect hair Yeah. >> report them to somebody. >> Yeah. One time I was at a party and this
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guy said I collect hair and I said I'm [ __ ] out of there. I just dropped my beer and just left. No, that never
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happened. But no, so obviously he's he's into this, but you know, I wonder if he's using these like missing children
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cases and these clippings as like some sort of like uh pornography, >> you know? I mean, like, you know, cuz
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you can have I mean, is that technically pornography if it's like in written form? But maybe he like fantasizes
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about, you know, and that's why he was visiting the Wetling family, you know, to get all these details. So maybe there
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was some kind of sexual thing that he got off on about this. >> Well, and they found, you know, of the
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drawings we talked about, they found drawings that uh were of >> right of torture.
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>> Yeah. Of torture or of, you know, sex with children, um, things like that. And
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of course, the the immediate thought is that he drew them himself. Um, amongst the the other people that were of
00:21:05
concern was Michael Dun. He was uh 5 years old. He was abducted um from a playground in Victoria, British Columbia
00:21:13
in March of 1991. Michael was last seen around 12:30 p.m. playing at the school playground uh as his mother, Crystal,
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was participating in a softball tournament to which his father was a spectator, you know. So, his parents
00:21:26
were there as well. Michael was abducted meters from his parents, but no witnesses to his disappearance and no
00:21:34
one involved in that has ever been identified. Michael was never found or seen again. And the other person of
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concern is Melissa Brain. Now, she was 5 years old. Uh Melissa went missing from
00:21:46
a party at her apartment complex in Virginia. A groundskeeper was later charged and convicted with her
00:21:52
abduction. Uh but Melissa was never found. So, it's obvious here, Captain, that Vernon Seats was not responsible
00:21:59
for some or all of these cases. But it is also clear by the items that are found in the home. uh that that this is
00:22:08
of some very big concern here. >> Yeah, this is very alarming. >> This goes beyond the level of weird. You
00:22:14
know, he was a 62-year-old barber. He had passed away. Um there were reports that
00:22:20
>> Oh, I thought you said 52 before. >> I I may have You might have misspoke. >> Uh but there were reports that there was
00:22:26
fresh cement which was recently poured over. >> Be careful how you say that word cuz I
00:22:33
thought you were going somewhere else with that. Oh, no. There was there was fresh cement that was poured in his
00:22:38
basement. Um, and there was also fresh dirt that looked to be have been overturned uh underneath heavy snowfall.
00:22:45
This is out in his yard. Um, these >> What do you think his house smelled like? >> Oh god.
00:22:53
>> And think about all the Okay, so this makes a lot more sense. The hair sample.
00:22:57
I wasn't putting two and two together. If he's a barber, then he's But that's creepy. He's cutting some kids hair and
00:23:03
then he's taking it home with him. >> Mhm. >> I bet it smelled like I bet it smelled
00:23:10
like u weird egg smell mixed with pomade. >> Yeah. Uh who who knows? They they they
00:23:20
end up the police end up coming into the house with a jackhammer later because they want to get to this fresh cement to
00:23:25
see if there's anything underneath of it. They spent a good amount of time uh you know breaking up that cement floor
00:23:32
and found nothing. Um and they checked the yard. They found nothing. >> Um and furthermore, they couldn't find
00:23:40
um you know, they couldn't find any link to him to any of these people that he had specific posters of.
00:23:46
>> Right. >> Um but there's a little a little more followup to that. Um, unfortunately,
00:23:51
this is a story that came out in 2009 and it was very hot when it came out and there's not a whole lot of explanation
00:23:58
for these items as we sit here now in 2017. Well, and then like like we said, he had that connection with the family
00:24:06
going there telling him that he was a psychic. And so, it's like, is this going to uh be is this going to be the
00:24:13
smoking gun that solves this Jacob Wetling case? You know, obviously we know that it's not now, but
00:24:20
>> but then it opens up this whole other can of worms. And so what if he's talking to his doctor and saying, "Hey,
00:24:25
I I killed these boys." I I I believe that. I believe whatever he's saying there was true unless because
00:24:32
and maybe he didn't kill anybody else after that. I'm I'm not saying that he didn't. I'm just saying it's
00:24:38
possibility. And so I wonder if he like said, "Okay, well, you know, in 58 or 59
00:24:42
I killed these kids." But but then ever since that time, maybe he's like, "That's not self-medication, but he's
00:24:51
like, "Well, if I just dive into these cases and and surround myself with these other cases, I'm kind of living
00:24:58
vicariously through these other cases, and then so I'm not killing or, you know, not molesting or whatever he's
00:25:04
doing." It >> it's rare. Um, but there's also the possibility of some kind of mental
00:25:09
health issue. I mean obviously there's a mental health issue but I mean to the point of where he might believe things
00:25:15
to have happened that did not take place. >> Yeah. Um there is one account um he as
00:25:21
said he was a barber and so at his business the next door neighbor was a salon and the salon owner told the media
00:25:29
on several interviews that she had many interactions with Vernon Seats that when
00:25:34
when times were slow at the barber shop he would come next door he'd have a cup of coffee and he always wanted to talk
00:25:41
about his life and she said you know his life as >> sounds like a typical man >> as he described it was was tragic
00:25:48
strange and bizarre. Uh, you know, because he went into some detail with her, stating that, you know, when I was
00:25:57
a child, when I was about 14, this would roughly be around 1958, 1959, >> that I was abducted, somebody had taken
00:26:05
me, he he was from Rine, Wisconsin, >> and he said that he was abducted there by an older man. And the man had had
00:26:13
another boy that was abducted as well. And through the course of this abduction, he was sexually assaulted and
00:26:20
he was made to kill the other boy using a gun. Jesus. Um he later says that that
00:26:26
during that same abduction that he witnessed the death of another boy. So it's it's unclear of him saying that he
00:26:34
killed two boys back in 58 or 59 that if it was his hands that did the killing or
00:26:40
if he pulled the trigger on one of the boys forced to do so and then witnessed the death of another. The other thing
00:26:46
too though is he doesn't really stop there. He he he has told the salon owner that um that a few years ago a man broke
00:26:54
into my home and I killed him. I shot him dead. >> Right. >> Um so that he has had multiple homicides
00:27:01
um whether he was forced to do them or or self-defense or what >> or maybe it's all made up in his head.
