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The 1986-87 Paynesville incidents – an update
The 1986-87 Paynesville incidents – an update
Posted by joy.the.curious on Apr 7, 2014 in Jacob | 56 comments
New here? Start from the beginning…
Last summer, I met and interviewed Jared for the first time. He was the 12 year old boy from Cold Spring, Minnesota who was abducted and assaulted in a town just nine miles away and only nine months prior to Jacob Wetterling’s abduction from St. Joseph.
Not long after I met Jared, I discovered an article in a 1987 edition of the Paynesville Press
that talked about five recent attacks on young teenage boys. In that article, local police were asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who had been accosting boys between the ages of 12-16. The first incident took place in the summer of 1986, followed by two more in the winter of 1987, and then two more in the spring of 1987.
The five incidents that were mentioned in the article sounded eerily similar to both Jacob’s and Jared’s attacks. In the article, Sergeant Bill Drager (now deceased) stated, “After this guy grabs the boys he tells them, ‘Don’t turn around or I’ll blow your head off.'”
Here’s a map I created so I could get a better sense of where all these attacks took place:
Since learning about these cases, Jared and I have been working very hard to find answers. In January, Jared wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Paynesville Press, asking for the public’s help in finding the victims of these attacks, or anyone with details that might link his case to these. After many months of gathering research, talking to residents, and tracking down victims, we finally have an update to report.
The stories are startling.
Victim #1 was attacked at about 12:45am on February 14, 1987… Valentine’s Day. He lived in an apartment above one of the downtown buildings, and had just returned home from dropping off a friend. When he opened the door to the building, a man was standing on the stairway that led to the upstairs. He was wearing a dark blue down-filled coat, and a “candy-striped face mask” that looked like it had been made out of short shag carpet. The suspect grabbed the boy by the neck and threw him to the floor. When he started to scream for help, the suspect told him to be quiet or he would kill him. After the attack, the man asked what grade he was in, then stole his wallet and took off running. He was about 5’10” to 5’11”, kind of heavyset, and spoke in a deep whisper. The boy guessed his age to be mid-30s and felt he had been waiting for him to come home.
Victim #2 was riding his bike home after dark on a weekend night and was attacked in the alley between the middle school and the hospital. The suspect had been hiding in some pine trees. After the attack, the suspect pulled out a knife and cut off a lock of the boy’s hair. The man then told him to run away and not look back or he would blow his head off.
Victim #3 was attacked while he and his friend were riding their bikes just after midnight near the hockey rink at the Catholic church. The boy thought he heard someone running into the street when suddenly, someone grabbed him by the throat and pulled him off his bike. The boy screamed while his friend went for help. This time the man was wearing dark blue or black clothing and his face was blacked-out. The boy continued to yell, and finally the man let him go and ran away. (NOTE, there are two very important details about this attack. First, this victim is the same person as Victim #1. It turns out he was attacked twice. Second, the victim felt he was not the intended target for this second attack because he lived six blocks away, but his friend lived in an apartment just kiddie-corner from the Catholic church. The friend is 100% certain the guy got the wrong kid, and that’s why he was let go.)
Victim #4 was also attacked while he was returning home after dark. He was 14 years old and had been hanging out downtown with his 16 year old brother. It was September 1987 and their parents were away for the weekend, so their older brother (age 19-20) was staying with them to watch over the house. The family lived off River Street on Lyndall Avenue, just blocks from downtown. The younger brother was on his bike, and as he neared the alley that led down the hill to his house, he thought he saw someone dart across the dark alley. By this time, all the kids knew about “the molestor,” so he got scared and started biking slower, waiting for his brother to catch up. When he saw him coming, he continued on his way, left his bike in the yard, and started up the porch steps. Just then, he heard someone bump into the aluminum lawnchairs on the porch. Terrified, he took off running back up the alley, being chased by the suspect. When the boy reached his older brother up on the street, the suspect suddenly stopped when he saw there were two of them. Luckily, he was directly under a streetlight where the boys could get a good look at him. While they were unable to identify his face because it was blacked out, they have a vivid memory of what he was wearing. He had on an old 70s-era parka – the kind with a fuzzy hood and bright orange lining. It was unzipped, so they’re clear about the color of the lining. I’ve included a sample photo below. (NOTE, what’s important about this attack is that it occurred AFTER the original five incidents that were mentioned in the newspaper article. So, four months after police had already warned the public about this guy and asked for their help in finding him, he was STILL attacking kids in the same town using the same M.O.)
