Eleven cases and counting…

Aug 05, 2014

Posted by joy.the.curious on Aug 4, 2014 in Jacob | 18 comments

A few announcements before I begin…

First, set your DVRs for Sunday, August 31, 8pm CST for the season finale of “The Hunt with John Walsh” on CNN. We got the official word last Friday, so we’re very excited to get Jacob’s story out in front of a national audience and see what happens.

I’m curious how they’ll put the story together since there’s not one known suspect to actually “hunt” in Jacob’s case, but I’m sure it will be great. John Walsh even got his first official capture last week, so if you missed the dramatic shootout between Charles Mozdir and NYC police, check out the story on CNN:

Second, I misreported some information in my “Tidbits” blog post a few weeks ago, which I have since corrected. I stated that I had recently learned about three additional Paynesville incidents that I hadn’t heard about before. One of the researchers from John Walsh’s show had relayed the information on to me, but the details were off just a bit.

On Tuesday, December 9, 1986, the Paynesville Press reported the following front page story (note, this article ran five months BEFORE the May 26, 1987 article that talks about the five Paynesville attacks):

-=-=-=-=-

Assault incidents reported
December 9, 1986, Paynesville, MN – Two incidents on two separate occasions involving 13-year-old boys have been reported to the Paynesville Police Department.
The first incident was reported in August of this year and the second reported on Nov. 30.
On both occasions, the victims were attacked from behind and were verbally threatened. Neither of the victims were seriously harmed, according to the Paynesville Police. However, the second victim was sexually assaulted.
The Paynesville Police is cautioning parents to advise their children not to be out after dark because of the two incidents.
The Paynesville Police don’t know if the two incidents are related. There are currently no suspects in the investigation.
If anyone has any information concerning these two incidents, they are asked to contact Crime Stoppers, where a person giving information can remain anonymous, or contact the Paynesville Police.

Because this story ran BEFORE the article from May 26, 1987, I assume these two incidents from 1986 were already included in those five that were reported in May 1987.

Using this information, I’ve now compiled a list of ten separate Paynesville incidents, including two we haven’t found yet (August 1986, and Spring 1987). If anyone can help fill in the blanks, please comment below or visit my “Contact” page to send me a private message. In the next few weeks, the Paynesville Police Department will be working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to look at these incidents more closely, so any help you’re able to provide would be greatly appreciated!

March 9, 1986 – Attempted drive-by abduction of 12 year old boy near G&T Foods
June 1986 – Three kids playing hide-n-seek at middle school playground, Town & Country Days
August 1986 – By the river? At the middle school playground?
November 30, 1986 – Alley between the middle school and hospital
February 14, 1987 – Ben Franklin, downtown, 122 West James Street
Spring 1987 – By the river? At the middle school playground?
May 17, 1987 – By the hockey rink at the Catholic church, two boys riding bikes
Summer 1987 – By the river #2, camping incident, man spying on group of boys
September, 1987 – By the river #3, man in parka with orange lining, Lyndall Avenue
Late 80s or early 90s – Boy chased from middle school to his aunt/uncle’s house

View Paynesville Incidents, 1986-1989 on Google Maps

Now, onto incident #11.

I received a message on my blog from a woman who had grown up in Paynesville and was 14 years old when Jacob was abducted. She is fairly certain this incident took place the summer before she started 9th grade, so that would make it the summer of 1989.

She is also the sister of the boy from incident #9 above. He was the one who was chased off his back porch by a man wearing a dark parka with orange lining.

Here’s her story.

One night, I was late for my curfew. I had been uptown at Papa’s Pizza with my friend and heard the 10pm whistle blow, so I knew I had to hurry home.
Normally I would have taken James Street home because it was lit, but since I was late, I decided to take the alley home instead because it was quicker. It went behind the Post Office (Bank of the West), and Haines Electric. When I got to the alley by Haines Electric, I was coming behind the first house on the right. They had a row of lilac bushes that was in the shape of an L, but there was a gap at the “joint” where they kept their garbage cans.
As I was passing that spot, suddenly the garbage cans got knocked over and a man came running out after me. I was so scared that I couldn’t even scream. I remember I could hear the gravel spinning under my tires, and I made some kind of sound. I think that’s when he realized I was a girl. I was kind of a tomboy, had short hair, and was riding a boy’s bike, so I’m pretty sure he thought I was a boy. He ran after me for about 20 feet, then he stopped. I remember looking back and knew it was a man’s stature. He was taller than me and was wearing a long dark coat.
I told my parents immediately when I got home, but I’m not sure they believed me… they maybe thought I was making it up because I was late. So, it never got reported. I’m pretty sure it was a Friday night… probably toward the end of summer. I remember having a light jacket on.