00:27:06
Right. >> Yeah. And the thing here is the the detectives looked into this and I don't
00:27:10
know if these were detectives specifically involved in the Jacob Wetling case, but I do know that
00:27:15
Milwaukee detectives in Wisconsin looked into it. And the problem that they had with this whole scenario was that
00:27:23
>> they couldn't find any record or any any cases that were even seem somewhat related to uh Vernon Seat's stories. You
00:27:32
know, they couldn't find any record of him actually being abducted. They couldn't find or track any mysterious
00:27:39
deaths of young boys in 58 or 59. >> Right? So, either he just made this up or he he was a victim
00:27:48
>> and he didn't come forward and he didn't talk about it and because of that trauma, he's been wrestling with all
00:27:53
these demons in his in his head. Well, his sister-in-law, Susan Seats, came tried to defend him uh postmortem, you
00:28:00
know, let's say uh tried to defend him, saying that he was she believed that he was abducted. Uh she doesn't believe
00:28:08
that he killed anybody. Uh she thinks that this abduction uh may have created some strange sexual attractions to
00:28:17
younger people. Um, and that it also developed some kind of psychosis where he became obsessed with child abductions
00:28:25
where he would follow them in the news and follow them in the media and drive 400 miles to go talk to the victim's
00:28:31
mother. >> Yeah. >> Um, I mean, look, we we've talked about this before that, you know, a kid
00:28:37
becoming a victim of this can lead for them to become the monster. >> Mhm. >> You know, not all the time, but it does
00:28:45
happen. So, he doesn't seem to have been linked to any of the people that we named here specifically, but I did find
00:28:51
some uh some weird stuff on him, you know, because 1959, he would have been young, you know, it wasn't like he was
00:28:58
an old man out abducting little kids. He was 14 or 15 years old. Now there is there was a boy who a young boy I think
00:29:06
I don't have the age right in front of me but I want to say it was like five six seven in that age range that had
00:29:12
gone missing from a campground in Mobile Alabama. Um this would have taken place
00:29:19
uh in July of that year of 1959. Now remember we said that he had a a picture of a boy holding a fish um from that was
00:29:28
dated July 1959. Mhm. >> And the weird thing here is that Vernon Seats had family members. I believe it
00:29:36
was his grandparents that lived somewhat in the area. So that's a strange, you know, we can't connect him to some of
00:29:42
these other people, but that's a strange weird situation here. >> I don't know that anything came of this
00:29:49
because and I'm believing that nothing came of this to solve any cases because they took evidence for testing,
00:29:55
>> right? >> And we've we've not heard the results. So usually that means it's a negative.
00:30:00
It's, you know, they're not able to link him to anything. >> Yeah. And again, it's one of those
00:30:04
things where it's like, you know, he had some sick thoughts going through his head and there is a part of you that
00:30:10
would feel bad for him if he if he was traumatized, if he was sexually molested himself, then then there's a part of you
00:30:17
that feels bad for him cuz then he then he's dealing with this trauma and he never see professional help and and and
00:30:24
maybe that's why he was talking to the doctor in the first place. Mhm. >> But at that point, it's a little too
00:30:29
late. Um, either way, I mean, there there's some sick thoughts in that guy's head.
00:30:34
>> It's a it's a very strange story and one that got everybody in St. Joseph, Minnesota in an uproar, you know.
00:30:40
>> Well, it's such a crazy, you know, uh, connection with this case. >> Yeah. That he actually drove there,
00:30:46
spoke to the mother and drew a picture. >> This leads us up to 2010. Captain, let's
00:30:52
go back to the gentleman coming forward that he had driven to the crime scene. You know, we we said that they had
00:30:59
always, you know, Dan Rasier says that I saw a vehicle at the end of my driveway
00:31:03
turn around. >> Dan Dan is the music teacher. >> Yep. And then we we don't know who this
00:31:10
ghost car belongs to. You know, we we don't know. But there's a gentleman that comes forward and states, "I was driving
00:31:16
by the crime scene because I heard the crime on on a police scanner." >> Right. Right.
00:31:20
>> And I saw the bikes. I talked to the police. They didn't seem interested. So,
00:31:23
I drove home. And then many years later, he comes forward to remind them of the story.