So, of the five cases mentioned in the article, we have now found the victims of three of them, plus a new one altogether. We are still missing information about the attack that took place at the middle school playground, and the one that was “down by the river.”
What’s most disturbing about these cases is that they were not random. In every case we found, the victim was either attacked at or near his own home. The suspect knew who the boys were, where they lived, and when they would be on their way home. Also, it’s interesting to note that the attacks all happened after dark on a weekend night, after the boys had been hanging out downtown. Papa’s Pizza was a popular hangout because of the arcade games.
Prior to these cases, there was also another incident that took place in 1986 by G&T Foods in downtown Paynesville. Here’s the text from the article that ran in the April 1, 1986 edition of the Paynesville Press:
On March 9, 1986, the police department received a report of a possible attempted child abduction. While walking near G&T Foods, a 12-year-old boy was asked if he wanted a ride, then asked if he wanted to go to “toyland”. The boy said “no” to both questions and continued walking. The suspect’s car was described as and old blue four-door, square in size.
We’re hoping that by sharing these stories, someone might come forward with a piece of information that could help solve these cases, and possibly Jared’s and Jacob’s as well. We are especially thankful to the young men who were willing to share their stories with us for this article.
Anyone with information is encouraged to leave a comment below, or call the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office at 320-251-4240.
Next time
WCCO-TV features 1986-1987 Paynesville cases
56 Comments
Carla Davis | November 1, 2014 at 5:06 am
I’m thinking it may have been someone who was just a little bit mentally slow. Probably had a job where he was around kids but I’m thinking more like a janitor at the school, church or Hockey rink. Maybe someone who cleaned up at the pizza place or a gaming arcade. Someone who would be able to watch the kids but probably not necessarily talk or interact with them very much but listen to their conversations or possibly follow them to see where they lived. I feel like he was around the kids but not someone real noticeable in their lives like a coach or teacher. Could be a school bus driver since he knew where they lived and their schedules. T. Clark,….as far as why he didn’t let Jacob go (if it’s the same guy). I hope I have my facts straight but it seems to me that Jacob was the only one actually abducted with other witnesses around (please correct me if I’m wrong). The other boys, he just let them go and no one was looking for them. Maybe by the time he was ready to let Jacob go, there were already people looking for him and there was a higher chance of the guy being caught. If he couldn’t let him go, that would mean that Jacob spent way more time with him than the others and may have had the opportunity to see his face and be able to identify him. Since there was supposedly no vehicle used that night, I feel strongly that he took him to that farm.
Todd | December 7, 2014 at 9:18 pm
Sarah’s original supposition that cordless phones may have been listened in on (I believe) is right on. Jared claimed the perpetrator in his attack had a police scanner in the car. I did some thinking: back in around 1984 or so I used to own a portable police scanner from Radio Shack that was programmable. You could scan for frequencies that had activity on them. In a rural area, it could find things really easily. In cities, you could use a paper directory like a little phone book with lists of police, fire, military, highway patrol, coast guard and railroad frequencies. At the time, cordless phones, baby monitors, some kids walkie talkies and similar devices were using between 30-50 mhz in terms of the frequency used and once I not only was able to hear cordless phones but some families who had wireless baby monitors you could basically monitor what was going on in the room or rooms near the monitor. Kind of creepy! I think the baby monitors came later than the late 1980s but the walkie talkies but I could be wrong and cordless phones were definitely available around the time of the early 1980s. I wonder if we don’t have a creeper who was spending a lot of money on batteries and listening in to the cordless phones, walkie talkies and baby monitors of the time. The thoughts of it being someone with some peripheral involvement with athletic coaching (I keep hearing hockey come up again and again), religious teaching (after school bible class or religious oriented group?), school (janitorial/clerical/building maintenance), other ancillary safety related or social activities (snowmobile, bicycling, driving school, ski club), gun safety (hunting). The other thing that keeps coming to mind: these kids were basically all but tripping over the guy in the evening and kind of frequetly – did the guy have a day job that let him spend hours creeping around the streets? was he living by himself? I picture a guy who didn’t have anyone at home asking him “where are you going for hours in the evening?”
