Jacob Wetterling /// Episode: 70 /// Part 1 | Forensic Files

Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, thanks
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>> I'm glad you're cracking yourself up today. >> It was a joke that I forgot that I
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Jennifer, >> spotted cow. >> Yeah. And I tell you what, Jennifer, you're actually in for a little bit of
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[Music] [Music] This past Sunday night, 9:00, did you know where your kids were in St. Joseph,
Minnesota? The Wetling family thought they did, but their 11-year-old son on his way back from a nearby convenience
store was abducted by a mass gunman. For four days, a massive search has been underway. Tonight, our David Lee Miller
reports on that terrible crime that has brought terror to the country's heartland.
>> St. Joseph, Minnesota is the type of town where folks don't bother to lock the front door. A 2-hour drive north of
Minneapolis St. fall here. The police chief doesn't even carry a gun. But now everything is different. Sunday night,
just outside of town, 11-year-old Jacob Wetling was abducted by a masked man with a gun. It is a crime that will
forever change this community and one that has terrorized Jacob's parents. >> This shouldn't happen anywhere. It's the
type of It shouldn't happen anywhere. All I could think of was who who would take a child away from their parents?
Like I couldn't fathom it. >> It is total shock, total disbelief. Even uh in in talking with the uh
sheriff's department here, uh it's it's seem to be as almost as amazed as amazed
as we are. >> We've taught him that people are good. We've worked for peace all our lives and
this is a real violent act. I don't understand it. He's bright. He's got a real clever
sense of humor and quick mind. He's very um he's he plays goalie. He's he's cool
under pressure. He's all these things give me hope that if there's an opportunity, this boy will be
home. >> Is he a survivor? >> He's a survivor. Jacob's disappearance is especially
shocking because he was with his 10-year-old brother, Trevor, and an 11-year-old friend, Aaron Larson, when
the abduction took place. According to the boys, they had just leased a videotape from this convenience store
and were walking their bicycles down this road when suddenly a masked gunman appeared out of nowhere. We were coming
down this road here and we were just talking and everything and then this guy just came out and he had a gun and it
didn't it I thought it was some kid pulling a prank on us or something and then he but it wasn't. Then he told he
looked at Trevor and he told Trevor to turn off his flashlight and then he told us he had a gun and he told us to turn
around and go over into this ditch and put our bikes in there and lay down. Then he came over and he he um asked us
all our ages and then he he told Trevor to run as fast as he could into the woods or else he'd shoot. Then he looked
at me and then he grabbed Jacob and he told me to run as fast as I could in the woods or he'd shoot.
>> What did this man look like? >> Well, he was wearing he was all in black. He had a mask on. And
>> you couldn't see his face? >> Uh-uh. He had he had a nylon mask or some kind of mask. Did Jacob say
anything to the man? >> Uh-uh. Just just his age. >> When you ran, did you look back?
>> Yeah. Once we got way down there. >> What did you see? >> Nothing. No, he wasn't there anymore.
>> Here at the county communication center, authorities have received more than 300
tips. And while so far nothing has panned out, they continued to be optimistic. Jacob will soon return home.
an awful lot just depends on the type of person that we're dealing with that uh that abducted the boy. Uh some of them
keep him around for quite a while, some of them don't. Uh so we're hoping that this type of person is going to uh keep
Jacob alive and uh somewhere along the line that he's going to get a chance to get to a telephone or get away from him.
Despite a massive effort in the air and on the ground, police have few clues and
don't even know what type of car Jacob's abductor used to flee the scene. Residents are understandably terrified
and say children here in St. Joseph have lost a part of their youth. >> I know my little boy. He's five and he
won't go outside. yesterday didn't want to go out and play and he was up last night and it's, you know, it's scary for
the kids, anybody really. >> The sheriff's department, meanwhile, has established this command center to
coordinate assistance from state investigators and the FBI. But despite all the manpower, authorities do not
know why the boy was taken. So far, there has not been a demand for ransom, and the family has never received any
type of threat. Dr. Wedling is a chiropractor in town who in this predominantly white middle-class
community heads up the local chapter of the NAACP. They are kind, gentle, caring people who
want nothing more than the return of their son. Can you think of any reason anyone would want to harm your family or
your son? >> No. >> Nothing. >> I would only say that we really want Jacob back for Jacob's sake, for our
sake, and for everyone's sake. Please give him back to us. There are so many people praying that if
I were God, I would bring Jacob home safely very soon. >> Tonight, the Wetlings are asking for
your help in locating Jacob. In a moment, we'll give out a special phone number, but first, here's the FBI
profile of Jacob's abductor. They believe he's a white male between 25 and 35 years of age and may have attempted a
similar but unsuccessful abduction in the recent past. Anyone who may have any information about Jacob's abduction is
asked to call the Sheriff's Department task force at 612259-3981. There is a $25,000 reward for
information leading to his safe return. All tips will be kept confidential and you can call collect. Once again, the
number 6122593981. [Music] My hope this is one story that's going to have a happy ending. some fingers.
[Music] [Music] Back in August, we covered the case of Joshua Gemand. Now, it's not absolutely
necessary to listen to that episode before this one, but if you haven't already, you might want to check that
out. That's episode number 47. Anyway, the disappearance of Joshua and the disappearance of Jacob Wetling and
because of the close proximity to one another and some had suspected that maybe the two disappearances were
connected. So, when we covered the Joshua Geman case, we received a lot of requests to cover the Jacob Wetling
case. Most of the time our cases are mapped out, you know, well in advance, so we didn't get to it. Uh shortly after
this, there were all kinds of developments in the Jacob case. Now, Jacob's case never ever really left the
news. It is arguably one of the most famous child abduction cases ever. So now there is this really big case and
it's really heating up in the news again. So I thought with it being in the news that much that everybody would not
be interested in us covering it. But then in late October, we covered the Johnny Gosh case. This is an abduction.
Uh the boy was never seen again. Young teenage boy that was abducted. And in this case, we made reference to the
Jacob Wetling case. And once again, we received a lot of feedback from the True Crime Garage Army again with request for
us to cover this case. So here we are, Captain covering the Jacob Wetling case. >> Mhm. I'm here too.
