What happened to Jacob Wetterling? Mother Patty Wetterling speaks about son's death nearly 34 years later as his case was featured on ABC's 20/20

ABC’s 20/20 recently featured the story of Jacob Wetterling, a boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint while he was riding his cycle near his home on October 22, 1989. The show focused on interviews with the investigators and witnesses who spilled details about the abduction. Moreover, the show also had the parents talking about their son’s kidnapping, and their feelings about the case being unsolved for a long time. It aired on October 13, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

Disclaimer: This article contains information about abduction, murder, and m*lestation. Readers' discretion is advised.

At the time of his kidnapping, Jacob’s younger brother, Trevor, and his friend, Aaron Larson, were also present with him. As per the parents, the three boys were going to the convenience store to buy a few things. The witnesses, the brother, and the friend reported how a masked man came out of nowhere and abducted Jacob Wetterling.

At the time of the kidnapping from St. Joseph, Minnesota, Jacob was only 11 years old. The abduction remained unsolved until 2016, when a man named Danny Heinrich confessed that he was the one who had kidnapped and killed Jacob.

In the show 20/20, Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, is also seen speaking about how she has worked on multiple missing children cases ever since she lost her son.

"I would do anything to protect my children and all of these children. It was so hard, 'cause I had, you know, three of the kids' school pictures on the wall, and then there's this blank frame. If he came home tomorrow, I wanted him to know exactly what we had tried, everything that we'd tried, 'cause I kept thinking he was wondering why did it take so long?" she said.

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Jacob Wetterling’s mother Patty Wetterling reveals she wrote letters to her abducted son every day

ABC's 20/20 gave out chilling details about Jacob Wetterling’s case, as his mother shared how she is set to release her book, Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey to Hope.

On the show, she also claimed that she wrote several letters to Jacob so that whenever he came home, he could read all of the letters and feel connected to the family once again. In one of the letters, she wrote:

“Dear Jacob, my heart hurts as days pass by without you. I wrestle over the details again and again. Who could have done this? Where are you, Jacob? I love you Jacob and I promise, I will never stop searching for you. Love Mom.”

While the case remained unsolved till 2016, once the killer came forward and revealed the shocking details, Patty started working with NGOs to help parents who were in similar situations. She talked about how she is also the co-founder of HOPE, a group that supports the families of missing kids.

Furthermore, the ABC show also gave out spine-chilling details about how Danny, Jacob’s killer, abducted him to m*lest him, but later shot him as he was crying relentlessly and asking to go home.

Danny James Heinrich confessed to Jacob’s abduction and murder as a part of a plea deal with the prosecutors in a child p*rnography case.

Jacob Wetterling’s mother also revealed that her book will be released globally on October 17, 2023. The mother claimed how deeply the family was affected once they got to know that their son had gone missing.

She concluded by talking about how even after three decades of them losing their son, they still find ways to keep him alive amongst the members.