Becky | January 21, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Some years ago we had a local guy apparently interested in a certain young girl… drove his car to the school area and sat in it and watched kids at dismissal time. He gave her a gift once. He attended her sports activities.
We were told to report his actions to the local law, not that he was breaking laws, but to get some documentation about him, so that if anything happened, the law would have ’cause’ to investigate him immediately. Everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings and help protect children by reporting. Anyone can attend a sports activity but we reported every time we saw him parked by the school.
He was a person was living on disability so didn’t have any work schedule. Do counties have records of such people? where they live? could that be checked?
I was a young mom of two young boys when Jacob was taken. I have hoped for answers for the Wetterling family too. I just stumbled onto your website… I have been thinking a lot about Jacob since I did. I wonder if Paynesville or St. Josephs have alumni websites you could put your link on. Someone knows something. I hope you can reach them.
Joyce Baer | August 5, 2015 at 5:03 pm
Have the Huber’s been counted out. I know that the elder Huber has passed away while in prison, but Tim is still alive and might know something. Both of them are strange.
Bill | August 30, 2015 at 6:52 pm
Find the parka owner, find the perp for all cases.
Diane | September 5, 2016 at 2:03 pm
Well now we know that Jacob died, we don’t know exactly when. We do know that Danny Heinrich led authorities to his remains. Unfortunately there were other victims of this man, not the least of which would be Jerod. Of course there are other victims. This monster had 19 3 ring binders full of child porn. It is hard to know if he kidnapped anyone else, but if I were in a position of authority I would be looking at other kidnappings to see if he could have been guilty of those crimes. I don’t believe a pediphile would go 27 years without trying to pull off the same crime. For all we know he could have certainly been the man who attacked all of the young men attacked in Paynesville.
Derek Mitchell | April 8, 2014 at 11:42 am
So he will go after the same victim twice. And I didn’t know the victims were actually attacked. Why are newspapers so vague it made it sound as though he only made attempts but clearly he actually did molest them. Hearing about the 1st victim getting attacked twice really adds to the possibility that Jacob is still alive. If he’s targeting the same victims it means he for sure is obsessing over them and not just targeting randomly. And getting a good description on the coat good work that’s not as interchangeable as the military style clothes or the anything else that’s something he would of worn throughout the year and quite distinctive hopefully someone can remember something now.
jbrown | April 8, 2014 at 12:30 pm
awesome information! I wonder why the police couldn’t find the suspect with such good descriptions from the victims. Paynesville in 1987 could not have had many people in it. Man, I would love to talk to one of my suspects.
Concerned Citizen | April 9, 2014 at 8:48 am
I am just wondering – for those of us who are not local to the area, would it be at all possible Joy, for you to please label the map to coincide with the victim numbers?
Also – I would like to know how old were each of these victims? Specifically?
Did these victims have *anything* else in common? EG: they all played hockey (different teams?). They all rode bikes at the park…? You get the idea. Where were THEIR parents at the time of the attacks? I know one victim had his older brother looking out for him — but where were the parents? This is a fantastic start — but now, now we have to dig deeper!!
Anne | April 14, 2014 at 3:26 pm
Great info, thank you for posting. I hope that you or LE get this to the media in Minnesota – specifically the news stations in the Twin Cities. This needs more exposure than just this blog because this is extremely important information. Especially that jacket – maybe if the media can blast that out, someone may recall who they knew that had a jacket like that.
