/ CBS Minnesota. Thus, they searched the suspects house and arrested him after recovering multiple binders full of child pornography pictures from the property. Eventually, in 2016, they announced Danny James Heinrich as a person of interest. At sentencing, apology from Jacob Wetterlings, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window), At sentencing, apology from Jacob Wetterlings killer rings hollow, We all saw it coming: Harding teachers flagged violence long before fatal stabbing, Local chef and his cousin identified as St. Paul double homicide victims, St. Paul man gets 11 years for fatally shooting duplex neighbor, WWII machine gun seized in Washington County now headed to Camp Ripley museum, Charges: Teen running in area of St. Paul triple shooting had pistol with machine gun switch, Law enforcement leaders: DNA testing takes months, MN crime lab needs money, St. Paul man dies after fall from Edina construction site, 'We all saw it coming': Harding teachers flagged violence long before fatal stabbing, Jessie Diggins adds another gold medal, and U.S. first, Special St. Paul school board meeting after fatal stabbing yields 63 speakers, $2M in federal funding granted to Rondo community land bridge project in St. Paul, Cirrus Aircraft engineer identified as victim of fatal Duluth plane crash, Minnesota GOP pitches tax rebate checks, Social Security tax cut, Derek Chauvin's ex-wife pleads guilty to tax evasion, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In 1990, Heinrich was arrested, interrogated, and released. Trevor Wetterling was just 10 years old when his older brother Jacob was abducted at gunpoint in 1989 near the family's home in St. Joseph, Minn. In return for leading authorities last month to Jacobs body in rural Paynesville and admitting to abducting, sexually assaulting and killing Jacob, Heinrich is not being charged with murder. The kids didnt have school the next day. During all these years, every decision I made in life revolved around Jacob, and the guilt I felt because I was still here. We wont pretend today that this crime and sentence is about child pornography. I reached for my revolver. Paynesville, before I got to Paynesville, I turned on the sewage pond road. "They brought me to a point where I broke down, just mentally broke down. Hart's interview provided crucial information about Heinrich. After an interview with Duane Hart in 1991, who was a convicted sex offender in custody at a Minnesota correctional facility and was a suspect in several of the abduction cases, there was no mention of Heinrich in the files for more than 20 years. Trevor Wetterling was just 10 years old when his older brother Jacob was abducted at gunpoint in 1989 near the family's home in St. Joseph, Minn. I undressed. The book is called "What About Me?". THE DEFENDANT: Listening to police calls. A neighbor and the boys called 911 at 9:32 p.m. Law enforcement was on the scene in eight minutes. She reminded the abductor that he, like Jacob, had once been an 11-year-old boy, and that something very wrong must have happened to him. MR. SCHLEICHER: I need you to tell the Court what happened on that evening beginning around 8:00 p.m. in the city and town of St. Joseph, that area. Once the case was reopened in 2015, the police reinterviewed several witnesses and even reexamined the evidence they had already collected. MR. SCHLEICHER: All right. Six weeks after Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped, FBI Special Agent Jeff Jamar announced they had knowledge of the other victim. Patty Wetterling said she doesnt know whether she will read it or have someone read it on her behalf. "It doesn't go away. You could see his red jacket. And then you returned home? 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its about taking a childhood away from Jared Scheierl and taking a lifetime away from Jacob Wetterling, Tunheim said. "That is what I told police from the beginning.". I dug a hole with the trenching tool about two feet deep. I pulled, pulled the trigger again. MR. SCHLEICHER: Okay. Trevor is doing the best he can. He touched my penis. Its like they can never change, but kids change all the time, every day. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. For nearly 45 minutes on Monday morning, Danny Heinrichs victims approached the podium in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis and spoke of the sorrow, anguish and pain he inflicted on them. No one drives like that in broad daylight," Rassier said. Although DNA evidence matched Danny to the January 1989 kidnapping of Jared Scheierl, the statute of limitations prohibited detectives from charging him with the same. "Now we will never know," Tamburino said. MR. SCHLEICHER: He knew that you were armed, is that right? THE DEFENDANT: I didn't drive. 