A bouquet of flowers is placed at the end of Jerry and Patty Wetterling’s driveway as news has come out that the search for Jacob Wetterling may be over, Saturday afternoon, September 3, 2016, in St. Joseph, Minn. Mi.
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According to court documents, a masked gunman approached Wetterling, his brother and a friend as they rode their bikes home from a convenience store. But he has pleaded not guilty to 25 federal child pornography charges and is scheduled to go on trial on those counts in October.
TribuneFlowers stand along the road Monday near Paynesville, overlooking the site where the remains of Jacob Wetterling were found.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
An investigation into the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling led to the arrest of Heinrich in Annandale previous year.
Patty Wetterling said in her statement Monday that the family would be “eager” to talk to the media when they are able to do so.
Officials with the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center posted a statement on its website Saturday, saying they are in “deep grief”. Authorities have been careful to avoid calling him a suspect in the boy’s disappearance and death. The arrest wasn’t related to the Wetterling case, but search warrants at Heinrich’s home turned up 19 binders full of photos of naked young boys and video tapes.
The mission of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center “is to educate and assist families and communities to address and prevent the exploitation of children, by putting online and in-person safety information in the hands of every man, woman and child”.
Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, sent a text message to KARE-TV earlier Saturday, saying that Jacob “has been found and our hearts are broken”.
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“We didn’t want Jacob’s story to end this way”, the statement said. Create joy. Help your neighbor. “That is what will bring me comfort today”.