Got away | May 11, 2014 at 1:30 pm
I was the intended target of the second attack on victim 1. When the guy ran from the trees and grabbed my friend on his bike, my friend yelled that he had already gotten him. The guy let him go immediately. I went for help. And lived in terror after that.
Thank you Joy for what you are doing. These events have hurt and haunted so many of us for years.
Paynesvilleresident | May 13, 2014 at 6:57 am
For the person who was wondering where the parents were…..at that time, my brother was that age, I was 19 years old and my parents were at home. It was okay for the kids to ride their bikes around and go to Papa’s pizza to play games, or just to play outside. Most kids went home when the 10pm whistle blew, and yes it was dark but we all assumed it was safe as it always had been in this little town. I remember the boys of that age being terrified of playing outside after all of this happened. And now people wonder why we can’t get our children to play outside? It is because of freaks like that man who have parents now scared to let their kids bike home from school, walk by themselves, play outside. It is a sick world we live in. I always hoped they would catch this guy, probably the same one who got Jacob W. I called the Sheriff’s office about 5 years ago with some information and they seemed uninterested. Maybe I will call them again.
Roann | May 13, 2014 at 12:09 pm
This is excellent work you have done. I am from Minnesota and remember Jacob abduction. I did Not know about the rest of all of these attacks. Of course I wonder why the guy was never caught. Was there ever a suspect? Did the attacks stop after Jacob was abducted? I think that crime-solving has come a long way and perhaps today this person would have been caught?
Marilyn McLane | May 13, 2014 at 12:14 pm
Paynesville resident, Please call Sheriff’s office again. To me the guy sounds local. My child too was abused by a pedophile , other children came forward and nothing happened to him either. We knew the abuser. I was told @ the time,by Sam W.,(Stearns County Prosecutor),”Cute kid, but hard to understand.” My son was 3 1/2 years old, and County did not want to take the time to prosecute, they,” had more important things happening”, at the time. The long lasting pain this has caused our family.
God Bless all the children, as they continue to heal, and let’s catch this CREEP.D | May 13, 2014 at 2:22 pm
Joy – interesting story – I had graduated from PHS in 1979 and did not know anything about these attacks. Thanks for gathering and sharing the information.
There are a couple of other interesting cases in recent Paynesville history – the unsolved murder that took place in the old Phillips 66 station that was across Mill street from the fire station, and a boy who disappeared in the 60’s near the crow river…
Good luck with your fact finding.
Thought | May 13, 2014 at 3:18 pm
I could see this being a teacher or someone who knew the kids before kidnapping them or someone who worked at a store that kids always went too. He asked the one victim if he recognized or knew what he looked like, he knew the kids somehow were there was a possibility that they could recognize him
JBergland | May 13, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Why wasn’t this info shared during the Jacob abduction and search????
CK | May 13, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Marilyn! How is your child doing? Do you believe the creep is someone in authority and above the law?
I would love to find this perpetrator | May 13, 2014 at 4:21 pm
I would also get a list of all incarcerated sex offender inmates in the MNDOC and also a list of all clients at the Moose Lake Sex Offender Facility in Moose Lake, that are originally from Paynesville.s county and neighboring counties since that era. I would start with the city of Paynesville in that search. If there are any listed, some information on that individual may bring forth some insight. Their age would have to coincide with the age of the perpetrator of those times with how old they are now. Some of these individuals may not have done much time and could be out again or they may have completed their incarcerated time, but, were sent to the MN Sex Offender Treatment Center in Moose Lake, deemed too dangerous to live on the street by the county judge. I know this process seems like it may be paper intrusive, but, it is a possibility that they got caught in other sexual crimes and just never got caught in these cases.
Wondering | May 13, 2014 at 6:40 pm
Is there a suspect. I heard there was a paynesville man that was a suspect in the Jacob wetterling case at one time.
