Monday, September 5, 2016

Minnesota Weeps

We weep for a child we never knew.  One who went missing near his family home in 1989.  We have been waiting for news of Jacob for 27 years.  Finally this weekend Jacob’s family was notified that his remains were found.  The family can finally put their son to rest, Jacob’s brother and friend can finally go on with their lives. All three boys were told by a man with a gun to lay down in the ditch and tell him their age…he told the other boys to run into the field and not look back or he would shoot them. He took Jacob.

How can this happen in small town Minnesota?  How could this evil man escape law enforcement for 27 years?  He can never be charged with this heinous crime…how can that be?

Jacob was 11 years old.  Jacob’s parents started The Jacob Wetterling Resource Center in his honor, to give others hope that their missing children would be found someday and they were also instrumental in getting laws passed so that Sex Offenders must be registered.

Until now there was always hope that Jacob would be found alive.  Instead his remains were found in a field near Paynesville Minnesota. Such sadness for his family.  His parents will go on with the work of the Foundation to give parents of missing children hope.  Jacob’s hope.IMG_9413 (4)
Over the years I often thought about Jacob.  Being a Mom I guess you do that or you pick out some little kids to think about often and pray for even if you don’t know them.

Leeanna (Beaner) Warner was just five years old when she disappeared from her home near Chisholm Minnesota in 2003…perhaps her mysterious disappearance will be solved someday.
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27 comments:

Anonymous said...

So very sad. The hope the family held on to for 27 years is now gone. May God bless them and the family of Leeanna, as they await answers.

Anonymous said...

Thirty miles from home all this time... I hope Leeanna's family does not have to wait as long and has a happier ending to their mystery.

Cynthia said...

Jacob's abduction traumatized every parent in Minnesota. It was a watershed event; we never again felt our children were safe in the small towns and the farms where 11-year olds had still been free to ride their bikes to the store without a parent hovering over.
It's not the happy ending everyone hoped for but I hope it will bring some kind of peace to the Wetterling family to know.

Anonymous said...

All of Minnesota mourns with the Wetterlings.

Shirley H.

Marty said...

Like too many communities, we have a similar story in a neighboring town. Like Jacob's family, this family funneled their grief into ways to help future children.

linda m said...

So sad. At least the family can now have some closure. As a parent I can feel their grief.

DJan said...

I have so much difficulty understanding the motivation of anyone who hurts defenseless children or animals. I weep for Jacob's family, and all the others who are missing. :-(

Mac n' Janet said...

Horrible, horrible, horrible. I will never understand crimes against children. His poor family.

still the lucky few said...

My heart goes out to Jacob's family and the entire community. This is such a sad story. But now the family can have closure, and that may allow them to move forward.

Terry and Linda said...

Oh this kind of thing is just the most horrendous and terrible thing a parent could ever go through. On one hand there is closure now, but....yes but...

I hope they find the creep, he needs To Be FOUND. I'm sure he didn't stop with just one child.

Linda

Linda Kay said...

I saw this mentioned on Yahoo today, such a sad story and so many years of not knowing must have been so hard.

Paula said...

We have a young boy from Kansas, Adam Herrman, who has been missing since 1999. It is so sad to see that many kids go missing for years and years. I am glad these parents finally have peace of knowing where there son is. Now they need to find the perpetrator.

Rita said...

I didn't know they finally found Jacob. So sad. But glad that they finally have closure and can put him to rest surrounded by loved ones.

Far Side of Fifty said...

He is in custody and told them where he buried Jacob, He is in jail for Child Porn. Yes there were more victims. So sad.

Red said...

It's a sad and tragic story for all involved. It brings closure but that's about all.

Far Guy said...

There is a special place in hell for people who hurt kids and animals.

Anonymous said...

I so remember the day of Jacob's disappearance, he was about the same age of our only child and we had a slumber party for our girl that day and evening..I would not discuss anything with the girls, the pizza's, movies, laughing, trying to stay up all night, the breakfast the next day..Our only slept the whole next day and I cleaned and had coffee, my hubs came home from working at night at a retail grocery store, he was appalled by the kidnapping of this sweet angel..When they said on the tv and it was blasted on our front page of our local newspaper we had to close the radio and tv and not read, it was so very painful..I so agree with far guy there has to be a special corner of hell with hitler and the likes of those who do heinous crimes to children and animals, I hope who did it burns like no other fire in hell on this earth..My prayers and condolences to the family..grrrrrr to the perpetraitor of this heinous act..It could happen anywhere at anytime, but to have it happen in the state where you reside and in rural Minnesota seems just plain EVIL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!

Karen said...

I agree with Far Guy. It is just unimaginable..... We have stories like that here too, I guess they are everywhere. So incredibly sad.

Shirley said...

Homosexuality and child pornography seem to go hand in hand. I personally know men who were victims as a child- but at least they are alive. My heart weeps for this family and all the families of missing children.

NCmountainwoman said...

I think all of us in the US remember Jacob's tragic disappearance. And now we weep along with MN for this painful chapter.

Granny Marigold said...

Such a heart-rending story. I pray that the family will find peace at last.

Linda W. said...

Oh that is so awful. Hopefully his parents can now have closure.

Unknown said...

Shirley I wish I could find the words to reply to your first line however I won't denigrate. Such a sad time and you write a remark like that.

Lynn Hasty said...

I am so sorry. The long years wondering. Oh how awful. And there is just no good ending. But hopefully some closure for the dear parents. So sad.
Lynn

MTWaggin said...

Breaks my heart!

thecrazysheeplady said...

So why can't they bring him to justice?

L. D. said...

Our Johnnie Gosch will probably never be found. The same kind of people took him and he was remembered by some of the same kind of bad ones. No one was held accountable for telling what they knew. Mother and father's marriage did not survive. Father owns land near here and lives nearby too.