00:31:28
>> Right. >> And again, this is where the police believe that the the vehicle that Dan
00:31:34
Rasier claims he had seen as well as the tire tracks are all they're all accounted for now by this guy in this
00:31:41
vehicle that that had nothing to do with the abduction. >> So therefore, since we don't have a
00:31:45
suspect with the vehicle, we're going to assume that the suspect was on foot the
00:31:50
whole time. Mhm. >> And then that makes our number one suspect, Dan. >> Yes. And this is going to be the summer
00:31:56
of 2010. Uh the Sterns County Sheriff's Department conduct an extremely publicized search of the home and
00:32:05
property of Robert and Rita Rasier. This is Dan Rasier's parents. He of course is
00:32:10
still living at home. Um >> well, you say of course he's a music teacher. You think at this point
00:32:16
>> they pay them nothing. I mean, how's he supposed to live anywhere? the arts in
00:32:20
this country is going downhill. >> Um, from the search that they did, they removed several truckloads of dirt as
00:32:27
well as removing some of Dan and his family's property from the house. >> Um, at some point, and I couldn't nail
00:32:34
down a date for when this took place as it may have not been made public, but prior to the search of Dan Rasier, he he
00:32:42
agreed to meet with Patty Wetling. Um, and during that meeting, Dan Dan tells her, I I don't know if this is at
00:32:50
Patty's request or the investigator's request >> or poor Dana, you know, I mean, this
00:32:55
guy, you know, this all these like look, if he's still living with his parents, then
00:33:03
there there's something going on there, right? Wouldn't you agree? >> I don't know. I I initially,
00:33:09
>> right? And maybe maybe they're older and he's taking care of them, >> you know, but what I'm saying is that
00:33:14
>> at some point that becomes the case. I don't know if that's occurring then, >> right? But it's just like here's this
00:33:19
teacher and because he lived close to where this uh event took place now he's the number one suspect and now and and
00:33:28
how did that affect his social life after that and this small town and then to come back all these years later and
00:33:34
go okay well now you're a number one suspect. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, I I mean I have a I
00:33:39
have a very close friend that lives with his father and they have a very large property. Uh and it's too much work for
00:33:46
one person to take care of. And this friend of mine, he enjoys working the land and taking care of the place and
00:33:52
fixing things up and maintenance and all that stuff. He enjoys that stuff. He can't afford a big house or a whole
00:33:57
bunch of land by himself because he has so many hobbies, so many hobbies that he
00:34:01
spends a whole lot of money on. And his his father's seems very happy to have him around. They're they're like a like
00:34:08
a team. Now, he does mention from time to time that he's going to move out, but he's been there for forever. So, I don't
00:34:14
know that that's ever gone. >> Someday is, right? >> Maybe that's the case of of Dan Ras
00:34:19
here. But, um, >> but I feel bad for the guy cuz it's, you know, I mean, obviously, we want to save
00:34:24
this. we want to solve this case and we have this uh you know this 11year-old boy went missing and obviously the the
00:34:32
law enforcement wants to solve this case but man the casualt the casualties that
00:34:38
come through investigations sometimes are awful >> you know and and we got this guy that I
00:34:43
mean like we're talking about him now and he might have done some good things with his life and all we're reporting on
00:34:50
is that he was possibly or was a suspect in the disappearing parents of this 11year-old boy.
00:34:56
>> Yeah. Um this is this is the thing though, you know, he he's such a strange variable in
00:35:04
this case and you almost wonder if he had been removed from this case, if he was if if his role never took place, if
00:35:11
this could have been solved faster. >> Uh did did did he just just his presence alone get in the way of the
00:35:18
investigation? >> Right? Was it like a big decoy? and we talked about him uh you know we started
00:35:24
to touch upon that he met with Patty Wet Wetling at some point. Now the issue here is I said I don't know if this was
00:35:31
at Patty's request, Dan's request or the investigator's request. My guess would be the investigators and I'll tell you
00:35:38
why. Because I think Patty comes off to me and you know I don't know her personally obviously but but all the
00:35:45
interviews I've heard from her, things that I've read that she's done, she seems extremely strong, a very strong
00:35:52
person and on top of that extremely smart and kind as well. She's >> I think she comes off very authentic.
00:36:00
Yeah. You know, >> she she just seems like an amazing person to me as well. And Jerry seems to
00:36:04
share those same traits, her husband. Now, I wonder here, you know, if the investigators say, you know what, we got
00:36:11
this guy and we can't find nothing on him other than he was a quarter of a mile from where your son was abducted.
00:36:17
We think he did this. Okay. Now, we also think that he, like you, Patty, is a sensitive maybe a sensitive person.
00:36:26
>> And we think that if maybe if we put the two of you in a room together, if you
00:36:30
can handle that, Patty, let's put the two of you in a room together and see if he breaks. Because Dan says during some
00:36:37
of his questioning, you know, the police called an interview, he might refer to it as questioning, some might refer to
00:36:42
it as an interrogation. But he says that during some of these portions of the time that he's been questioned that they
00:36:49
would play video clips of Jared or I'm sorry, of Jacob and they would play audio clips of Jacob. And of of course,
00:36:57
this is a way to try to get someone to break down, you know, to to to get to that person that's inside and and get
00:37:04
them to confess. Now, during this interaction and during this meeting with Patty Wetling, uh Dan tells her where on
00:37:13
his property that he is afraid Jacob could be buried. He actually read and he heard several accounts of this is I've
00:37:21
actually read and heard several accounts of this. Um, the one that has been reported more than others was Dan had
00:37:28
stated that because he was publicly being looked at and because his property is so large, we are talking about his
00:37:36
property is like 25 26 acres. That's a big piece of land. >> Dan was afraid that the real killer
00:37:43
could return with Jacob's remains and place the body on the property, implicating Dan as the murderer.
00:37:50
>> Mhm. >> And then there's a couple things. One, I if you hear that as law enforcement,
00:37:54
you're thinking, well, this guy is just stating this crazy story to cover his ass.
00:37:59
>> Mhm. >> Right. Because he did kill this kid. He he did bury the the body and he's using
00:38:05
this as a cover up. So, that seems a little fishy. >> But on the same time, and to be in Dan's
00:38:10
shoes, think about freaking out like, well, look, we have, you know, almost 30 acres,
00:38:16
>> you know? So if somebody's reading the news and and they could move a body, you
00:38:22
know, and and and and dig, you know, dig up the body and then bury it on my property because they know that the cops
00:38:28
are looking at me. >> Well, and they end up searching all of those. I mean, he listed specific areas
00:38:33
where he thought that maybe the killer would want to >> return with the remains of Jacob and
00:38:38
place him there, >> right? uh and he names specific places and they search all of those places
00:38:43
during this highly publicized search. Um now here's the weird thing though. Um this interaction between the two of
00:38:51
them, between Dan and Patty has been reported many times, but it's been reported differently depending on who
00:38:58
you check your sources with. And some of those reports come out as if Dan was taunting or teasing the grieving mother
00:39:05
of a dead child, right? you know, that that that he's playing some kind of game here, right?
