Abduction of Jacob Wetterling

Event in True Crime

Abduction of Jacob Wetterling has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including 20/20. 4 people have made recorded remarks about it.

What people said

Patty Wetterling says she refused to let Jacob's abductor take her marriage, her other children, or a world of childhood innocence.
“I refused to let the man who took Jacob take away anything more. You can't have my marriage. You can't have my kids”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 1:26:54
Patty Wetterling says the public began reporting Jerry as a suspect because they disliked how he appeared on television.
“People started turning in Jerry as a suspect. And it's like, they didn't like the way he looked on TV. He wasn't sad enough”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 29:55

Larson says the abductor's face was covered with a nylon stocking and that his gruff, gravelly voice is what stands out in memory.
“He had a nylon stocking over his face where you couldn't see any of the eyes or any of his features”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 11:46
Larson recalls the abductor ordered the boys to stop, turn off their flashlights, and said he had a gun.
“All of a sudden, a man came out from this area over here. He said, stop, I have a gun, and told us to turn off our flashlights”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 13:17

Jerry Wetterling says Jacob's legacy is showing that all children deserve opportunity to flourish safely.
“I think Jacob's legacy is showing that all kids are really awesome, and they need every bit of opportunity to flourish”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 1:26:11

Bechtold says shuffling adult and child footprints at the scene suggested the abductor was pulling Jacob along to a waiting car.
“It didn't look like someone had just gone for a walk. It looked like somebody was pulling this kid along”
20/20: Where Are You Jacob? (Jul 18, 2026) · Listen from 23:53

Where Are You Jacob?
20/20 · Jul 18, 2026 · 1 h 27 min
Deborah Roberts revisits the 1989 abduction of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling with his parents, survivor Jared Scheierl, blogger Joy Baker and investigators who ultimately identified Danny Heinrich.