A Mother's Undying Hope

Time fades almost everything- except hope.  Patty Wetterling has spent the last fifteen years clinging to that hope, and using it.

On the night of October 22, 1989 Patty's life was split in two. On one side she had to be strong, feign normalcy - try to keep her family together and sane..  On the other, she had to endure the pain that is unspeakable and overwhelming.  It was on this night that Patty Wetterling's son, 11-year-old Jacob, was snatched from their small neighborhood and never seen again. 

It was early evening and Jacob, his ten year-old brother Trevor and a friend Aaron  had gone to a local convenient store about a half of a mile away from his home. They were riding their bikes home when a masked man came out of a driveway, ordered the boys to throw their bikes into the ditch, turn off their flashlights, and lie face down on the ground. The gunman asked each of the boys their age. After the boys responded, he instructed Trevor to run into the woods and 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 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.

Intensive Search--But No Leads

Neighbors, friends and strangers rallied to the Wetterlings' aid and worked 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week searching the area and distributing flyers all across the country.  Police discovered tire tracks to a truck and spent years trying to find its driver.  Recent information has revealed that the driver of the truck may have been just a casual passerby who had nothing to do with Jacob's kidnapping.  Police now believe the abductor walked to the scene of the crime.

Grief Stricken Mom Become Activist

The pain of not knowing where her child was nearly debilitating to Patty. She used her pain to impel herself to action - discovering activism as an outlet.  Patty has fought for the past decade to focus national attention on missing children and their families.  The outpouring of support from their neighbors and community at large led Patty and her husband Jerry to establish a nonprofit foundation in honor of their son. Also she has helped in the creation of Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act.  This act requires all sexual offenders to report to the authorities with their current address. 

Jacob's abduction continues to haunt the hearts of many today because he remains missing and police have come no closer in finding out what happened to him that fateful evening.

Now, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are renewing their resolve in helping Patty. They have created a new age-enhanced picture of what Jacob would now look like at age 29. It is a long shot, but until we know for sure, no one is willing to give up on Jacob.

Associated Persons:

Patty Wetterling
After her son went missing in 1990, Patty Wetterling became a strong activist in protecting children.
Victim
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