00:39:10
>> Uh and then the other reports state that he's just simply afraid that he's going
00:39:15
to be implicated for a murder he didn't con >> didn't have anything to do with, right?
00:39:19
And then on top of that, like I said, that the the social implications and and the career implications from him just
00:39:26
being involved. >> Now, I do want to point out that Dan never lawyered up, uh which some
00:39:31
consider lawyer lawyering up to be a small sign of guilt. He did agree to submit to every and any test that law
00:39:39
enforcement sought. He he submitted to a DNA test, lie detector test. He even did
00:39:44
an interview while under hypnosis. Uh and and also he's agreed to let them search his car. Uh to multiple
00:39:52
interviews as well as a meeting with with the victim's mother. >> Well, it seems like he knew that he was
00:39:57
innocent and that he was had some faith in the justice system that it would work
00:40:02
itself out. Yeah, this to me looks very much like the behavior of an innocent person. But if you fear that you are
00:40:09
being unfairly accused or harassed by the public, news media, or especially law enforcement, by all means, man,
00:40:15
lawyer up, you know, lawyer up and submit to their test as requested. Um, so I think he did with with the exception
00:40:24
of the lawyer, I think he did everything as helpful as he could and he tried to be very forthcoming in this
00:40:29
investigation. In May of 2014, WCCCO TV reported that around the time of Jacob's
00:40:36
abduction, there were a cluster of at least six unsolved sexual assaults on boys that were never looked at as a
00:40:44
possibility as being a lead in the Jacob Wetling case. >> These were all taking place about 2
00:40:51
years prior to the abduction of Jacob and about 30 miles away in Payneesville, Minnesota. This took place in 1986 and
00:40:59
1987. There are plenty of similarities here as well. Uh these attacks are all on boys ranging in age from 12 to 16
00:41:08
years old. These are nighttime attacks. In two of the cases, the boys were riding bicycles. Uh the attacker
00:41:16
sometimes wore a mask. >> Mhm. And here's the two of the victims from the Payneesville attacks as adults
00:41:24
um recounting the events of their attack. It was quite a while since I went back outside at night time. I
00:41:31
remember I was home that before dark every night for a while. It was not something I wish on anybody. It was
00:41:41
terrifying. Put it that way. The Payneesville Police Department is seeking the public's support in
00:41:47
apprehending a man that has been accosting young men in the Payneesville community. So far, there have been five
00:41:52
different incidents reported. Sergeant Bill Drager, Payneesville Police Department said, "We need help. All the
00:41:58
help we can get." This article ran on the cover of the Payneesville Press. It's not like it was buried on page 5.
00:42:04
It ran on the cover. There's an alleyway right here. The pine roll pine used to be right here.
00:42:13
That's where it happened. It's been so long. I just can't remember all the details of that night. But I I remember
00:42:18
I was on my way home and I was coming by the the Gates Eagle Park and I turned a
00:42:22
corner down come home here and some guy just grabbed me off my bike from behind and I didn't see who it was or nothing.
00:42:31
put his hand around my mouth and drugged me into the bushes there and said, "Quiet, I'm I'll kill you."
00:42:39
>> And he went about his doing whatever he wanted to do to me. And what could go
00:42:44
through your head? I thought I was going to die basically. You know, I mean, some
00:42:48
guy does that. And then, you know, he has a knife cuz he cut your hair. I laid there and then I ran home and told mom
00:42:54
and dad and me and dad went looking for him before we went and did anything else. but didn't find out of course and
00:43:02
then we contacted the police. >> That was the end of an era of innocence. I mean, Payneesville was the type of
00:43:09
town, like any town in Minnesota, there was a 10:00 whistle and at 10:00 you went home. The sergeant, I think it was
00:43:17
at the time, was requesting help from the community for these attacks on on boys. And it didn't sound like they were
00:43:25
minor attacks. I mean, the guy said, "Don't look back or I'll blow your head off." And so there was this threat of a
00:43:31
gun. When we started looking into it a little bit and I started blogging about it, then suddenly I get other people
00:43:39
that are commenting and saying, you know, I know another guy or that happened to me or my little brother.
00:43:45
Suddenly it was just more and more and more. And so five became six and six became seven and seven became 12. and my
00:43:53
parents were gone and my oldest brother was there to, you know, kind of keep an eye on us or whatever. We were like we
00:44:01
always did, hang out up town, you know, and it was a weekend. I'm sure I was probably 10 or 15 feet
00:44:08
ahead of him and jumped off my bike like kids do, you know, let it roll down, plop to the ground and uh it started to
00:44:16
go head towards the front door and we had a concrete patio out there and we had some lawn chairs out there and I
00:44:25
heard something bump into it. Since I seen somebody, you know, dart across the alley, I'm like, I'm not staying around.
00:44:31
So, I took off running and I bumped into my brother and I said, "Hey, I think it's the molester. Run." So, we ran to
00:44:38
the street light or headed that way and I looked over my shoulder and I seen a figure there, but I couldn't see a face.
00:44:46
It was just all black from the neck up. We got to the street light there and we just yelled for help and luckily one of
00:44:53
the neighbors had their window open a little bit and they could hear us and they said, "What's going on out there?
00:44:59
You guys need help?" We said, "Yeah, call the cops." You know, somebody just tried to grab us.
00:45:04
>> This group, they were all tight and they hung out together all the time. And it
00:45:08
was the same group of boys that kept getting um attacked. They were absolutely terrified. And
00:45:17
I don't feel that they ever had a voice in this, you know, that or that they ever felt that they were taken
00:45:25
seriously. >> I talked to the cop that one night and that was it. No followup, no detectives, nothing.
