Parents agony as cops find remains of boy who went missing 27 years ago
Schoolboy Jacob Wetterling was riding his bike with his brother when a masked gunman abducted him
THE remains of an 11-year-old boy missing for 27 years after a masked gunman abducted him have been found.
Jacob Wetterling was riding his bicycle with his brother and a friend in October 1989 when he was taken.
His devastated mum Patty – who had always kept hope her son would be found alive - confirmed Jacob had been found and said: “Our hearts are broken."
The masked man was said to have held on to Jacob, from Minnesota, US, and told the other boys to run.
The schoolboy had not been seen since, despite extensive searches, tens of thousands of leads and offers of a reward.
related stories
No one has been arrested or charged in his abduction, which led to changes in sex offender registration laws.
But last year, authorities took another look at the case, and were led to Danny Heinrich, a man they called a "person of interest" in Jacob's kidnapping.
Heinrich denied any involvement in Jacob's abduction, and was not charged with that crime. But he has pleaded not guilty to several federal child pornography charges.
The FBI has said that Heinrich matched the general description of a man who assaulted several boys in Paynesville from 1986 to 1988.
Earlier this year, Heinrich's DNA was found on the sweatshirt of a 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped from Cold Spring and sexually assaulted nine months before Jacob's abduction.
Heinrich's attorney did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
A law enforcement official said that a person of interest in Jacob's abduction took authorities to a field in central Minnesota last week.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing case, said remains and other evidence were recovered and that the remains had been buried.
Jacob’s parents founded the Jacob Wetterling Resource Centre, which works to help communities and families prevent child exploitation following his abduction.
In 1994, Congress passed a law named after Jacob Wetterling that requires states to establish sex offender registries.
Officials with the Jacob Wetterling Resource Centre posted a statement on its website yesterday, saying they are in "deep grief."
The statement read: "We didn't want Jacob's story to end this way.
“Our hearts are heavy, but we are being held up by all of the people who have been a part of making Jacob's Hope a light that will never be extinguished. ... Jacob, you are loved."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.