>> So today's case takes us to St. Joseph, Minnesota. Uh, and this is back in October 22nd, 1989, which is a Sunday
evening. Jerry and Patty Wetling are out at a dinner party about 25 to 30 minute
drive from their home. At home is their 11-year-old son, Jacob Wedling, his 10-year-old brother, Trevor, their
8-year-old sister, Carmen, and their friend Aaron Larson, who is 11 years of age as well. This case really takes me
back, though. I you know I hate to date myself here, Captain, but but Jacob is pretty close in age to you and I.
>> Uh >> well, now you're dating me. Thanks a lot. >> Well, Captain, he was a little older
than us, but we like Jacob, his siblings, and his friend Aaron were all children of the8s. I I love the '8s. I
mean, I was so young back then that everything seems very innocent looking back now. But you know, remember when
your parents would go out and they would leave you home alone or even where there
is someone there to watch you, a babysitter or maybe a relative. Parents left a phone number. They would write it
down on a piece of paper and leave it on the countertop or by the phone and say,
"This is where we will be. This is the number for the restaurant or this is the phone number for our friend's house. If
you need anything, call us at this number." You know, and then you would also get the list of rules read to you,
you know, like uh you are not to leave the house, no fighting with your brother or sister, no food on the nice
furniture, >> don't wear underwear on your head. >> Well, this is exactly what Jerry and
Patty Wetling did before they went out to their dinner party. >> Well, sure enough, the kids come up with
a great idea and so they are going to call and ask mom and dad if they could go out for a bit. Their friend Aaron is
going to stay the night that night. there was to be no school the next day. So, they called because they want to go
to the Tom Thumb store down the street. >> Mhm. >> Now, for those of you too young to know
this, back in the day, grocery stores and convenience stores did the greatest thing. Some of them would rent movies or
even video games. And of course, this portion of the store is always the danger zone for parents because there's
no way you're going to walk through that that aisle without uh the child begging
to take home a movie or a video game. Yeah, I mean this is time before cell phones and being able to access anything
at your fingertips. >> So Trevor calls the dinner party, interrupts the dinner party, and he asks
to speak with his mother, and he's going 10-year-old. >> Yeah. He's going to ask if they can go
down to the Tom Tom Thumb store to pick up a movie. Now, the mom says no. Patty says, "No, it's too late. It's it's
after dark. Um this is not a trip that you should be making after dark." And uh you know, Trevor says, "Well, let me
speak to dad." You know, the the old uh everybody's done that bit, right? Right.
>> And um I think my household, dad was always a little easier to get to say yes
than mom. So, I can certainly identify with Trevor here. He talks to his father and um Jerry agrees to let the boys go
to the Tom Thumb store. >> Uh he seems to be more concerned about it being dark rather than anything
nefarious happening to them. Uh but uh so they they equip themselves with um you know bright clothing and uh a
flashlight and they've already mapped out the perfect plan. They have their sister at home, their little sister, who
does not want to go to the store with them. And probably, you know, the older boys don't want the little sister
tagging along anyway. So they've already made arrangements to have their neighbor
uh girl, her name is Relle, she's 14 years old. She's going to come over and babysit their little sister Carmen while
they will head down to the store to retrieve their movie. So, the three boys set out for the Tom Thumb store. Two of
them on bikes and one on a scooter. This is just before 9:00 p.m., so it's dark out. And this is a country road, so no
street lights. Probably the only lights you're going to see would be those from the houses, you know, the house lights
and lights near the Tom Thumb store. I wonder if the older boys made the little kid do the scooter.
>> Uh I I think Trevor may have been on the scooter. Yes. >> Yeah. You know what I mean? Like it's
like >> little man on the totem pole gets the scooter. >> Yeah. You're lucky to be hanging out
with us. >> Yeah. So, uh they go to the store, they rent a movie, The Naked Gun. Um and
>> good movie. >> They are returning for home and this is right around 9:15 p.m. when they are
startled when they see a man. This man, he is dressed in dark clothing and he has some some kind of face mask or or
something over his covering his face and he is armed with a handgun and he kind of just pops up and appears out of
nowhere. They're not really for sure where this man came from. The man tells the boys to stop. He then
tells Trevor to turn off the flashlight that he is carrying. He has the boys push the bikes and the scooter in the
roadside ditch. He tells them to lie down face down in the ditch. He asks Trevor his age to which Trevor replies
10. The man then asks Aaron his age. Aaron says 11. >> Yeah. >> And then he asks Jacob his age and Jacob
says 11. He tells Trevor to get up and run to the woods, but don't look back or he's going to shoot.
>> Yeah. >> Then he kind of lifts up each of the two remaining boys heads one at a time to
get a look at their faces. He grabs Aaron's crotch and then tells Aaron to run to the woods and don't look back or
I'll shoot. Then the man grabs Jacob by the arm, lifting him up a bit and drags him away.
>> Yeah. And the sexual assault onto Aaron was not reported originally. >> Yeah. And what So now the two the two
boys have run to the woods and Aaron will eventually catch up to uh the younger boy Trevor.
>> Mhm. And by this time, the boys are in the woods and they look back, but they
they don't see the man. And more importantly to them, their brother, their friend Jacob is gone as well. And
this is just gone without a trace. They don't see they don't see anything. >> Yeah. They don't see a vehicle.
>> By this point, the boys are only a couple blocks from their home, from the Wetling home. As I understand it to be,
this is a simple trip. It's really just like one country road and you know a turn here or there. Uh the Wetling House
down to the Tom Thumb store is pretty much a straight shot. So Trevor and Aaron, they run to the Wetling house.
Once there, they tell the babysitter Relle what just happened and she calls her father. Then the the father calls
911 >> and he even puts Trevor on the phone to tell his account of what had just
happened. The babysitter's father then calls Jerry and Patty Wetling and tells them that two of the boys came home and
Jacob has been taken and is still not home and he has notified the police. The Wetlings, of course, leave the dinner
party immediately. Now, we said that a 911 call was placed and the receiving on the receiving end
of this call is the Steer County Sheriff's Department. >> Yeah. By the babysitter's dad, Merl.