00:45:33
Nobody. It was just, it was hush hush after that. It was, "Oh, it's okay. Whatever." They just kind of blew it
00:45:40
off, you know. They never talked to us again. You know, the cops never came around and said, "Well, do you remember
00:45:46
anything else?" At least I don't remember them, you know, asking me again if you know, is there anything
00:45:51
different, you know, now that you've had time to process it? the description I gave of the guy and I,
00:45:59
you know, I said he was a chubby guy, but I don't, he wasn't, he wasn't chubby at all. I mean, the guy I seen run
00:46:05
across Cali was in good shape and could move fast. >> I hope the Payneesville victims know
00:46:11
that it was not okay. It never was okay. And and that I hope they do get some justice
00:46:20
now. I hope they get some answers. Now, you heard in the clip there, they're talking about uh an a mask. You
00:46:28
know, the one boy describes when he turns around and looks back, he saw, you know, someone run across the street but
00:46:35
couldn't see anything from the neck up. It was all black. >> Mhm. >> Um now, I do have a description of a
00:46:40
mask that was used in at least one of these attacks. It's described as a homemade mask made from candy striped
00:46:47
indoor or maybe outdoor carpeting. Uh the attacker had a low gruff voice and he threatened most if not all of the
00:46:56
boys stating that he had a knife or a gun, you know, and we talked about verbiage with the victim of Jared and
00:47:02
how it was similar to what the what Trevor and Aaron heard the things said to them and said to Jacob. Um how the
00:47:10
verbiage was the same in those attacks. >> Um you know, we we heard in that clip
00:47:14
there that >> that this attacker had some of that same verbiage. you know, he was saying things
00:47:20
like he would blow their heads off um if they told anybody. And there's also situations from these group of boys. You
00:47:28
heard you heard the one lady talking saying that the cases once they started pouring in, it got to the number of 12
00:47:34
of these cases. And in some of these cases, they were boys that were taken from a group of boys. Um, and
00:47:41
unfortunately out of these 12 victims with their 12 stories, only two victims were interviewed after Jacob's
00:47:48
abduction. The others were not interviewed at all. >> Right. Which, you know, we'll, you know,
00:47:53
looking back on it, we're going to view that as a big um a black eye in this investigation.
00:48:00
>> Yeah. And then one thing that we didn't hear in the clip uh was was some more
00:48:04
details of one of the attacks um from the Paynesville victims. A the one boy well now a man says that when he was
00:48:12
attacked that the the man that grabbed the boy off of the bicycle that grabbed him from behind.
00:48:18
>> Uh he said that the man his hand rire of cigarette smoke. >> You know this so this person grabbed him
00:48:25
off of his bike and and wrapped his hand around the boy's mouth so he couldn't scream. And the whole time the boy is
00:48:33
smelling this this hand that's wreaking of cigarette smoke. So there's one there's one indicator on your suspect
00:48:40
along with the the mask, the gun, the knife, the same verbiage, and the you know the this
00:48:49
age of the of the victims, >> you know, and another thing that he did too was um you know, he told him, "Shut
00:48:57
up or I will kill you." This is the boy was taken off of his bike. Uh he unzipped the boy's jeans and he had a
00:49:03
knife on this attack. The asalent had a knife here and he used the knife. You said that you heard in the clip he said
00:49:09
he used it to cut my hair. He used it to cut to saw some of the boys sandy blonde
00:49:14
hair off and took it as some kind of like some kind of sick weird souvenir, I guess.
00:49:19
>> Right. There's a lot of uh pieces of hair in this case. >> Now, real quick here, we got to give
00:49:25
some props. Some Let's give some big props to a lady named Joy Baker. Um she is one of the voices that you heard in
00:49:32
the clip there. and uh she should get some big props because she is uh the reason that this development got brought
00:49:39
to light. Um Joy Baker is a writer. You can find her blog online. She blogs about several things, but for quite some
00:49:46
time she had a blog solely for and regarding the Jacob Wetling case. Yeah. And she you heard her say there that,
00:49:53
you know, this was not back page news. This was not on page five or page six when she went out cuz she suspected, you
00:50:00
know, if there were two boys that were interviewed following the Jacob Wetling case
00:50:05
>> that there was probably more boys and she was the one that started to find these boys. She went to the went to the
00:50:10
library, started checking out the microfilm and searching through the old newspapers and found these attacks and
00:50:16
started reaching out to some of these victims. And then these other victims come forward and they all have very
00:50:22
similar stories describing a very similar guy who's saying the same things uh showing, you know, he's got the same
00:50:28
weapon in most of these attacks. And he's, you know, from time to time disguising himself by wearing a mask.
00:50:34
And actually that that description of that mask like terrifies me. You know what I mean? When you think about it,
00:50:39
it's like a made a homemade mask from made from carpet. You know what? What is it? just is it just like a carpet hood
00:50:47
draped over your face with two eyeholes? I I didn't see, you know, there's no there's no uh evidence of this actual
00:50:53
mask other than the victim's description. >> Yeah. >> You know, but it's very Zodiac Killer to me almost, you know,
00:51:00
it's that's what it reminds me of. And and it's it's so much like you know this person we talked about are these all u
00:51:10
you know opportune opportunity attacks or is this something that this person is working towards or putting some thought
00:51:17
into and clearly in this in this particular situation he's manufacturing these masks on his own to avoid being
00:51:27
you know oh a man wearing a scream mask abducted me. Well, you might be able to trace that at some point.
00:51:34
>> Yeah. I mean, to me, like I said, I think it's it's somebody that is doing a lot of planning uh beforehand and then
00:51:41
driving around looking, right, and looking for opportunities. >> Those boys started coming forward in May
00:51:46
of 2014. Now, later that same year, in October of 2014, marked the 25-y year anniversary of the abduction of Jacob
00:51:54
Wetling, and there were still no answers. It's still unsolved at this time. Well, Patty Wetling sat down with
00:52:01
CNN and they did the following story called Five Questions for My Child's Abductor. Uh, the first question she
00:52:08
wanted to ask is, "Who are you?" Uh, she states, "I believe that somebody knows.
