Jacob Wetterling's Parents Speak in First Interview Since Son's Murderer Confessed

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A little over a month ago, the nearly 27-year-long search for Jacob Wetterling ended when Danny Heinrich confessed in court to kidnapping and killing the 11-year-old boy on the same night, Oct. 22, 1989. In their first interview since Jacob's remains were discovered, the Wetterlings told WCCO about their shock over the sudden end of the search for Jacob that lasted nearly three decades.

In the interview, Patty and Jerry Wetterling also described the horror they felt while listening to Henrich confess the details of their son's last minutes of life, and also the overwhelming amount of support they received as people across the state, country and world paid tribute to their son.

“For almost 27 years we’re searching, and then in seven days, it was eight total, it’s over,” Patty said.

“That gunshot snuffed his breath out in Oct. 22. 1989, but his spirit is so strong you can just see how it affects people,” Jerry said.

Six weeks ago, authorities told the Wetterlings about the possibility that Heinrich, who'd been a suspect in the case from the very beginning and was awaiting trial on child pornography charges, would consider confessing the details of Jacob's abduction and murder in exchange for a plea deal.

The Wetterlings gave their permission to authorities to go forward and offer a plea deal to Heinrich.

The plea deal that was ultimately struck gave immunity to Heinrich in the murder of Jacob, while the statute of limitations had expired for any sexual assault charges that could have been filed.

Until Jacob's body was located with the help of Heinrich in September 2016, there was not enough evidence to prove Heinrich killed Jacob.

According to prosecutors, the only way to find Jacob's body and know what happened to him was to strike a deal that ensured Heinrich would not be prosecuted for his death.

Heinrich's plea deal

In October 2015, Heinrich was arrested and charged with possessing and receiving child pornography. These charges were pivotal to authorities striking a two-part agreement with Heinrich.

According to the Pioneer Press, the first part of the deal with Heinrich was that he show authorities the location of Wetterling's remains and confess what he did to him. The second part was that he must plead guilty to a child pornography charge and admit that he abducted and assaulted Jared Scheierl in Cold Spring, Minnesota, nine months before Heinrich killed Jacob.

Heinrich also can't be charged in Scheirel's case because the statute of limitations has expired.

Without Jacob’s body, prosecutors weren't able to pursue murder charges against Heinrich. Until September, the only physical evidence authorities had against him were tire tracks and a shoe print, but neither were scientific matches.

“It was around noon I think when they found Jacob’s jacket, which was heartbreaking to me,” Patty said of the day when investigators, led by Henrich, uncovered Jacob's remains in Paynesville, Minnesota, about 10 miles from Jacob's hometown of St. Joseph.

“One thing that nobody will ever know is the intensity of these phone calls, to tell Jerry. It was hard. We later had to call our children and tell them that they’d found his jacket, and those were grueling phone calls to make. In all of these years, we’ve never had any piece of evidence to show Jacob was not alive.”

Both Patty and Jerry went to the Paynesville farm where Jacob's remains were discovered but stayed for a only a short while.

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“Jacob wasn’t alive there, and I didn’t want to stay,” Patty said.

On Sept. 6, Heinrich confessed to the abduction and murder of Jacob in court, and detailed the boy's final moments.

Heinrich recounts Jacob's last moments

Heinrich told the court the details of the murder as Patty sobbed.

According to the Star Tribune, Heinrich said he was driving on a dead-end road outside St. Joseph on the evening of Oct. 22, 1989 when he saw three young boys on their bikes.

Heinrich said he confronted the three boys and told two of them, Jacob’s little brother and his friend, to run. Heinrich then took Jacob into his car, where he handcuffed him to the front passenger seat.

“I don’t even know how to describe what it felt like hearing his words. When he came into the courtroom all I could look at him and say is ‘How could you?'” Patty said. “It was actually absolutely stunning to try and process, how you shift your head from hoping and searching and to now knowing that he wasn’t alive, and what a horrible death.”

Heinrich is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21 by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim. Heinrich may still be civilly committed as a sex offender after he serves his criminal sentence.

Image via MissingKids.org, used with permission