>> Correct. and the sheriff's department is on the scene within minutes. This is all
happening very, very quickly. The report comes in quickly. The sheriff's department responds very quickly. The
sheriff's department, they arrive and they see the bikes in the ditch and they start searching the area for Jacob. They
search the woods as well. And they're searching that night and in the early morning hours, this is like around 3:00
a.m., they decide to call off the search. you know, they're they are searching in the dark um in in a very
dark location and hunting for clues. You know, if they can't immediately find the
boy, at some point you wonder how much you're trampling over the crime scene if you're losing any evidence or if you're
going to cause damage to to any potential evidence. So, they start searching again around 8:00 a.m. This is
a full-on search deal here. We we have, you know, a helicopter, ATVs, blood hounds. The dogs track Jacob's scent to
a gravel road. >> At this same spot, there are fresh shoe prints and tire tracks. So, now we have
the possibility of a car used in the abduction. Now, we are going to do a drag net here. This is when you start
checking with anyone you can think of that could be involved in a particular crime and interview them to see where
they were at the time of the crime was committed as well as what they were doing or if there was anyone with them
that could back up their story. So if you have a burglary, you're going to interview all suspected burglars or
persons convicted of breaking and entering. In this case of Jacob Wetling having been abducted, the sheriff's
department, they will set their drag net for sex offenders and pedophiles. >> Let's get into that after a quick beer
break. And we're back. Cheers, everybody. So, where we left off at, uh, Jacob was abducted. We now have two
eyewitness accounts. We have the 911 call place. We have the cops out there. Now, we have a search going. And we also
have um the eyewitness accounts and what we're looking for in this suspect. >> Mhm. Yeah. And I mean, think about this
for a second. Put this in your mind. You know, there we have these young boys, you know, 10, 11 years old, three of
them. They're out together. They're having, you know, a great day in every sense of the word up to this point
because, you know, we we've read and heard about what they were doing that day. >> Well, one, it's a Sunday, right? and
they don't have school the next day, >> right? >> So, that's the it's a bonus day off.
>> Uh, also, you know, your parents are going away, you got your buddies spending the night, so that's a fun
thing. >> And then, uh, and this is not uncommon. This is 89. This is not uncommon to be
sent off to a grocery store down the street. Um or you know in my neighborhood we had a a Big Bear um you
know which is a grocery store that was about u less than a mile away and your parents might send you off with 20 bucks
to go get some snacks and then right across uh the street from the Big Bear was a movie rental
>> and so it wasn't that uncommon to uh send your kid off even sometimes it would be a Friday night you know this
the it was dark but you uh your parents still seemed okay, especially if you had numbers, you know,
if it wasn't just you. If it was if I would have said, "Hey, I just want to run to Big Bear and get some snacks, my
parents probably wouldn't have let me. But if I had a friend spending the night or two friends spend the night or have a
friend spend the night with with a uh with one of my siblings hanging out, they're more likely to say go, you know,
go out there and and just be back pretty quickly." Yeah, they they had a great day. They so far, you know, they they
had some kind of hockey thing earlier that day. They had watched the Minnesota Vikings football game, pizza for dinner,
friends staying the night, no school the next day, >> then this thing happens is and and why
is this, you know, there are other child abductions that happen. Um, this becomes
huge news though >> and I think part of that is because of the severity and how scary this
situation is. I mean, we're talking about first of all, a a stranger abducting a child is very rare. First of
all, you know, we usually when a child a child is taken, it's by somebody that they know or the family knows. So, we
have a stranger abduction here, which is very rare. But then on top of that, like
the captain said, this is a witnessed abduction, which is extremely rare. You know, this is this is not a situation
where you have, you know, little Timmy didn't come home. He he went out on his own and he and he didn't come home.
Well, he's probably lost or uh maybe he he left on his own accord. No, this is two boys saying
>> our brother, our our friend was taken by gunpoint. You know, this this is immediate danger. Immediate immediately
scary. And the abduction itself is somewhat sexual in nature as well. >> Yeah. Yeah. With the with the friend
being grabbed in the in the genital. I mean, that's uh I think, you know, especially in 1989,
uh a lot of the reports were, hey, this boy was taken and by the way, we have no
ransom note. We have nobody calling. and and that it seems to me in the 70s and 80s uh the first thought was always why
did they take this kid and was it for ransom and now we have this situation where we do have a sexual assault at the
crime scene and so now we're assuming we should assume that this is not uh taking
a kid hostage for ransom. this is this guy is taking this kid for um sexual acts, you know, and and so then what
what is going through the parents head at that point? >> Well, and you think if your kids are
good, if your kids are smart, this things this kind of thing's not going to happen. And as as a child, you think,
you know, if you do certain things, these things are not going to happen. We're talking about things like, you
know, tell your parents where you are, tell your parents what you were doing. They did that. They they they made the
extra effort to reach out to their parents and ask for permission to go to the store and they even arranged for a
babysitter to come over and watch the younger sibling. You know, that sort of thing is not going to happen. And then
one thing you touched upon too, strength and numbers. We're always taught strength and numbers. you know, when you
go off to an amusement park or somewhere when you're a child, yeah, you might get
to go off on your own, but it's always because you have somebody with you >> and uh
>> or that your parents just don't care much about you >> and then they just let you off on your
own. But this was this was three boys leaving together that should have returned together and there should be no
reason. You wouldn't expect a child abduction to be witnessed like this. >> Well, it's not like Jacob made a
mistake. >> No, not at It wasn't like it wasn't like they're in the you know renting a movie
and and Jacob just happened to strike up a conversation with the wrong guy you know it all three of the boys could have
been taken captured you know and and and I think it's strange I mean like in the
account when he says oh well you know he pulled both of he pulled both of us up and looked at our faces and then it's
almost like that the guy chose >> Mhm. you know, and and so and then it's also all by gunpoint.
>> Yeah. >> And uh and if that and look, there's no reason for me to believe that the story
is not true. You know, I I would say the only thing is if he threw in the my only
question is one if he threw in the gun, but we got the other account from the brother. So, but sometimes it would be
like, well, we couldn't do anything cuz he had a gun. Mhm. >> U but then like maybe also if there's a
little fudge in the story, was he actually mask, you know, or or does he just feel bad cuz he he can't tell you
what the guy looks like? >> Mhm. >> Chances are his story is correct in my mind.