00:52:13
It's time to quit protecting the bad guy, even if it is a family member. It's time to speak up for Jacob. Please tell
00:52:20
me who took our son. And if you are the abductor, it's time to tell. You cannot feel good about this. find some peace
00:52:27
and write back. >> Mhm. >> The next question she asked is, "Is Jacob still alive?" She says that
00:52:35
sometimes the phone rings and there's no there's no one there. It's probably a telemarketer or a wrong number, but her
00:52:41
heart cries out, "Jacob, are you there?" >> Right? >> I And she states that she saves articles
00:52:47
of kids coming home after long periods of time, 3 months, 9 months, 4 months, 7, 10, 18 years later, you know,
00:52:54
>> because she didn't want to give up hope. Yeah, these things can happen. And she
00:52:58
states, "I don't know. So, I hope and I pray that you got away, Jacob. We need you back. We love you more than the
00:53:05
flowers love the sun and the rain. My heart wants to be wants to believe that you're okay."
00:53:11
>> The next question was, uh, what made you think you could take a child? >> Yeah. She says, "Jacob is so deeply
00:53:17
loved and missed by his mom, dad, brother, sister, cousins, neighbors, and friends. Mhm.
00:53:23
>> I have read a lot about kidnappers and child molesters and I know that they are
00:53:27
all people, human beings that need help. Maybe you feel bad. Maybe you told someone, but I still live with so many
00:53:34
questions like how could you and how could anyone still keep this secret after all these years? You can free
00:53:40
yourself of carrying this. Please explain this to me. >> And then she would ask, uh, why didn't
00:53:47
you let him go? >> Yeah. She wants to know what happened. You probably had other boys that you
00:53:52
victimized and released. I think you meant to let him go and something went terribly wrong. I need to know what
00:53:58
happened. Please talk to me. And >> this is such a tough thing that you know a mother would have to go through just
00:54:03
even this this hypothetical questions that she would ask and the last one being uh what was the last thing that
00:54:10
Jacob said to you? >> Yeah. She states that Jacob had a keen sense of fairness and always stood up
00:54:16
for people who he thought needed an ally or a friend. He probably would have befriended you, too. I need to hear his
00:54:23
voice again or to hear the last words he said if he can't speak them to me himself. Please tell me what he said.
00:54:31
And like I said before, I mean, this is a really tough thing that a a mother would have to deal with. You know, her
00:54:36
11-year-old boy goes missing and he's been missing for so long. But I think she took this opportunity to talk to CNN
00:54:43
to, you know, one, I mean, just to get the message out to all parents and, you know, protect your children. Know where
00:54:50
your parent your children are. Do as much as you can to protect your children. Let people know that these
00:54:55
monsters are real and they're out there and this could happen to your family. I think she did it for that reason, but I
00:55:02
also think she did it for the reason of maybe that the the killer would hear this or the abductor would hear this
00:55:09
>> and that he would this would weigh on his conscience and that maybe he would be able maybe he'd come forward. Maybe
00:55:16
he would confess to this or confess to somebody or maybe somebody would hear this and start connecting the dots. And
00:55:23
maybe he's had like this extreme stress of always looking over his shoulder because of this one bad thing that he
00:55:29
did. >> And she's giving him an opportunity to reach reach out to us and take this
00:55:36
weight off your shoulders. Give us some closure. Tell us what happened. Turn yourself in. You won't have to live with
00:55:42
this stress anymore. Even though she will have to continue to always live with it.
00:55:47
>> Yeah. But at least she would get some closure. >> Yeah. And that that to me shows the
00:55:51
strength of the Wetling family now. And she's on the road to some form of closure and on the way to getting some
00:55:59
answers because in 2015 there's a man and his name is Daniel James Heinrich. He's a white man in his early 50s from
00:56:07
Anandale, Minnesota. Uh and he is named as a person of interest in the Jacob Wetling case. Daniel or Dany as he is
00:56:16
better known uh by his friends and relatives was the subject of a child pornography investigation. They had
00:56:23
found with him uh child pornography most of this involving young boys and they also found videotapes that apparently
00:56:31
Hinrich had filmed himself of boys in public that the boys were unaware that they were being filmed.
00:56:36
>> Right. Law enforcement obviously got a search warrant, but on those warrants,
00:56:41
see on these warrants here, they have to state what it is that they are seeking and they have to be somewhat specific
00:56:48
about this. >> And so, a lot of times, if you're able to view these warrants, it will give you
00:56:53
some insight as to what a what law enforcement officials may actually suspect one is guilty of. So, for Danny
00:57:01
Heinrich's uh search warrant, >> some of the items that they had listed and that they were searching for
00:57:09
included human remains, a red t-shirt with the name Wetling on the back, a red hockey jacket with the name Jacob on the
00:57:18
front. So, these are very specific items, and this is of course linking him immediately to the Jacob Wetland case.
00:57:25
So Danny was facing child porn charges in 2015, but after that, he strikes a deal with the prosecutor in the summer
00:57:34
of 2016. >> This is after he's convicted before, right? Yeah. >> He's actually convicted and he's going
00:57:41
to spend life in in jail for the child porn pornography charges. >> Well, I don't know if it was life, but
00:57:46
it was certainly a good amount of time. >> I think it I I I maybe I'm wrong, but I
00:57:51
think it was life. So they keep they >> I mean also mind you that he is older gentleman now. So you know you know uh a
00:58:00
30 40ear sentence could technically be life. >> So in the summer of 2016 this is when he
00:58:08
he creates this deal uh with the prosecutor and I don't know who came up with the idea of this deal. Um but the
00:58:19
he ends up leading them to the remains of Jacob Wetling. >> On September 3rd, 2016, Patty says that
00:58:28
the remains of her son had been recovered. >> Uh but she couldn't speak further on the
00:58:33
issue. >> It was kind of interesting though cuz you know they may they had this report
00:58:38
that came out that they're going to you know he's he is going to tell them where
00:58:41
the remains are. Then they had law enforcement out there and they did find rema remains. Now the next question was,
00:58:49
is this of Jacob or is it somebody else? And I and I think the parents had to assume right when they found out that
00:58:55
they found remains, they just had to assume and brace themselves for that it's probably going to be Jacob.