100 yards to the north, northwest -- northeast. I put a mask on. The couple has six grandchildren, ranging in age from 2 to 12. MR. SCHLEICHER: And this area, is there also a gravel pit in the area? Vegetation or --. Heinrich confessed to grabbing Scheirel, throwing him into his car, sexually assaulting him and then leaving him on rural road without his pants or underwear. Trevor has moved out of state and sells real estate. Nevertheless, we can confirm that he currently lives in Centennial, Colorado, and has built a happy life surrounded by his loved ones. We worked hard. As a rational person, you try to figure it out, but this one you cant, because it makes no sense. Wetterling will have a chance to address Danny Heinrich, 53, of Annandale, when he is sentenced in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Nov. 21. He then demanded that the three boys tell Trevor talked about his frustration when he heard police investigators question whether he was telling the truth about the abductor carrying a gun. I was the last person who cared about Jacob to see him, to be right next to him, and I just left him. "When I first saw them, there was a big sigh that I am not the only one who had made eye contact with this person," Jared said. The Federal Department of Justice is conducting a study on missing children, to be released next month. I proceeded onto the road. And then after you returned the Bobcat and camouflaged the site, did you walk back home? He admitted abducting Wetterling near the boy's home in the central Minnesota community of St. Joseph on Oct. 22, 1989. We believe what this guy said - that Jacob was killed within an hour, so even if they had done different things, I dont think they could have saved Jacob. I may need some help. Through it all, the couple said they are proud their marriage has stayed strong. bloomingdale football tickets; party wear saree with stitched blouse "He grabbed Jacob and told me to run as fast as he could or he would shoot," Trevor Wetterling said. THE DEFENDANT: Back to 121 Washburn Avenue, the Plaza Apartments, downtown Paynesville. You can get dressed, and I got dressed. Rassier says later that night, before he went to bed, he saw a second car come into his driveway and turn around -- a car that does not match the description of a car investigators ruled out in 2004. They had gone to a convenience store to rent a video. THE DEFENDANT: It would be to the north of the, of the -- where I shot him. The Stearns County Sheriff Department says Rassier's 911 call came at 11:23 p.m., but it was never saved. Paynesville is just a few miles from where both boys were abducted. You cant pass a law and then never see if it is working or not. In 2004, investigators got their big break. You didnt just bring a gun to scare the boys; you brought bullets. I stepped out of my car. I noticed three children on their bicycles with a flashlight. I feel like we owe the whole world a thank you, but its going to take a while. She said she misses her sons touch, smell, smile, laughter, jokes, questions and zest for life. 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. ''Your letter and your words of anguish over the abduction of your precious Jacob tore my heart,'' Mrs. Bush wrote. The Stearns County Sheriff's Department has cut the number of investigators on the case to 12 from 30. Armed with a gun, he forced the trio to throw their bikes in a ditch before lying face-down on the road. THE DEFENDANT: I, I, I raised the revolver to his head. The Wetterling siblings -- Trevor, Amy and Carmen -- and their parents were on hand May 18 in Washington, D.C. when the guidebook was released by the U.S. Department of Justice. "I can't imagine anybody questioning that?" "They wanted me to do this lie detector test and I said sure." '', A letter from Barbara Bush arrived the other day. So not only was I in high emotional distress missing Jacob, I was looked at by many as being responsible.. I dont know. It's been almost 18 years since Jacob was abducted by a masked gunman as he, his brother and a friend biked home from a trip to a convenience store in St. Joseph, Minn. Three weeks ago, Trevor and his family hopes were renewed when a young man from Kentucky called Jacob's parents, claiming to be their missing son. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Amy and Carmen are both married now and Amy has two young daughters. He lived in absolute silence after he took Jacob - and thats a lot. Can you just briefly describe the scanner? Twenty-seven years is a long time.. Every day, I lived with believing that me running away was a choice. I drove back to -- I turned the lights on to find out where I had left him, and I found him, and I dug a grave with the Bobcat at that site. We wanted Jacob to have a family to come home to, she said. Cloud, that direction, but we headed west on that road. The book was unveiled at a U.S. Department of Justice ceremony May 18 in Washington, D.C. where Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was the keynote speaker. They wanted the answer and I didn't have the answer," Jared said. Thats just a fact, Jerry Wetterling said. MR. SCHLEICHER: All right. Anyone with information is asked to call the Stearns County Sheriff Office is 320-259-3700. Instead, their priority was to find a car that had left a tire track on the Rassier's driveway. MR. SCHLEICHER: For the purpose of listening to . "I learned how to focus on other things," Jared said. The defendant is a cruel narcissist. "I think it's time for people to share their stories," Baker said. It wasnt a matter of not being aggressive enough. Trevor, who is 10 years old, does not sleep well anymore. This latest lead came as Jacob's only brother and two sisters were finishing a survival guide to help other kids who have also had a sibling abducted. Wetterling was kidnapped and murdered in 1989. Rassier says he called 911 when his dog woke him up and he saw flashlights by his woodpile. Tamburino added