>> Yeah. Yeah. I I would agree so as well. Um let's back up for a second here because something else happened that
night that Jacob was taken. Uh whomever came upon the boys, he encountered them on this dark country road. But this is
right at the end of a family's driveway. Uh this is the Rasier family. Uh but this is a country road. So the driveway
is about a quarter of a mile long. >> Mhm. >> And on October 22nd, 1989, Dan Rasier, a
grown man in his 30s, he's living with his parents and he's home alone. >> His parents were away vacationing in
Europe. Sometime after the sheriff's department began their search for Jacob, Dan is awakened. It's about 10:45 p.m.
and his dog is barking as there is some disturbance at the end of the rasier driveway. Dan looks out the window and
he sees several flashlights moving about in the darkness near the family's wood pile and he assumes someone or someone's
are trying to steal wood from their property. Because he believes that he's outnumbered, Dan calls 911 to report the
incident. The dispatcher informs Dan that there has been a kidnapping that was recently reported on that road in
which he lives and the lights he is seeing is that of the sheriff's department searching for the boy. Dan
then goes to where the sheriffs are and and has a brief conversation with one of
the deputies and tells the deputy that he will go look around the area himself and attempt to assist in the search.
>> Mhm. Now, let's go to Monday, October 23rd. We had mentioned that the search picked up where the sheriff's department
had left off the previous night. Well, early that morning. Uh, and now this is around 8:00 a.m. on Monday. And the
search uh for Jacob continues. The search for the abducted boy, the search for the abductor. This continues. Now,
on this same day, Dan Rasier, first off, Dan is a music teacher at one of the local schools. Dan is called out of
class and the sheriff's department, they search Dan's car and they question him for about 45 minutes. Um, and this is
kind of where this where this ends for Dan on that day. Now, 6 days later, investigators search the Rasier Farm.
Dan takes a lie detector test to which he is never told the results of the test, which I don't think is a strange
thing. Um, you know, we have seen in some cases that we've covered like the West Memphis 3 where they immediately
tell you, "Oh, you failed this thing miserably and that's where they grill you further." My guess is that he
probably passed the lie detector test and that's why they didn't tell him of the results.
>> Um, but he >> Yeah, but you're probably freaking out at this point. >> Oh, yeah.
>> I mean, as you're a music teacher, so just even being suspect of this crime could cost you your job, cost you your
livelihood. Well, and when you're being called out of class, you know, and you get there and there's a sheriff there,
you probably assume I'm being interviewed because I live right by where this took place and had I seen
anything. This is my opportunity to tell them, even though I went down there and
spoke to a deputy that night, and they didn't seem very interested in talking to me at that point.
>> Um, it could be that the sheriff's department really expected to find the boy that night is what I think. I think
they thought maybe they'd find him in the woods or find him nearby. Um, I don't think this is something that they
were familiar with or maybe not even have having the capability of dealing with it.
>> Well, and then the music probably freaking out because he's going, you know, I live with my parents and my
parents just happen to be gone the day that this kid goes missing now. My career possibly is in jeopardy. Like we
said, I mean, this is ' 89. It's not like, you know, I think people are more uh understanding of that if you knew
somebody or you lived in a close proximity, you might be pulled in for questioning. I think that's more likely
that people understand that nowadays in 80 89 they're probably going, "This guy kills children or abducts children."
>> Yeah. And it's pretty but it's pretty obvious to Dan at this point that he is
become part of the investigation whether he likes it or not. and he tries to tell
the Sterns County Sheriff's Department that he is innocent and that he was he was yes, he was home alone that night,
but he was busy. He was sorting through his extremely large record collection. Uh and he also tells them that
>> Well, I wonder if he was doing one of those things. Have you seen HighFidelity?
>> Yes. >> Where he'd like decide, hey, tonight I'm going to reorganize in alphabetical
order. And then the next day he'd say, "I'm going to reorganize based on when I bought the record."
>> Yeah. And I think I think you might be right there because he he says something
like he was filling out uh index cards or something. He's making some kind of catalog of his extremely large record
collection. But, you know, he also tells them that he called 911 that night, that
he had placed a call to 911 that night, and that should prove that he's innocent.
>> Well, that doesn't prove anything. Well, and but see it from Dan's seat here.
This is this is the way he's thinking. Uh the investigators tell Dan that the 911 call actually proves the exact
opposite, stating that he manufactured the idea that someone was stealing wood from the property as an excuse to call
911, making him look innocent, and that on the call he sounded far too nervous for the real issue to be theft of
firewood. >> Well, he's a music teacher, right? So, I mean, he's he's probably not like a big
MMA fighter or something, >> and he's probably he probably was scared. >> Dan also tells investigators that they
should be looking for a vehicle, that he had seen a vehicle turning around in his
driveway the evening that Jacob was taken. >> Dan is able to give a vague, a very
vague description of the car, and because of the distance, he did not get a good look at the driver. Uh,
>> right. Because his house is so far back from off the road. Again, you know, if
you're the cops, I mean, put yourself in the cops position. You know, we got this
guy that maybe maybe he's a little funny. Um, lives with his parents. He's older gentleman in his 30s living with
his parents. He's a music teacher. Um, not saying that there's anything wrong with that. Um,
but then you make a 911 call saying, "Hey guys, somebody was stealing wood possibly."
>> Yeah. I got people on my property that I don't know who they are with flashlights,
>> right? And then you're going, "Hey, uh, well, and then there's a flashlight. The
kids were holding a flashlight. So, is he just mixing up events and and but then he's then telling you, "Hey, you
might want to check out this car that I saw." Well, you didn't mention the car the day before,
>> you know, because if you went out and you said, "Hey, sheriff, by the way, uh,
there was this car that I saw earlier." You didn't bring that up the day before,
right? >> So, I think that's why they started zeroing in more on him. >> My guess is that he probably was not
given any information about the the abduction, you know? They they didn't say this is what happened, you know, and
it sounds like they didn't even care to talk to him that night. So I I don't see
him going out of his way to say, "Well, by the way, I happen to have seen a vehicle turn around in my driveway."
Now, I'm sure that he told him that during the 45 minutes of questioning the right on that Monday.
>> That makes logical sense to me and you, but I think you got an 11year-old boy
that was taken by gunpoint. These cops have to do everything they can to just pick a direction and run in it as fast
as you can until you hit a brick wall and then pick another direction and then keep running in that direction as well.
