Remembering Jacob Wetterling

today i was reminded of a boy that i remember far too well. his name is jacob wetterling.

jacob_wetterling.jpg

when i came face to face with this once famous picture of jacob, tears welled my eyes as i was flooded with the rememberance of him. reminded of how close to home this was to my family and friends at the time. you see, jacob was kidnapped just a few miles away from where i was living at the time in minnesota. i remember with absolute clarity, all of the news media surrounding this kidnapping. it gained national attention, so you might remember too.
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On the evening of October 22, 1989, Jacob, his brother Trevor and friend Aaron rode their bikes to a local convenience store to pick up a movie and snack. On the way back home, a man wearing a mask and carrying a gun stopped the boys. The gunman told the boys to throw their bikes into a nearby ditch and lay face down on the ground. He then asked each of the boys their age. After the boys responded, he instructed Trevor to run into the woods and told him not to look back or he would shoot him. Next, the gunman turned Aaron over, looked into his face, and told him to run into woods without looking back or he would shoot him. As Trevor and Aaron were running away, they glanced back to see the gunman grab Jacob’s arm. When Aaron and Trevor reached the wooded area they turned around again and the gunman and Jacob were gone.he would be my oldest brother’s age and about to celebrate his 28th in just a few weeks. To date, law enforcement and Jacob’s family still do not know what happened to Jacob or his abductor or where they are now.” (Jacob Wetterling Foundation)
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why was i reminded of such a thing? well apparently this cold case has been reopened. the question has that has been sparked in this case is, “could Michael Devlin, who has recently been arrested in the kidnapping of 2 rescued missouri boys, be same man who kidnapped jacob over 17 years ago?”

investigators believe he could be.

wow…. wouldn’t that be wild? scary to think that if this speculation is true – how many other boys Devlin could have abducted… abused… and possibly killed. personally, i have been haunted by jacob’s case – even still – and i would love to see closure & justice for his family finally come to pass. that is my prayer.

Comments

  1. I came across your post while doing a search for stories related to Jacob. I was 6 when this happened and lived in Minneapolis. While you were much closer to the area, I also remember the impact this had on my life. I saw an old friend and visited her parents’ home and they had a Jacob button…I wanted to break down and cry right then. I hope he’s found safe…even after all this time 🙁

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