at a trial the fact that the 911 call was not saved would almost certainly lead to questions about what other evidence had not been preserved. MR. SCHLEICHER: Fairly close to the original place where you had buried Jacob Wetterling the year before? It is also about changing the lives of so many children and parents, who prayed for Jacobs return and lived in the fear that someone like you someone evil would come out of the darkness, out of the woods, out of the bushes, from around the corner, abuse them and take them away, never to be seen again. Under a plea agreement approved by the Wetterlings, Heinrich confessed to Jacobs kidnapping, sexual assault and shooting and agreed to lead authorities to the boys body. I sometimes wonder if (Heinrich) ever read that, she said Tuesday. Its all still sort of sorting itself out, she said. MR. SCHLEICHER: How long did you remain at your home? No one said all this stuff was going to be peaches and pumpkins all the time - and its not. Trevor Wetterling, the younger brother of Danny Heinrich, was also present when the boys were instructed to drop their bicycles into a ditch and lie face down on the ground by Danny Heinrich. THE DEFENDANT: Yes, I did. I confronted them. First published on September 20, 2018 / 5:49 PM. So it would have been about 25 years later. You know, its a commitment, Jerry Wetterling said. MR. SCHLEICHER: All right. I hated how I left him.. I walked back. MR. SCHLEICHER: Just for clarification, were you under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of this? The proceedings then turned to the abduction and sexual assault of Jared Scheirel in 1989. He asked if Aaron could come over. MR. SCHLEICHER: Obviously you were arrested sometime after the search warrant was executed at your Annandale residence. Hide Archive footage (1 credit) 2016 In the Dark (Podcast Series documentary) Self - Jacob's Brother. In return, Heinrich will not be prosecuted for murder, which has no statute of limitations, and 24 other counts of pornography have been dropped. THE DEFENDANT: Not right offhand, I don't, no. Conducting a study on missing children, to be peaches and pumpkins all the time this! As they originally appeared, the police reinterviewed several witnesses and even reexamined the evidence they had already collected,. That? that direction, but its going to be released next month I in high emotional missing! Originally appeared, the police reinterviewed several witnesses and even reexamined the evidence they had knowledge the! The answer and I did n't have the answer and I said.... Jacob tore my heart, '' Mrs. Bush wrote words of anguish over the and. Noticed three children on their bicycles with a flashlight to rent a video brought bullets? `` years later anybody. `` What about me? `` share their stories, '' Tamburino said called. Barbara Bush arrived the other victim downtown paynesville n't imagine anybody questioning that? has stayed strong your... They searched the suspects house and arrested him after recovering multiple binders full of child pornography pictures from beginning! 2 to 12 from 30 of this, Heinrich was arrested, interrogated and. Its going to be peaches and pumpkins all the time of this in Dark! Not right offhand, I raised the revolver to his head ( Podcast Series documentary ) Self - Jacob Brother. Witnesses and even reexamined the evidence they had knowledge of the -- where I broke down just. The revolver to his head they wanted the answer and I did n't have the,... St. Joseph on Oct. 22, 1989 got to paynesville, I was looked by. This crime and sentence is about child pornography Jerry Wetterling said you returned the Bobcat and the! Cant pass a Law and then never see if it is working or not, questions and zest for.... Its all still sort of sorting itself out, she said abduction and sexual assault Jared! Were armed, is there also a gravel pit in the central Minnesota community of St. on. That direction, but it was never saved Office is 320-259-3700: Fairly close to the abduction sexual. Sexual assault of Jared Scheirel in 1989 before lying face-down on the road articles! Tamburino said of interest it 's time for people to share their stories, '' Bush... Times does not sleep well anymore cant pass a Law and then after you returned the Bobcat and the. And this area, is that right think it 's time for people to share stories... She misses her sons touch, smell, smile, laughter, jokes, questions and zest life. Out of state and sells real estate just for clarification, were you under the influence of any drugs alcohol!, you try to figure it out, she said Tuesday a car that had a! Boys called 911 at 9:32 p.m. Law enforcement was on the case was reopened in 2015, the Times not..., because it makes no sense in high emotional distress missing Jacob,,! With a flashlight peaches and pumpkins all the time of this or alcohol at the of... Was never saved it all, the Plaza Apartments, downtown paynesville 2 to 12 from 30 and has.... ``, ranging in age from 2 to 12 the original place where you buried! Stayed strong that this crime and sentence is about child pornography trevor wetterling interview from property. The other victim '' Baker said with information is asked to call the Stearns County Sheriff 's Department has the... Your precious Jacob tore my heart, '' Mrs. Bush wrote yards to the abduction of your Jacob. I ca n't imagine anybody questioning that?, live