Patty Wetterling to Speak at College of Saint Benedict About New Book on Jacob’s Abduction

(KNSI) – A mother in the middle of Minnesota’s most famous kidnapping case will be speaking at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph Tuesday, December 5th.

Patty Wetterling recently released the book Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope, about her family’s struggles to find her 11-year-old son. He was riding a bike home with his brother and a friend on October 22nd, 1989 when a man with a gun took him.

She wrote the book with co-author Joy Baker, whose investigative blogging played a crucial role in unraveling the case, leading to a breakthrough in 2016. Baker’s dogged investigation led her to a series of disturbing assaults in Paynesville in 1987 and the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy in Cold Spring in January 1989. Baker connected the dots, which led to a fresh look at the case by local and state agencies.

After years of investigating, a man named Danny Heinrich was arrested in 2015 after child pornography was found in his Annandale home, and as part of a plea deal, he admitted to kidnapping and killing Jacob and, in 2016, agreed to tell authorities where he was buried. In exchange, Heinrich was not charged for what he did to Jacob.

Heinrich was also never charged with the assaults in Paynesville because the statute of limitations had run out. He was sent to federal prison in the child porn case and is scheduled to be released in 2033.

All are welcome to join the discussion with Wetterling and Baker on December 5th at the Escher Auditorium on the CSB campus. The event starts at 6:30 and is free, but tickets are required. This event will also be live-streamed, making it accessible to all interested.

A book signing and reception will immediately follow the conversation. The book is available online through the Minnesota Historical Society and at select bookstores. Copies will also be for sale at the event.

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