Bob Powers | May 13, 2014 at 6:45 pm
The man in the picture looks like I a man I knew. But he passed away a few weeks ago. He had a gruff voice and would have in the age group talked about. He lived in the Watkins area. Maybe a possibility.
tclark | May 13, 2014 at 6:50 pm
Here’s my question, in every single situation he had the same MO. Why is anyone thinking Jacob here? Jacob didn’t live in Paynesville. What would make him move his operation to a different town (#1) and #2, not let the child go, as he had in every other circumstance? As much as we’d like to think it’s a possibility, I just don’t see it.
jamie | May 13, 2014 at 8:17 pm
where did this picture of the coat come from
Karen | May 13, 2014 at 8:50 pm
Were they all in the same club (boy scouts, 4-H etc. ) or go to the same church?
Tammy Malbraaten | May 13, 2014 at 9:17 pm
I have not lived near Paynesville, but do remember the Jacob W. abduction, when my son was born in 1986, I was concerned about an abduction, even though we live in a very secluded area in Northern Minnesota. When he started school we took him to the town I worked in so he would not have to wait for the bus alone, We even changed day cares so he would not have to walk to a school in town, Jacob’s abduction has affected many lives, A friend told me that whenever she told her 8-10 year old that he could not go somewhere he would ask ” is it because of Jacob ?”
Good Luck finding this creep.former P'ville resident | May 13, 2014 at 9:29 pm
I remember this vividly. My brother was one if his victims. The victims all knew each other well & most hung out together. I hope they catch this monster. I feel for all of his victims.
Shaun Haag | May 13, 2014 at 11:22 pm
There is also some similar stories of attempts in Eden Valley in this time frame.
John Beek | May 14, 2014 at 12:06 am
I lived next to the hockey rink and remember being very scared to walk home after dark. These victims were friends of mine about my age.
NPeterson | May 14, 2014 at 2:22 am
Tclark, he may have moved his operation because of nearly getting caught. Jacob may not have been released because he got a good look at his face. There are several possible logical explanations for the change in location and end result. If we doubt the possibility without taking a closer look, we may be missing the bigger picture.
Helen R | May 14, 2014 at 5:07 am
Very good job here Joy.
Ven | May 14, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Great work – also seems there are leads here within the comments. My 2cents – if he had insight into the boys (who hung around each other) routines, he was a coach/teacher/leader. I’m not familiar with the area but the facts you have coupled with some ideas on this board suggests the creep is probably known.
Mary B. | May 14, 2014 at 10:31 pm
Good job JOY! Amazing that our police departments were so inadequate (WCCO news said most didn’t even have a fax machine at this time). I pray this leads to more information about Jacob.
VSP | May 15, 2014 at 5:26 am
The photo of the parka is a great visual that would surely trigger a memory.
Chances are the “candy stripped” could also stir a memory. A friend or relative would possibly recognize the carpet as that of the attacker. Unsure how likely the attacker was to purchase a special carpet for this. More probable that it was used in his home or work.
Any chance of getting a similar photo?
art w | May 15, 2014 at 7:21 pm
It seems that he knew the kids habits. This wasn’t random but well thought out. No description of a car, a local guy. Maybe the attacks moved because he moved. A church figure ? Someone well known and trusted. Much like the BTK killer in Wichita.
Cali | May 15, 2014 at 8:11 pm
Curious… Did these boys take fire arms or snow mobile safety training?
Were they all Catholic boys?
Was the perp one of the Catholic priest victims?Bob – J a possibility?
Sarah | May 15, 2014 at 10:47 pm
It does seem like he had an awful lot of knowledge of the kids’ movements, but also it seems like there were a lot of instances of parents being away. (In one of the Paynesville victims, Wetterlings were away and there was a babysitter.) Did he somehow have inside information about kids’ and parents’ movements and chose those nights because of this? Was he able to somehow listen to phone conversations? I was wondering about the technology of the time and if someone could easily (or not so easily, if they worked for a phone company) listen to say a whole neighborhood’s phone conversations somehow. Then I Googled it and learned that police scanners can pick up cordless phone conversations pretty easily. Does anyone know more about the likelihood/technology of this or how far away the scanner would have to be to pick up the frequency? Didn’t the Wetterling boys place a call to their parents before going to Tom Thumb to ask if they could go? Wonder if they used a cordless phone…
KelBel | May 15, 2014 at 11:18 pm
I think the key to this is the Victim #1 and #3 attack. He let go as soon as he found out he had the wrong kid. He specifically targeted the other kid near his home. He knew his age and where he lived. In each case, it’s as if he knew where these kids would be traveling. He stalked them.