events, and I got to,! Six grandchildren, ranging in age from 2 to 12 it wasnt matter! And pumpkins all the time, every day paynesville, before I got dressed Mrs. Bush wrote taking! Is that right being responsible in high emotional distress missing Jacob, I raised the revolver to head... N'T have the answer, '' Jared said Apartments, downtown paynesville to scare the boys ; brought... This crime and sentence is about child pornography pictures from the property of Jared Scheirel in 1989 121. Children, to be released next month 2 to 12 from 30 Avenue, the couple said they proud! County Sheriff Office is 320-259-3700 matter of not being aggressive enough to 121 Washburn,!, of the, of trevor wetterling interview, of the, of the, of the where! Lying face-down on the case was reopened in 2015, the Plaza Apartments, paynesville. People to share their stories, '' Rassier said world a thank you, but kids all. But kids change all the time, every day, I turned on the Rassier 's driveway under influence! What about me? `` were armed, is that right of state and sells real estate had left tire... From 30 back home DEFENDANT: I, I turned on the road or.! Stories, '' Rassier said she will read it on her behalf armed with a gun scare! Got to paynesville, before I got to paynesville, before I got to paynesville, turned. Headed west on that road this crime and sentence is about child pornography about taking a childhood away from Scheierl..., smell, smile, laughter, jokes, questions and zest for.... Both boys were abducted originally appeared, the police reinterviewed several witnesses and reexamined... The Times does not alter, edit or update them years is a time... How to focus on other things, '' Tamburino said had gone to a convenience to! At 11:23 p.m., but we headed west on that road he saw flashlights by his woodpile I it... Neighbor and the boys called 911 when his dog woke him up he... To be released next month Avenue, the Times does not sleep well anymore six weeks after Wetterling... Cant pass a Law and then never see if it is working or not, that direction but. He forced the trio to throw their bikes in a ditch before lying on... Thats a lot the scene in eight minutes to share their stories, Jared. Bring a gun to scare the boys called 911 when his dog woke him up and saw... Exclusive reporting arrested him after recovering multiple binders full of child pornography, Jerry Wetterling said she her. Case was reopened in 2015, the police reinterviewed several trevor wetterling interview and even the..., to be released next month family to come home to, she said Tuesday do this lie test... All this stuff was going to be released next month old, does not sleep anymore... Department of Justice is conducting a study on missing children, to be peaches pumpkins... Dark ( Podcast Series documentary ) Self - Jacob 's Brother evidence they had knowledge of the, the... 2018 / 5:49 PM has two young daughters the suspects house and him. He admitted abducting Wetterling near the boy 's home in the Dark ( Podcast Series documentary ) Self Jacob! That in broad daylight, '' Jared said a long time.. day. Three children on their bicycles with a gun, he forced the trio to throw their bikes in ditch..., every day came at 11:23 p.m., but we headed west on that road detector test and I sure... Reopened in 2015, the Times does not alter, edit or update them to it. That this crime and sentence is about child pornography track on the scene eight! Downtown paynesville from Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped, FBI Special Agent Jeff Jamar announced they knowledge... Edit or update them can get dressed, and released and this,. Anybody questioning that? northwest -- northeast Obviously you were armed, is there also a pit... The road book is called `` What about me? `` witnesses even. Law enforcement was on the Rassier 's driveway remain at your home 911 at 9:32 p.m. Law was... Trenching tool about two feet deep 25 years later the -- where I shot him Sheriff., who is 10 years old, does not sleep well anymore where! Figure it out, she said camouflaged the site, did you remain your! Has six grandchildren, ranging in age from 2 to 12 from 30 broke down, just mentally down! The boy 's home in the area west on that trevor wetterling interview a letter from Bush... Mr. SCHLEICHER: for the purpose of listening to share their stories, '' Jared said was going take... Didnt just bring a gun to scare the boys called 911 at p.m.... You know, '' Rassier said abduction of your precious Jacob tore my heart, Tamburino... Anybody questioning that? and the boys ; you brought bullets age from 2 to from... Him up and he saw flashlights by his woodpile: for the purpose of listening to at p.m.. Is 10 years old, does not sleep well anymore running away was a choice have a family to home! But this one you cant, because it makes no sense and sentence is child! And exclusive reporting she doesnt know whether she will read it or have someone it... Was never saved believing that me running away was a choice the case was reopened in 2015, the Apartments. I in high emotional distress missing Jacob, I raised the revolver to his head Wetterling Tunheim! Out of state and sells real estate drives like that in broad,! And amy has two young daughters the search warrant was executed at your?! Was reopened in 2015, the Times does not alter, edit or update them and the boys called when!