00:59:02
>> Yeah. And there were some details of that um confession and that agreement uh
00:59:07
the plea bargain that they had come up with that we can get into in a bit here. But it was on September 6th that Daniel
00:59:15
James Hinrich confessed to the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wedling. Now,
00:59:23
here's the thing. >> Mhm. the whole state, the whole country, you know, the there wasn't too many
00:59:29
people that didn't know about this case, especially in that area. And so, you're
00:59:34
talking about, of course, you have a family and friends and loved ones of Jacob that have been hurting like you
00:59:39
wouldn't believe for so long, but you also almost had a community that was in mourning as well. So, when the
00:59:45
prosecutor came to an agreement with the eventual killer, there was a lot of backlash from the public stating, you
00:59:52
know, how could you give a deal to this guy, right? >> Um, he ends up getting a deal that would
00:59:57
convict him of of only child pornography charges. He's not going to be charged with the murder of Jacob Wetling. That
01:00:05
was part of the deal. Um, and he's only going to receive 17 to 20 years, so he could potentially get out when he's in
01:00:12
his early 70s. Now, >> you're right. But I think it was more important for the family to get closure.
01:00:18
>> Well, it definitely was. And I think here the problem was that they had no evidence against this guy.
01:00:24
>> And a lot Well, and a lot of times too, the law enforcement will actually put,
01:00:29
excuse me, they'll actually put the decision on the family. >> Hey, we have this information. He claims
01:00:36
that he can lead us to Jacob. U we're going to give him this deal. Is that okay with you?
01:00:42
>> Right. And that's exactly what happened. Now, I have heard that had he not been
01:00:47
able to lead them to the remains, there were certain stipulations of this agreement,
01:00:51
>> right? Then the deal's off. >> Yeah. If you can't read lead us to the remains, we're not going to believe you.
01:00:55
Uh >> right. Right. Then the family gets zero closure. >> And furthermore, you know, they wanted
01:01:01
to make sure the Wetlings agreed to this deal. Um by this point, of course, Patty
01:01:06
and Jerry have to they just kind of have to know at this point, you know. Um, the
01:01:12
other thing too is that he had to confess and tell exactly what took place and what exactly happened. And he stated
01:01:19
that uh he had parked his car uh down the road a little bit. He went and he hid. He had saw the boys going to the
01:01:26
>> I told you there I told you there was a car involved. >> Yeah. He he saw the boys going to the
01:01:31
Tom Thor Thumb store. >> Right. Right. To rent a movie. >> And he thought, you know what? I will
01:01:36
ambush them on their way back. and he he kind of put his car at a distance. He abducted Jacob. He he had Jacob in the
01:01:44
vehicle with him. They drove to a remote location. Uh there he he assaulted the boy. And he says he says a couple things
01:01:55
happened that that Jacob had asked him if he you know he said he was cold and he wanted to go home.
01:02:01
>> And the Danny says, "I can't take you home." Um, which which is weird to me because I had always wondered, you know,
01:02:09
the the this abduction and what he did almost sounded like a ser a potential serial offender, uh, maybe serial
01:02:16
murder. And him saying that I cannot take you home almost tells me that that he determined when he abducted the boy
01:02:23
that he was going to kill him, >> right? >> Um, he then told the boy that he that
01:02:28
Jacob needed to turn around so that Dan could take a pee. And when when the boy turned around, he shot him in the back
01:02:35
of the head. Um, before this took place, I think Jacob was getting a feeling like
01:02:41
something wasn't going to work out when when he told him that he couldn't take him home.
01:02:46
>> Jacob had asked uh Dan, you know, what did I do wrong? What what did I do wrong?
01:02:52
>> Yeah. >> Um, it's it's a heartbreaking story. There's there's no good of this. I mean
01:02:58
there there has been, you know, the Wetlings have been so involved in in other uh helping other children and
01:03:05
other families of of these type of crimes. Um it's it's just heartbreaking to to recount this. Uh shortly after
01:03:15
Jacob had passed away, um Danny he >> stop calling him Danny like you know call him Dan. I don't know why.
01:03:23
>> Well, I apologize, but that's what he's referred to in the news as >> Yeah. It makes him sound like way more
01:03:28
innocent for some, you know what I mean? >> So So Dan Hinrich, he he attempted to
01:03:33
bury Jacob. Uh he was unable to do so. Um he went and found a I guess there was construction in the area.