But I also think that at this point Dan is not an actual suspect. You know, he's
somebody that they're they're interested in talking to him, >> but I don't believe that he's any form
of a suspect. And then he's mentioning this car, this and I can't see the driver. Uh, and here's a description of
the vehicle. You should be looking for this car because this took place about the same time as what the kid would have
been abducted. And you know, this to me seems like a good enough lead, you know,
because the sheriff's department found Jacob sent near those fresh tire tracks, right? and they decided it was most
likely that Jake that Jacob was taken by vehicle, which which is extremely plausible because that's how these
things happen, especially when you're out on this dirt country road, you know, and you know, Jacob should be if he's
not there, then he he has to have been taken by vehicle or he would be in one of the
>> Yeah. Well, it seems nearby homes, >> right? It seems like, you know, ani individual was driving by, saw these
three boys, saw it as an opportunity, or possibly even knew these boys, saw them
at the video store, and then said, "Well, I'm going to on their way back, I'm going to grab one of them." Parks
the vehicle, gets out of the vehicle, then walks to wherever they are, grabs one of the boys, they walk back to the
vehicle, and then they leave by that vehicle. >> Mhm. Yeah. He ambushes them on their way
back. he's away from his vehicle, >> right? And if he's wearing all black and he's has a black, you know, nylon mask
of some nature that they didn't even see him come creeping up on him. >> And not only you are you exactly right
because we know the history of this case, but it but think about this too. This is this is a wellthoughtout plan.
This and I I agree with you that >> Well, I don't know if it's a well thoughtout plan.
>> Well, well, here's what I mean by that. Okay. I I understand that that he probably the asalent probably saw an
opportunity and took advantage of that opportunity. However, >> there has been some planning done in
this. He's he unless he just happens to be wearing dark clothes that he just happens to have a mask or something to
cover his face. Yeah. That he just happens to drive around with a gun in his car and that he's got the the
foresight to to decide, you know what, I'm going to park my car elsewhere. I'm going to put myself someplace else where
I can take one of the boys so that the two that I'm leaving behind, they can't they can't see my vehicle or they don't
see my vehicle. >> Right. Right. Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of this I mean I don't like I said,
I don't think it's actually planned. I think this is just part of the guy's lifestyle. This is what he does. He's
he's he abducts children, you know, and and and he's been setting his life up, you know, to put himself in those
opportunities. And when those opportunities arise, well, I I got my van or car or whatever I'm driving and I
have all my tools um you know to abduct these kids in that in that van. In the coming weeks and months, the sheriff's
department and the wetterlings would continue to go to the media asking for tips and leads or to see if anyone had
seen Jacob. And the tips I'll I'll put that in quotation marks, the tips pour in. Uh people say they have seen Jacob.
Um, people call about strange vehicles, strange men. So, the police are tracking
all of these tips. They even set up a phone with a recording device on it at the Wetling home so that Jerry and Patty
could record the phone calls that are coming in. And then we have the psychics. Captain, uh, wannabe psychics
love missing person's cases. I think you and I, >> they're not always just wannabe
psychics. Well, some some legitimate psychics. >> Yeah, if you believe in that thing, I I
do. >> I'm not I'm not discrediting anybody uh by name here or as a whole. But I what
I'm saying is I see a lot of in these cases, I see a lot of wannabe psychics. >> No, I understand that. But what I I just
want to go on record to state that the majority of detectives I've talked to, they use psychics. And the majority of
the detectives that I have talked to said that after they found the body or you know one okay the recent one I just
we're talking and drinking coffee I just said hey have you ever used psychics and
then yeah and every time I do everybody in the police department makes fun of me. So he went to see one of the
psychics she told him all this stuff. It none of it really made sense. >> Mhm. Then they find the girl and after
he finds the girl, everything that the psychic made sense, everything that she presented made sense after they found
the girl. And now everybody in that department doesn't give him [ __ ] anymore because this lady has been right
multiple times. >> Was Was this the skipper that you were talking to or a different
>> different detective? >> Okay. Because the the funny thing here is I thought >> it was a sheriff. It was not a
detective, but >> Okay. I thought you were referring to the skipper at first who who we both
know and he's a very skeptical person. He does not I mean is that fair to say he doesn't believe in a whole lot of
mysticism or >> maybe even spirituality? I don't know. But uh uh he has told me that that on
occasion he's spoken to a psychic which blew my mind because I thought that he wouldn't take a phone call or put any
effort into that at all. But he said from his perspective that he didn't mind talking to psychics because he wanted an
outside of the box kind of opinion or maybe there was something that they hadn't thought of yet, a possibility
that they hadn't thought of. Now, in this particular case, you know, the the detective, some of them, one in
particular, said that he did talk to psychics because he wanted to know how did they come to their conclusion? How
did they are they are they really just holding on to information that they know firsthand rather than something they
dreamt or or believe to have happened? They want to know is this person actually coming forth with information
because they've actually done something bad. >> Right. Right. And look, I I'm not
suggesting that people go, you know, uh speak with a psychic on every little thing. And I'm just saying that
detectives do use this to, you know, kind of drum up some different ideas just like we talked about with the
skipper. >> Now, here's the thing, Captain. I think you and I have covered enough of these
cases to know that the psychics seem to come out of the woodwork for murder cases, but especially for these
disappeared or abducted cases, they they really come at and and come at the family and come at law enforcement with
ideas and thoughts and dreams that they have had. >> Yeah. And visions. And if you look at
like this, we talked about the Brian Schaefer case and when they had the psychic kids do that case,
>> one of the things I always freaked out about and now maybe they do, maybe they
knew, maybe they didn't know, but when they said that this guy was in this building and then he left the building
and came back, now we know that to be factual later. Now, were those kids fed that information? I'm not really for
sure. >> The the host in that particular incident claims that the the children, the
psychic kids knew nothing of the actual incident. they they were taken to a location and told somebody disappeared
from this location. Now go >> right. And so if you're going to call a psychic to try to get answers on for
your life, I'd say don't do that. Maybe try a therapist. >> You know, maybe have some mentor or
counselor. But I I think there's nothing wrong with uh using psychics in in this
capacity. But on the other hand, there's been so many psychics when especially with these YouTube videos, these guys
claiming that, "Oh, I know where this missing person is, and it's based off of nothing." It's just it's so they get a
bunch of clicks on their YouTube video, and those people are pieces of [ __ ] you
know? >> Yeah. Well, I I will tell you when the world will end, the exact date, and why,
and then when it doesn't happen, I'll disappear for a couple years and give you a new date,
>> right? Uh but so in this particular case, there were a ton of psychics that came out of
the woodwork here and presented their thoughts, visions, theories, and a lot of them were communicating with the
parents with Jerry and Patty Wetling. Well, and some of that is just wrong, too, because if if you are a [ __ ]
artist and, you know, maybe some of these people actually think they have visions, you know, but I I just think
some of it is wrong to uh, you know, give the parents false hope. >> Exactly. I mean, I would say reach out
to the law enforcement. Yeah. You know, don't bother the family. They're going through something here that nobody
should have to experience. And getting false hope is really kicking somebody while while they're at their lowest,
>> right? Now, we said that there was a whole bunch of psychics that that came forward to law enforcement to the
Wetterlings. >> Hold on. We just got off on a crazy tangent. >> Sorry about that. Sorry about that.