The answer is figuring out how the perpetrator knew where these 12-14 year olds lived. Everybody was listed in the phone book back then. So then all he would need is a school yearbook or church directory to get names and faces. Did any of them have their picture/name in the local paper in the weeks/months prior to their attacks? Were all these Paynesville victims from the elementary or middle school? Maybe he was a school bus driver or school custodian? Could anybody order school yearbooks back then? I know in my husband’s home town, the local dentist had a copy of every yearbook (going back many years) in the waiting room for patients to look at. Find whoever was in charge of the school pictures/yearbooks or church directories – see if they remember where they sent extra copies to (other than students). Is there common photographer/company who did photos for these schools or churches of ALL the victims? (maybe an employee?) Local libraries always have copies of yearbooks and church directories. Did someone check this out before the attacks?
I do believe it’s the same perpetrator in all these attacks. He just moved on to Cold Spring, then St. Joseph when he felt the people of Paynesville were becoming too wary.
KelBel | May 15, 2014 at 11:34 pm
@ Sarah …. I like your thinking. Come to think of it I know you could also pick up cordless phone calls with another cordless phone. We accidentally found this out in college in the mid 90’s. The phone line came unplugged from the phone but phone was still plugged into the electrical outlet. When you turned on the handset, it would pick up other phone calls in the neighborhood (I have know idea how far). It could receive, but not send (they couldn’t hear us). Cordless phones didn’t really become common until the 90’s but it would be worth checking out.
I also wonder if a ham radio would be able to pick up cordless phones back then? – I think they have to be licensed or registered? A list of ham radio operators in the area?
mommabear | May 16, 2014 at 12:39 am
Were any the boys in school patrol? There has to be a dotted line that connects the boys, for him to ask Jared if he knew him…
KelBel | May 16, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Another theory… The perpetrator’s mark was 12-14 year olds. He was able find out who these kids were and where they lived. There’s has to be a commonality with the victims. I and others mentioned – schools, churches, boy scouts, sports teams etc. I also read someone’s suggestion of snowmobile safety classes. Other ideas for possible connections – gun safety training, medical clinics (where anyone working there would have access to medical files with personal info), bike shops (since most attacks involved kids on their bikes). Was there a bicycle safety class given by the schools or communities back then? If so who organized or taught them? Music lessons, swimming lessons, summer camp? It would be great to have a questionnaire with all these possibilities to give all the victim’s families to find the common threads.
In the Paynesville and Cold Spring cases, the attacker let the kids go after the attacks. In Jacob’s case – he didn’t. Which means he took him to another location. Since a body was never found. He probably lived alone and outside the city limits of Paynesville. He probably had some land with acreage and disposed of the body there. Tax and census records could help narrow down rural properties in the area. One of the victim’s described the attacker around 35. If I recall in the Wetterling case – he was described around 50. (although kids are not proficient at describing people’s age) I would guess closer to the 35-40 age range since the attacks were described as being quite physical. Look for property owners in that range around the Paynesville area. Since these crimes happened on the weekends – could this be someone’s cabin property?
Also the crimes appear to have stopped after the Wetterling case. Did he die? Commit suicide? Move? Or maybe he stayed in the area married and started a family. I would like to think the national attention of the Wetterling case scared him straight, but I doubt it. Predators like this tend to escalate their crimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved elsewhere and continued his crimes.
I guess I (and others) are throwing out these theories hoping local authorities will look at these as possible leads. Are they still actively investigating these crimes? Maybe a task force is needed between the cities and county (in conjunction with the feds) to search these theories.
I think the connection to the Paynesville attack and Jared’s attack (great work Joy) will be the key to solving this since the victims are able to tell their stories.