Again, thanks for following along. If you have any information regarding these or similar incidents around the Paynesville area during this time, please contact the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office at (320) 259-3700. You may also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

Next time

Five questions: An article written by Patty Wetterling for CNN

18 Comments

shan | August 4, 2014 at 10:53 pm
thank you for continuing these stories, as i was a teenage girl in paynesville during that time!
Kyle J. Hanson | August 5, 2014 at 9:00 am
So… I saw a story on WCCO TV that interviewed a neighbor of the Huber’s and he said that Delbert and Tim both wore a winter parka with an orange lining just like one of the boys mentioned. It doesn’t mean they are guilty but is all this evidence adding up yet? I sure hope they haven’t just “dropped” the investigation because of Delbert’s death.
J Brown | August 5, 2014 at 12:12 pm
I so hope the new TV show brings in more tips! We need to find Jacob! Thank you for all the research, fact finding, interviewing you are doing Joy!
meredithmclovin | August 5, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Yes my first thought was that it wasn’t Huber, but after I investigated him further I am not so sure at all. I too saw the interview Kyle mentioned above, how common were dark blue parkas with orange lining in the 70s/80s? It seems like a pretty unique jacket.
Somewhere online I was reading comments people left on Delbert’s mug shot. One person commented on how Delbert’s ears “seem to be ready to detach and float off the side of his head…” A very distinguishing physical attribute that Jared (abducted 10 months before Jacob), remembers about his attacker was how his ears stuck out very far from the side of his head.
Also Hubert has a distinct, “gravely, raspy” voice. In most of these attacks that is how the victims described the voice of the attacker. PLUS Huber was originally from Paynesville, and resembled the FBI sketch of Jared’s attacker.
It still seems that Huber needs to be cleared as a suspect. Maybe he is not the guy, but the similarities are too striking just to let go. The frustrating thing I read was that his old farm house was torn down. SERIOUSLY??!! Why was that allowed to happen?
I think the land around his farm still needs to be examined, investigated and searched. Does anyone else think so?
Carol | August 6, 2014 at 2:04 pm
I get what the writer of that article meant, but he/she could have worded it a bit differently, as, being sexually assaulted IS being ‘seriously harmed’. (just ask anyone that has been sexually assaulted) Just sayin. The quote from the above article that I am referring to…….. “Neither of the victims were seriously harmed, according to the Paynesville Police. However, the second victim was sexually assaulted.”
Nancy Lillian | August 26, 2014 at 1:56 pm
Hi Joy- Just like you, this story has always haunted my soul. When this stranger abduction first happened I remember thinking how evil the abductor was when he “selected” his victim. My gut told me that the abductor was not taking for himself but for someone else. Thus, the guy who die in jail could be telling the truth because in his sick mind he did not take him but was given him. People steal TV’s and cell phones for money, drugs & sex. Could someone be stealing our children for money? I think I’m going to be sick…
Has anyone looked at the other states or towns where these suspects have lived during their life times?
Someone in that area knows something. I pray with my whole heart that poor Jake can be found. I hope his family knows that thousands of people have thought of him many times over the years. I can’t walk down a country path or road without thinking of him and his friends. God bless the survivors of this crime. They are in my prayers as well.
Keep up the good work!
Rain | August 28, 2014 at 11:01 pm
The investigators should all be ashamed of themselves! It’s embarrassing a blogger has done more for this case from far away than they have ever done right there. If they had tried harder, if they had taken these cases more seriously, maybe this sicko would have been found and stopped long ago. For the investigators, in all these towns, to not ask surrounding departments if they had similar cases is complete incompetency! It’s a travesty and unforgivable in my opinion.
Virginia | August 29, 2014 at 8:45 am
Jacob’s was the last abduction, most recent on your list, correct? Why? What happened that would have made the child molester suddenly stop attacking children? Are there any people from the community who moved away at that time? Was the convicted man and possible suspect ever given a lie detector test?!
Douglas | September 1, 2014 at 2:08 am
