A fork in the road

Posted by joy.the.curious on Apr 10, 2013 in Jacob | 3 comments

New here? Start from the beginning…

I’ve been in a quandary since my last blog post. At the time, I thought I had a good idea of where I was going with this story, yet whenever I sat down to write, I just couldn’t do it. The words wouldn’t come. For a week and a half, I’ve been anxious, restless, worried… and I couldn’t exactly figure out why.

You see, last we chatted, I had planned to introduce you to Patrick Marker. He lives in Seattle now, but attended Saint John’s Prep in the early 1980s. On January 7, 2013, he sent a letter to all the parishioners of the Church of St. Joseph.

His letter begins like this:

The purpose of this letter is to make you aware of recent claims of sexual and other misconduct perpetrated by members of the Saint John’s Abbey community and other personnel who served the parishioners in St. Joseph.

The letter goes on to talk about how Marker was sexually molested while he was a student at Saint John’s Prep. He told his story publicly (but anonymously) for the first time on August 7, 1991. In 1992, he agreed to settle the case, with the understanding that he would have input into the future abuse policies at St. John’s. In 2002, he created a web site in order to disseminate information, and later that same year, an External Review Board was created. He was asked to served on the board, and at the same time, asked to take down his web site. He complied. For three years, he flew back and forth from Seattle to Minnesota to attend monthly board meetings.

Long story short, Marker claims that Saint John’s did not hold up their end of the bargain. As a result, he resigned from the External Review Board in 2006 and created a new web site called Behind The Pine Curtain.

However, Patrick Marker’s battle is not my battle.

Next, I intended to introduce you to “stearntruth.” She is a former bail bondswoman who posted several audio recordings on YouTube that implicate two brothers in Jacob’s abduction. I’m not going to mention their names here because, quite frankly, they scare the bejeepers out of me. However, I do know that law enforcement is well aware of stearntruth’s tapes, and I can only assume that they have taken this lead seriously. There are also two recordings from Vern Seitz, another suspect in Jacob’s abduction, and “Ben,” a St. Joseph resident who says he witnessed the same two brothers at the scene of the abduction earlier in the day.

But… again… stearntruth’s battle is not my battle either.

So, what *is* my battle then? What exactly am I doing here? Where am I going with all this? I’ve been wrestling with that for a week and a half now. And, I’ve finally come to a conclusion.

This is my battle:

Patty and Jerry Wetterling with their 10 year old son, Trevor, who was with his brother Jacob when he was abducted at gun point.

I’ve kept a copy of this photo stuck on the magnet board in my office ever since I started writing about Jacob in 2010. Every time I look at this photo, I see a mom who can barely function from the depth of her own pain, but who finds the strength to forge ahead because of the love she has for her boys… the one she holds in this photo, and the one she is forced to hold in her memory.

THAT is my battle. No mother should have to go through this kind of pain. And no little brother should have to wonder how his life would have been different if his big brother hadn’t been ripped from his life by a stranger.

And so, I will press on until there are no witnesses left to interview, no questions left to ask, and no story left to tell.

And even then, when there’s nothing left… there will still be hope. Enduring hope… for OUR Jacob. Always.

Next time

A defining moment for me, and Dan answers more of your questions

3 Comments

1. stacey | April 12, 2013 at 9:00 am

   Once again you leave me wanting more. Hope you get time to write again soon.

2. Wisdom | April 12, 2013 at 2:00 pm

   I wonder what type of car Michael Weber was driving back in 1989 and also what he was doing the night of Jacob’s abduction? Probably only a question law enforcement could check out?

3. Patrick | April 13, 2013 at 6:47 pm

   Wisdom please refresh me on who Michael Weber is? Thanks in advance.