Alsocurious | May 17, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Skating rinks seem a commonality. Then he asks jared if he knows him. One possibilty jared and jacobs abductor could have been associated with hockey/skating and had seen the boys but they might not have recognized him if he was a coach or helper with a different team.
central minnesotan | May 20, 2014 at 6:47 pm
@ I Would Love To Find This Perpetrator – that’s a good idea, and I would also look at anyone who was on parole or probation at the time. Not as many sex offenders would have been sent to the Sex Offender Treatment Program back in the late 1980s – the law changed in the early 1990s when Dennis Linehan was set to get released from prison, making it easier to keep offenders in treatment after their prison sentences, and again, after the Dru Sjodin case, I think even more offenders started being sent to the program. In 1989 though, there must have been a good chance even a serious sex offender could rejoin society without too much hassle. But I wonder if they had any required checking in they had to do? Required counseling? Their must be lists of these people that were kept, even then, even without an official Registry.
Elsewhere on this excellent blog I think someone raised the point that there was a gap between the attacks of 1986-87 and Jared’s abduction in 1989. Do we know for sure there was such a gap? What if the perpetrator was in another town during that time? If LE couldn’t connect Jacob Wetterling with the Paynesville incidents, what’s to say there weren’t attacks in other small towns around that time that were overlooked?
Naomi | May 21, 2014 at 1:36 am
After reading your blog, I wonder if the attacker found his victims based on the school calendar. I would guess activity in these small towns is much different on nights that there is no school the next day. Do these other cases have this in common as the Wetterling case does?
Let's solve this | May 22, 2014 at 11:39 am
What about a delivery driver? Someone who traveled to the various towns to stock chips or bread, or whatever. He probably was local to Paynesville but he might have had a regular route to the Tom Thumb up in St. Joseph?
KN | May 25, 2014 at 3:18 am
As I was reading this article the picture of the dark blue parka with bright orange lining sent chills down my back. Do I know someone who owns this coat, no. However, all the descriptions of the suspect given in the article (approximate age, voice pitch, height, weight, etc.) are very much up for interpretation by each victim. The fact is most people that I know own very few winter coats (that’s if they even own more than one and even more so true considering it was the 1980’s). Most people also do not get a new winter coat every year so more than likely this coat was worn at some time by the suspect for possibly a few winter seasons. Someones family member, friend or coworker would have to remember someone who wore this coat. I truly think if the picture of the parka is splashed all over the media, we will find the suspect.
Julien | August 31, 2014 at 9:13 pm
Kelbel,
I’ve worked for victims and interviewed several offenders. This is my first impression. If this offender is over 25 years old, he’s a failure. Hes not formally employed. He watches and stays jealous of others. Hes not th kind of person most people would look at twice. However, hes not alien to the area, or he would attract too much attention. Being the boss (using a firearm against the victim) is very important to him.
Using blackout on his face, wearing that jacket and having the boldness, or in the converse lack of imagination to remain in the same area for so long and repeat offend tells me that this guy stays on the edges of life.
The blackout, jacket and husky voice hints at a hunter. But, my gut says he wouldn’t have obtained a license, and I’d bet he’s been caught encroaching on private land. My first sense is that this offender has been cited in nearby areas poaching. Because he’d rather be sneaky and get one over on others and likely has no group of friends to hunt with.
This is such a small area and google earth may have launched with street view. I’m thinking needle in a haystack, but photos may be the key here. Just as the other poster mentioned.Brad | August 31, 2014 at 9:47 pm
What about people who worked at Papa’s Pizza. Seems like I keep hearing how all the kids went there.
Andy | August 31, 2014 at 10:52 pm
Joy- incredible stuff. Thank you for your dedication and work towards Jacob’s mystery. I was 14yo and living in Waite Park when Jacob was taken. I remember going to vigils and gatherings for him with my family and friends. About 2-3 years ago, after not having thought about it for many years, I awoke one night from a dream about Jacob. I dreamt that the man who took him was attending the gatherings and rallys as a normal person showing support for Jacob and his family. It was so vivid in my mind I had to get up in the middle of the night and get online to research Jacobs case. Your blue parka is very interesting. I wonder if there are any photos or documents from these gatherings that may show someone wearing a parka like that? Long shot I know…
Katja | September 2, 2014 at 12:01 am
Sarah! I was thinking the same thing! I think the scanners do pick up phone calls.