>> I'm actually leading somewhere with this. >> I have no >> Okay, so there is one such psychic that
came uh came about amongst the sea of psychics that presented their theories, their thoughts, their visions. Uh the
the Wetlings had psychics calling the house at all hours. Some even would go to the house to meet the parents of
Jacob. Some asking for one of Jacob's toys or an article of clothing to better help them channel Jacob or Jacob's
spirit. Uh but one psychic that does go to the home of the Wetlings is a man in his early 40s from Wisconsin and his
name is Vernon Seats. Uh Vernon actually visits Patty Wetling on two occasions. Well, look, when you name your kid
Vernon, he he's going to grow up to be like a librarian or he's going to grow up to be a psychic.
>> Well, he he visits Patty Wetling on two occasions. And on one of those occasions, uh one of those visits, he
gives her a painting that he had painted of Jacob. >> Um yeah, so unfortunately you and I have
heard some of the recorded calls. Um Captain, these are all false leads that we know of now. Um, some of them calling
the Wetlings in the middle of the night and saying some, you know, absolutely horrible things, telling Jacob's parents
that he has been killed and how he's been killed according to their visions or he's alive but he's being held
captive and he's been raped repeatedly. I mean, I don't know how a parent in this type of situation has the strength
to go on. I guess the hope that your kid could still be alive and the thought that I better be here doing something
and of sound mind so that if he is still alive I can help somehow some way. >> What a helpless feeling though. I mean
it's like you know if if your kid falls down and then you can clean up the the brute, you know, the the cut and you can
and you can comfort them. But but your kid's just gone, you know, and I and I couldn't imagine the the thoughts that
were racing through your heads and then there'd be a part of you that would just
want to hit the streets and just start looking and start driving around. And I I think personally for me, I'd go crazy.
It'd be 10 years of me driving around looking for answers. I mean, I think it would just be so horrific.
>> Unfortunately, helpless is the word is I think that's how you feel in this situation. you're you're helpless. Your
your child if your child is injured, you nurse them back to health. If if they're
ill, you nurse them back to health. If they're gone >> and taken from you, you you're you're
helpless. You there's nothing you can do. Uh you feel like there's nothing you can do in the situation.
>> Well, not only the helplessness of the parents, but you know, your little brother was with you. you know, I mean,
if you're the little brother, your older brother of a year or or more. Um, you know, because one was 10 and one was 11,
but I mean, it could, you know, it's like he could be a year and a few months older, but it's like, so your your older
brother, possibly your hero or whatever, he's just been taken from you. And what? And
and then you witness all that. Not to mention, hey, lay down in this ditch. Not to mention, run to this woods or I'm
going to shoot you. You're 10 years old. I mean, I couldn't even imagine that. Or
on the other side of things, it's your best friend. You're spending the night at your best friend's house and he you
like same thing, you know, and you have to deal with the whole thing. And then you have to deal with this guy grabbing
your genitals. You got to deal, you know, this guy stole your best friend away. And then the the the
stuff that he had to be going through like now we're searching for my friend and I hope he's found but this is
probably all the kids are talking about in the community. >> Well and it's survivors guilt even
though you don't know the outcome of your friend or brother being taken. you have this survivor's guilt and it's, you
know, all these things are probably going through your head that, oh, why why was he taken and not me
>> or what could I have done differently at that exact moment to change the the current situation that we're in? You
know, maybe should I have not run, >> right? >> Maybe should I have pushed the issue?
Maybe should I have looked the man in the face? Um, you know, >> fought him off. Yeah.
>> All these things >> tried to. And like you said, it's the it's the brother, you know, feeling
guilty and it's the the best friend, you know, >> well, and then you got the parents on
the on the idea of the mom said no. >> Mhm. >> And then, you know, and then Trevor went
back to the dad and the dad said yes. >> Yeah. That that absolutely I mean this is a heartbreaking story anyway but that
portion of the story breaks my heart every time because you know when people when people are in a situation where
they can't control anything some people want somebody to blame and um the father
did absolutely nothing wrong here. There's no reason why this should have happened at all. Um nobody could have
foreseen this happening. >> Well and nowadays I mean this just people just don't let their kids do
these things. But you know we're also raging a bunch of monsters now. Mhm. I >> mean, like, you know, that was one of
the best parts of my childhood was run, you know, run down to the big bear and pick up some snacks. I'd always get
fudge rounds for some reason cuz I think it was a buck and then you eat like 20 fudge rounds and drink Coca-Cola. But,
um, you know, it's sad that we live in a world that we can't just send, you know,
your 10, 11 year old kid, you know, a couple blocks away to to run a movie. But but again, stranger with child
abductions are extremely rare. Um this isn't something that's happening, you know.
>> Yeah. But Right. But also, you know, I I understand what parents are doing, though. Don't run to the store. Don't be
by yourself. Don't play outside without anybody watching because now we're not giving anybody an opportunity. And let's
face it, man, there's just more sickos today. Well, the you know this situation it there's nothing that the parents
should have done differently. There's nothing that they could have done differently. This is not their fault. No
one they're not at fault here. The the brother's not at fault. >> Jacob's not at fault, like I said,
>> right? What could have What could have Trevor done differently? And you know,
you pulled clips to for our trailer at the beginning of the show and you hear the brother I assume that's Trevor
saying that >> No, that's his friend. >> Is that Aaron saying that? I thought this is just some like older kid playing
a prank on us or something, >> you know. Um the kids didn't even they're too young to even understand the
situation that they're in. >> Well, and one of the things I thought was interesting, I was watching this
YouTube video and it was a report from back in ' 89 and they were walking the same road with Aaron and Trevor. And to
see the news anchor right beside them, you realize how small these kids are. >> Yeah.