I’m thinking like you Virginia. If these crimes are related. They have escalated case by case. I don’t doubt murder. This person(s) would not simply stop.. Some other element has prevented this guy from continuing even escalating these crimes. He could have moved away, but most of these guys feel comfortable in their backyard, not moving away to continue their crimes. They are predators, sharpening their skills as the progress.. It’s what creates the Gacys & Dean Corll’s of the world.. This guy was stopped, arrested or likely died. He could’ve moved, if he did, I’m sure there’s evidence of his M.O somewhere…
Amy F | September 1, 2014 at 10:01 am
Has anyone looked into if there where any incidents in Richmond or Rockville? and if not, the possible reason why those town were skipped? (going towards St. Cloud – Paynesville, Richmond, Cold Spring, Rockville, depending on how you choose to go, St. Joseph). This would have been before Highway 23 was moved and went straight through both Richmond and Rockville.
Bring Jacob Home | September 1, 2014 at 4:29 pm
I believe the offender moved after Jacobs abduction, hence the reason the abductions stopped in the area. He more than likely got spooked. police probably interviewed him and were sniffing around his trail. I would look for an individual who lived in Paynesville, worked at an occupation that had access to children or in the close proximity of children, had been interviewed by police, had been incarcerated for sexual assault of a minor, and who may have moved out of town immediately after Jacobs abduction.
Stop a PREDATOR | September 1, 2014 at 11:56 pm
Wow, I remember this and was shocked by all this new information. It is amazing all these other attack’s were never linked too Jacob. Great job, Joy bringing new life too a old case. I CARE THAT THIS CRIMINAL WAS NEVER CAUGHT. A Predator could still be lurking out there somewhere. This story need’s a end. God bless all these families this has touched. Joy, Don’t stop you have already made a difference. We are all with you.
C.A. Trittin | September 2, 2014 at 11:10 am
Have nearby Saint Johns Abbey provide the names of priests who moved to their sites in the Caribbean and Japan shortly after October 22, 1989….
Frelis Schulz | September 2, 2014 at 1:50 pm
It is my belief the kidnapper was a stalker/window peeper..I don’t think the attacks were random…I believe like a serial killer he trolled for his victims. Seems he had a certain age and type he liked..I think he was at the hockey rink on that day and found out where Jacob lived and what he was doing by hiding around the house and watching and listening….he had no qualms about hanging around other residences where he attacked victims and checked names on mailboxes…he found out where they were going and laid in wait for them to return…he took Jacob back to wherever he had parked his vehicle…just my opinion…hopefully someone will come forward soon…
minnphatts | September 4, 2014 at 9:28 am
The incarceration timeline of DAH sure seems to fit with the Paynesville incidents timeline thus far and the dates of Jared and Jacob’s abductions. This clearly makes him a plausible culprit as you suggested on The Hunt (despite his known MO not being consistent with these cases). Do you plan on sharing your findings in future posts?
Keep up the good work!
Tamara | October 20, 2014 at 10:29 pm
If Dan had really done it- why did he ask for the child’s ages? He was neighbors with them and would have known who the boys were. The guy that took Jacob must not have known him that well.
Brandi | January 17, 2015 at 12:00 am
I’m watching a re-run of the 20/20 on Dateline-OWN channel and recalled that I had watched “The Hunt” show about the newer theories of these attempted abductions prior to the Jacob Wetterling case. Does anyone know if geographic profiling was ever done with the Paynesville cases? If this had been done or even done today and cross-referenced with the residences of the time it may provide some valuable information about possible suspects. I do believe that that particular clustering has the best possible chance of finding this monster. I believe that he was a resident of the area, may or may not have had a job directly related to kids, Wayne Williams didn’t have a job in a school, or was a bus driver or any other type of occupation that put him in daily contact with kids. But he was able to draw kids to him. I feel like someone close to this person knows something but for whatever reason hasn’t come forward.
Lisa Gjersvik | January 29, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Brandi,
I was thinking the exact same thing, on geographic profiling. That’s an amazing forensic tool that could really help this investigation, especially with several known incidents that are likely related. The results could be very enlightening and help identify the likely area this person lived or regularly worked in. To my knowledge, geographic profiling is only done by the FBI, so somehow local law enforcement or John Walsh may need to enlist their help to do an analysis.
Joy, thanks for helping to keep this investigation alive. Answers are needed for all victims of this perpetrator.

Eleven cases and counting…

Assault incidents reported

Now, onto incident #11.

Next time

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