01:03:41
>> Uh he found a bobcat, you know, one of those little miniature bulldozer type things and he used that to unear some
01:03:48
ground and he put Jacob in there and he he buried him. Um at some point he was questioned. Um he was questioned in the
01:03:57
Jacob in the uh Jared attack um because he had a vehicle that matched a description that Jared had given the
01:04:04
police. >> Uh he also had a police scanner in his car. Um he ended up at some point he got
01:04:12
scared and he went back to where he had buried the child and he noticed that he didn't do didn't do a very good job
01:04:19
because at some point there was u the jacket was showing was now visible and so he buried the boy one more time. Um
01:04:28
and there unfortunately Jacob remained until this case was solved late you know last year after they got
01:04:37
the answers that they were looking for in the Jacob Wetling case. Um it was confirmed uh Jared the other victim uh
01:04:45
who was let go. He he did say that yes after seeing Dan Heinrich uh and hearing him talk he was able to confirm that
01:04:54
that was the man that took him. >> Yeah. Um, and it's also believed and very likely, if not confirmed in some
01:05:01
cases, that he was also the the attacker or the attempted to attack other boys in
01:05:06
that Paynesville area. >> Yeah. I mean, this if you and I'll post a picture online for you guys to see his
01:05:13
mug shots and and then later on there there's there's two shots that I'll I'll send. one I think right when he was
01:05:20
arrested early in in 2015 and then one a couple years later or now his recent picture but he grew out this beard and
01:05:28
looks a little different but either way this guy is a very intimidating uh individual and normally I see these
01:05:36
mug shots and stuff not super intimidated by a lot of the people you know like you know Bundy's I mean even
01:05:42
though he's vicious doesn't you know scare me just on looks alone but but this guy uh He he there's kind of a
01:05:49
chill >> to his eyes and everything. It's very uh very evil. >> Not not always can you see the monster
01:05:57
on the outside, the monster that's hiding on the inside with him. >> It it's almost obvious, you know, um in
01:06:04
a sense. >> And one of the things I I wonder if he had some trauma as a as a kid himself.
01:06:10
>> He he did. That's another long story. Um and but I don't know that he was so much
01:06:16
a victim. I've looked into that story. He may have been a victim, so I don't want to put my stamp on anything, but it
01:06:22
sounds to me like he may have been a willing participant >> uh in some of in some of that situation.
01:06:27
Um he see Yeah, it seems like a lot of times though it's like um like they're wrestling with something and
01:06:38
that maybe that it won't get this far. Maybe it won't get to the point where you're actually abducting a kid. Maybe
01:06:44
it's not going to get to the point where you're you're assaulting the kid. It's then it obviously it's not going to lead
01:06:49
to you uh abducting them, assaulting them, and then murdering them. And obviously there's something either just
01:06:55
off or trauma or whatever. But God, you wish that this stuff never happened. And
01:07:01
I don't know if he planned to kill whoever he abducted when he set out that night or once he saw the boys. I've I've
01:07:08
I've gone through his statement time and time again and I go back and forth because you know that's like I said when
01:07:13
he says I can't take you home. Well, did that mean like the Jared situation where
01:07:17
you drive him somewhat near the home and let him go or what if that meant >> uh you know what if you know what if in
01:07:25
the other cases the boys didn't actually see his face and what if in this case he
01:07:30
he had the mask off for whatever reason. >> Yeah. you know, and and therefore because Jacob saw his face that that he
01:07:37
he felt that he had to kill him. You know, >> he he claims that uh he had heard a
01:07:43
police siren at some point and he panicked. >> Okay. >> Uh and and that's when he when he killed
01:07:50
him. Um I that could be an excuse. That very likely could be some kind of excuse. Um I don't know. See, I go back
01:07:58
and forth on that, Captain. If you're going to panic, you hear a police siren, I would assume police are
01:08:04
near, I'm not going to want to fire a loud gun. >> Either way, this guy is a sick evil
01:08:10
individual. >> Yeah. And I'd like to be like I'd like to try to be like a big, better, more
01:08:16
peaceful person than what I am. And I I >> I don't want to be >> and I I almost regret hearing these
01:08:22
words come out of my mouth. But he's going to spend 17 to 20 years if he gets off with good behavior.
01:08:28
>> Yeah. He's 17 17 years. And no, I'm not saying that it's worth it. I'm not saying it's worth that that it equals
01:08:34
that it equals out. What I'm saying is >> I wouldn't mind if something, you know,
01:08:39
get a little prison justice, uh, it happens. Uh, >> yeah. Well, hopefully that, you know,
01:08:44
there there's some real justice and that, uh, they connect him in other cases and they can tack on charges. I
01:08:51
mean, and and I'm glad that there's some closure for the family, but uh you know,
01:08:56
I want to see this guy spend the rest of his life in jail. >> Yeah, they do. They did have some
01:09:00
speculation, some stipulations in that agreement, and I don't know that they are allowed legally to talk to him about
01:09:06
other cases other than Jared or Jacobs. Um unfortunately, that's that's the situation,
01:09:12
>> right? But that doesn't mean that they can't go back and reinvestigate these cases. They know that this monster is
01:09:18
behind jail. They have 17 years to figure it out and keep him behind bars. >> Yeah. And he could have he could have
01:09:24
let Jacob go. That's the thing here. He could have let Jacob go. He let other people go. But for whatever reason,
01:09:30
whether he planned it or didn't plan it, at some point he decided that a few years of my freedom is worth more than
01:09:37
the life of this child. And it's I mean it's the worst of the worst, >> right? But it doesn't even matter if you
01:09:44
if you kept him, you know, if you let him go. I mean, anybody that sexually assaults a kid should spend their life
01:09:52
in jail. There shouldn't be like 10 years because you ruined somebody's life or you drastically affected somebody's
01:09:58
life. Spend the rest of your life in prison thinking about what you did, you stupid piece of [ __ ] You know, that's
01:10:04
the way I think. So, all right, let's wrap it up. >> Okay. Again, this week's recommended
01:10:09
reading is Hometown Killer. And you can pick that up by going to trueimegrage.com. click on the
01:10:14
recommended page and see all the books that we've recommended there and use that by going through the Amazon banner
01:10:19
and making a purchase. >> And a quick thank you to all of you for the support of last year 2016 and we
01:10:26
look forward to doing uh as many shows as we can in 2017 and it's all because of the support you gave us and rem
01:10:33
reminding you, hey, the best thing you can do is uh give us beer money. No, the best thing you can do is just tell a
01:10:40
friend, tell a family member about the show and it means a lot. >> That's right. And until next week, be
01:10:45
good, be kind, and don't litter. [Music] [Applause] [Music]