>> You know what I mean? and the and it's um it's it's sad that we have these monsters out there.
>> Well, let's fast forward a little bit here, Captain, because Jacob's case, it
goes cold in a sense uh for some time. Uh it's still in the news, especially locally. Um the anniversary, you know,
that that October 22nd date every year brings the reminders to the public locally and nationally. But it won't be
until about 2003 when the sheriff's department get the phone call that they have been waiting
on. >> In 2003, a local man contacted the authorities and he's got a story for them. He tells them he was in the area
the night that Jacob was abducted. The man had been listening to a police scanner and had heard about the missing
boy and he decided to drive to the scene. He told them that he had got close enough with his car. You know,
he's driving in his car. He got close enough that he saw the bikes and the scooter in the ditch. He did speak with
a deput a deputy that night asking if if the sheriff's had seen or knew about the
bikes, and the deputy said yes, they had. >> Now, are you hip to these police scanners?
Um, my grandfather had one growing up, uh, which I always thought was kind of cool that he he listened to it. Uh, I
don't really have any any kind of, uh, experience with them other than >> thought about getting one. It might be
kind of neat. >> Chasing ambulances and stuff. >> No, just, you know, >> just to hear what's going on.
>> Just listening in. >> You live in a suburb, so I don't >> It's going to be like strange calls. Um,
but but Captain, this is the phone call that they've been waiting for because this man and his car could possibly
account for the vehicle seen by Dan Rasier that night. And the and this could account for the fresh tire tracks
near the abduction site as well. The man could not be 100 he couldn't 100% remember the make and the model of the
tires that he was driving that night. >> No [ __ ] Sherlock. >> Well, this is 2003. Well, and this is my
problem with the whole thing. So, you come out how many years later? >> 14 years.
>> About 14 years later. Yeah. >> Well, you you come out 14 years later and you go, "Hey guys, I got a story to
tell you." Really? >> Well, no. Well, let you want a little more background on this.
>> Yeah. I want to know why it took him 14 years. >> Why? He's like, "Oh, I've been busy.
Couldn't Couldn't make a phone call." No. What happened was he >> had a lot of laundry to do.
you know, being a for 14 14 years older than what he was at the time, he was at a party, okay? He was at like some some
work function or something like that. And he was talking to somebody that that is in law enforcement, maybe FBI or
something. I don't know the the background. I think he was a marshal, the person that he was talking to. And
he tells somehow the Jacob Wetling case comes up in conversation and he says to the marshall, he says,
>> "Those are our people though, right? I mean, think about every time we're at a
bar. It's so great when a a true crime thing actually comes up. Then we don't have to feel like a weirdo.
>> Uh he he's in this conversation. >> Okay. >> And he says, you know, I was I lived in
the area and as a matter of fact, I I heard the call go out on the police scanner. So I drove to the location. I
actually saw the the bicycles and I told a deputy that night, you know, did have
you guys do you guys know about these bicycles over here? Should do you need any help? Should I get you the bicycles?
should I show you where they are? And he said that the deputy told him, "We are aware of the bicycles. We know what's
going on. It'd be best if you just go home." >> Right. >> So, he went home and he was never
contacted. They didn't take his name, phone number, anything to contact him in the future.
>> They should have. >> Exactly. And and he says that uh you know, I just assumed that everything I
knew they knew. >> And so I never contact. >> That's not a bad assumption. And the
marshall says, "Well, you know, this this case is ongoing. It's a cold case. It seems like nothing. What you're
telling me sounds like not a whole lot of information here, but you should contact the police and talk with them.
>> At least tell them what you know." >> And he actually said, "You know, I >> I and maybe it was because of the uh you
know, because of how he was greeted with it that night that he felt uncomfortable
calling the uh police department, discussing this with them." And the marshall said, "Well, I know some guys
over there and let me arrange this for you." Because the marshall thought that this was something that the sheriff's
department needed to hear. >> Well, and I we've all been there. We've all done that where we get pulled over
by a cop and their attitude is bad. >> Mhm. >> Right. And and again, you know, I I I'm
all for law enforcement. I'm all for law enforcement doing their job. They're great people, but let's just remember
serve and protect. That's that's that's what you're signing up for. Not to harass, not to, you know, try to teach
everybody a lesson, not to, you know, if you were picked on in high school, there
should be a rule. If you were picked on in high school, you shouldn't be able to
be a cop. There should be a rule about that. But, uh, no, it's it's to serve and protect and and you don't have to
serve and protect with a negative attitude towards people. And if this guy, you know, yeah, maybe they thought,
okay, we got this crime scene and we don't want anybody to mess it up. I get that. Go home, please. But this guy
obviously thought, well, for 14 years, you know, well, these guys gave me some attitude and they probably know what I
know. So, what does it matter? >> Or at the very least, they don't they don't care, you know? They the the
information I have is not valuable to to them or their investigation, so what am
I, you know? >> Right. Right. >> Um, >> just a nice reminder, just be nice to people. That goes for everybody. Just
try to be kind, okay? Don't don't be don't be walking around like a dick face, you know.
>> Well, and if if what the captain says should be true, if you pick on every kid
in your school, if you don't grow up to be the police officer, then nobody is allowed to be a police officer.
>> Um, so again, the man, the first thing that the sheriff's department, they want
to know are, you know, what kind of tires did you have on that vehicle? Do you remember? Because we have a
photograph of the tire track. >> We have tire tracks. Yeah. And if we can track down a model that's similar or the
same of that tire, we can we can conclude that you were the one that left the tire tracks here. Now, because the
impressions were were so they they constantly say fresh tire tracks. Well, but what I one thing I think that they
mean on that is not that they were just recently left there. That on top of that, they probably came from newer
tires given the amount of the impression. Mhm. >> Uh because their follow-up question when
he says, "I don't remember what kind of tires I was driving on," they say, "Well, do you remember if they were old
or new tires?" And he said, "I can tell you that I had recently replaced the tires on that vehicle."
>> Okay. So now they believe that this vehicle, this accounts for the vehicle that Dan Rasier had seen, the one that
they were kind of looking for. You know, they were looking even though they had questioned Dan and made him feel like a
suspect, they were still looking for this vehicle. >> Now they now they believe they've
tracked down this vehicle. And this man is innocent. He's he's not the person that took Jacob. So they can account for
several things that happened that night that they were looking for. And since they could clear this man of any
wrongdoing, this now meant that they believed that the abductor had most likely fled on foot with Jacob.
