Jacob’s disappearance changed Minnesota, the nation

It was the day that Minnesota lost its innocence.

On October 22, 1989, a young boy was taken just a few blocks from his home in the small town of St. Joseph, in Central Minnesota, and was never seen again. Now, 27 years later, we’ve learned that Jacob Wetterling was killed. His remains were found on a farm near Paynesville. A man who was described as “a person of interest,” Danny Heinrichs, told investigators where to find the body. His remains were found on Thursday and identified two days later.

Jacob Wetterling’s case hit the state like no other. Prior to that, there seemed to be a sense of security in small towns... People didn’t think a crime like this could happen in a town like St. Joseph. I was just one year into my journalism career, working at the Madelia Times-Messenger. I recall writing a few stories in the weeks after the abduction. It seemed that stories of suspicious vehicles and possible attempted abductions were reported all around the state.

As the parent of a three year- old, things changed for me as well. Josh was always excited to go outside and play with the neighbor kids. If we knew they were outside, we didn’t think twice about letting Josh go outside. Our house was just a block and a half from a large factory and a highway. After Jacob, parents kept an extra eye on their children.

In the months and years that followed, Jacob’s disappearance changed so many things. People became more aware of signs of sexual predators, they eyed strangers differently. Patty Wetterling, Jacob’s mother, became an advocate for missing and exploited children, founding the Jacob Wetterling Foundation. She played a role in establishing sex offender registries, the Amber Alert and many other things that are part of our current awareness of the threat of child abduction.

The discovery of Jacob’s body brought back many of the feelings I felt as a young parent in 1989. Yesterday’s parents are now today’s grandparents. Our generation remembers a time when the lives of children seemed more innocent… Yesterday’s children are today’s parents and they don’t have those same memories. Strangers are often looked at with suspicion and parents are conditioned to being more protective of their children.

The whole state grieves for Jacob and the Wetterling family. Their experience - and their reaction to it - helped to make them part of our lives. While this was not the outcome they hoped for, it does give them some closure on a painful chapter in their lives.