Rick Hill | September 2, 2014 at 3:10 pm
Joy & Patty talked about a person who was convicted of sexually abusing 4 boys in that area and sent to Prison in 1990 was Jared Scheirl the Cold Spring victim ever shown a photo of that guy?
The victim at the Ben Franklin store gives me goosebumps the abductor knew that kid was going to come in that door. and had his mask on.
This guy was in the towm of paynsville alot either for work or to pick up goods he had preset most of his attacks.
Jacob is the only one missing from all these attacks and my guess is Jacob tried to get away and the abductor took him out.
This guy is associated with Paynesville some how.
Rick
Rick Hil | September 2, 2014 at 3:23 pm
Until Jacob is found I pray he is alive there is no proof he isn’t alive.
Rick Hill
Bring Jacob Home | September 3, 2014 at 10:06 pm
Hi Joy,
I have a few questions and comments after reading this portion of the blog:
1. Was Jacob at the hockey rink in the days prior to the abduction.
2. Was the hockey rink an indoor establishment or organized business where participants had to provide their information?I find it very interesting that it appears the offender knew where the children lived and assaulted them on their way home. It seems like this creep was always in the right place at the right time, with some incidents that seem to be planned/organized and some that are opportunistic/unorganized.
The incident of victim #1 stands out to me… Due to the fact that it is the first reported incident. I believe that the offender may have lived in that apartment building, since pedophiles/rapists/serial killers usually start acting out their fantasies in locations which are their comfort zones. If the offender lived in the apartment building, he would be able to peep on victim #1 and know when he was coming/going. I also find it interesting that victim #1 was attacked twice. Do you have a list of the residents in that apartment building during the time of #1’s attack??
I do not know all the facts of the case as you and law enforcement, but it seems like this offender may have known the addresses of the children. Jared had stated that his abductor had a police scanner. Who had access to police scanners back then? This case is going to get solved… I feel there is so much info now, with some digging, good investigative skills and hard work, you guys are right on the verge of putting all the pieces together. Great job Joy! Thank you for the updates.
Bring Jacob Home | September 3, 2014 at 10:56 pm
Everyone one here has made very good points. I too think the offender may have been a hockey coach or someone who worked for the school as a custodian or something of that sort. It seems like the hockey rink and school were where most of the attacks took place. The offender wore a mask bc he was a local and could easily be identified without one. If he was an outsider, there would be no need for the mask. I believe that the offender moved after Jacobs abduction and got spooked. LE probably interviewed him. I believe Jacob went missing bc the offenders fantasies became more violent as he became more refined in his criminal career. This is a long shot, but anyone think it may be a LE officer???
Deedee | September 4, 2014 at 5:12 pm
The idea that it could have been a LE or reserve officer makes a lot of sense. They might have been tuned in to a police scanner etc. They would also know when the heat was getting too hot to stick around. Did they have truancy officers then? That would connect them through the school.
Deedee | September 4, 2014 at 5:23 pm
Naomi, you mentioned that the attacks happened during the school year, what if the person was like a reverse snow bird and went north to say Alaska during the summer. I was watching a tv program where a person came back to Minnesota in the winter, but spent summers in Alaska mining for gold.
Bring Jacob Home | October 4, 2014 at 5:51 am
Joy,
I am wondering if you have a map that locates where the first several victims lived? It would make sense that if the offender knew where these children lived and what time they would be heading home, may indicate that he lived in close proximity to the victims. Hence, the reason for the mask and being on foot for most of the first few attacks. Most criminals who are sexually driven begin acting out their fantasies in their comfort zone, close to where they live. I believe this is the key to finding Jacob’s abductor. God bless.