>> So this now means that we are going to look for not only a suspect that is local, but someone that is so local that
he would have had the ability to take Jacob into the attacker's home, into his home and or property and had the ability
to conceal Jacob. So once again, the sheriff's department has Dan Rasier in their sights. Dan lived probably the
closest to the abduction site than anybody. He had no alibi for his whereabouts or
>> uh for what he to vouch for what he was doing prior to him talking with the police that night,
>> right? >> Uh and he he not only, you know, he was left a home alone that night. And
furthermore, according to his own story, he's roughly a quarter of a mile from the crime scene.
>> Right. So if if the suspect left on foot, then I mean, here's our closest suspect.
>> Yeah. So once again, Dan Rasier is finding himself in the hot seat of this investigation,
>> right? And I and I get all that, but there's another part of me that that just goes, "Okay, well, you found tire
prints, and that was not of the the suspect's tire prints, but that doesn't mean that he he fled on foot."
>> Mhm. I mean, like maybe you just don't have the tire prints. Maybe the person
never left the road. Maybe the person just put on their blankers, walked out, grabbed the kid, put him in the car, and
took off. Well, there's been a lot of people to throw scrutiny at the sheriff's department because of this
issue, you know, because now we've taken Dan Rasier and not only was he once somebody that we were interested in
talking to regarding this investigation and regarding this crime, now he seems to be the most likely person. Now, the
sheriff's department has made him a let's call a suspect. They never call him a suspect, but they're treating him
>> Yeah, but he was a suspect, >> right? They're treating him like a suspect. But not only that, it seems
like they've narrowed their vision to the point where they're they're honing in on Dan Rasier completely,
>> right? And what I said in the first place is the cops need to, you know, pick a path, pick a direction, run as
fast as you can until you hit the brick wall. So 14 years ago, they didn't do that. They didn't they didn't, you know,
they should have looked at Dan from every angle, did as much as they could, and he's either our guy or he's not a
suspect. >> I absolutely agree with that statement. They should have done that in the
beginning. The problem is that they didn't. Now, where I don't fault them and where I don't think we should have
thrown scrutiny at the sheriff's department is because a lot of people were saying, you know, well, a new
sheriff took over about the same time. And so, the new sheriff says that we're we're going to spend a good amount of
time on Jacob. >> 2003. >> Yeah. Roughly around that time. So, the the new sheriff kind of, you know,
they've set their sights on the investigation now on Dan Rasier. Here's here's where I think that they're fine
to do that because >> No, no, it's fine >> because because here's the thing, like
you said, run till you hit a brick wall. Unfortunately, they didn't do things properly in the beginning in my opinion,
but they've been hitting a brick wall for the last 14 years. So then what you do is you have, you know, new sets of
eyes. These are probably, you can assume that there's some new investigators on this case by this time. You have new
technology. You have this person that comes forward that can account for this ghost car that Dan Rasier says he saw.
So now you're pouring back over the information and you're going, "What did we miss? What did we get wrong?" Well,
we thought there was a car. Maybe we've got this whole thing wrong the whole time because there was not a car, right?
>> Maybe this guy's been right under our thumb the entire time and we just didn't
even we didn't see him because we assumed there was a car. Now we have this new information. I don't blame them
for for changing gears here and pivoting and focusing on Dan Rasier. >> Sometimes you go down that path and you
hit a brick wall and then sometimes you get a little more information and you go
down that path again and when you hit that brick wall it collapses and then you know and that's where your suspect
is. I mean we've see that time and time again. Yeah, it just seems like they um but
it's, you know, small town 1989 seems like they just made uh you know, some mistakes here and
there, you know, and that's going to look, we're human, so we're going to make mistakes, you know, not every not
every podcast that we put out is perfect. I mean, most of them are, but uh you know, especially this one. But
yeah, so I can't blame them too much. I mean that I'm sure their intentions were
to get this writing to get this solved. All right. So I mean we're only at 2003 in this case and and we know that
there's more information that came out in 2016 >> and a whole bunch of stuff between that.
>> Right. Right. So we got Can you stick around for a little bit and we'll just uh knock out another podcast?
>> I got I got an hour or so. >> All right. So we got a recommended reading for this.
>> Uh yes. I want to recommend this week uh Hometown Killer. Um, this is a similar
story to the one that we're telling today. Um, this is about a case that took place in the early '9s in
Springfield, Ohio. Um, the author calls it the all-American town, much like where Jacob was from. Uh, this is the
hometown killer, a peaceful community stalked by a remorseless slayer. And you can pick that up by going to our
website, true crimegar.com. Click on the recommended page. You will see Hometown
Killer as well as all of our other recommended books. We will be right back tomorrow in the garage reporting.
>> Yeah. Well, yes. >> Well, we're going to do it tonight. >> Well, we're we're going to record it
tonight. I'm going to I'll I'll try to have it edited by tomorrow. >> Sounds good. And until tomorrow, be
good, be kind, and don't let it [Music]

Jacob Wetterling /// Episode: 70 /// Part 1

TrueCrimeGarage.com

October 22, 1989 was the night of of a real life nightmare. Three young boys were returning home from a visit to their local Tom Thumb store after renting a movie. Blocks from their destination a man appears in the dark. He has the boys at gunpoint. He tells two of the boys to run into the woods. He drags the other boy away. The search for the missing boy Jacob started that night and lasted for almost 27 years. Join us as we discuss one of America's saddest and most talked about child abductions.

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Brief Summary

The episode details the 1989 abduction of Jacob Wetling in Minnesota and the investigation that followed.

Key points

The Abduction of Jacob Wetling. An 11-year-old boy is abducted in a small town, shocking the community.
Community in Shock. The Wetling family's ordeal brings terror to a normally peaceful town.
A Desperate Search. Authorities launch a massive search effort for Jacob, but clues are scarce.
A Father's Plea. Jacob's father makes an emotional appeal for his son's safe return.
The Abduction. Three boys have a fun day, but then one is taken at gunpoint.
Dan Rasier's Involvement. Dan Rasier, a local music teacher, becomes a person of interest in the case.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This shouldn't happen anywhere.

A parent expresses disbelief over their child's abduction.

4:58WatchAug 18, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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