Wetterling’s mother to share story of hope

Thirty-three years after the disappearance of her son, Patty Wetterling offers an intimate look into the untold aspects of this story in her new book, “Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope,” co-authored with Joy Baker.

CSB+SJU will host Wetterling and Baker on Dec. 5 in the Escher Auditorium at the Benedicta Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public and will be live-streamed. The event will include a discussion with Wetterling as well as a book signing and reception.

The hardcover book will be available for purchase at the event. The book itself dives deep into the investigation of Jacob’s disappearance, the family’s struggles and Wetterling’s resilience through it all.

Eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling, his younger brother and a friend were biking home from the Tom Thumb in St. Joseph on Oct. 22, 1989, when a masked kidnapper with a gun told the boys to lay face down in a ditch. The kidnapper took Jacob and told the other two boys to run and not look back or else they would be shot.

Search and investigation for Jacob began almost immediately. CSB+SJU students distributed flyers, volunteered in the ground search and participated in prayer services.

Jacob’s abduction remained unsolved for nearly 27 years. In 2016, local officers found Jacob’s remains in a pasture near Paynesville, Minn. The location was revealed by Danny Heinrich, a long-time person of interest in a nearby Cold Spring abduction. On Sept. 6, 2016, Heinrich confessed to kidnapping and murdering Jacob Wetterling.

Wetterling’s work has earned her recognition as one of the 100 most influential Minnesotans of the century. She has become a prominent speaker and educator across the nation and has worked hard to support families of missing children.

“Part of Patty’s mission has been to make the world a better place for children. She is an incredible force of goodness who still believes that we can make this world the world Jacob lived in one of joy, fairness, hope and play,” Carol Bruess said.

Wetterling and her husband Jerry have long been supporters of the CSB+SJU community, especially the Fine Arts Programing (FAP). They have both served on the advisory committee and have been heavily involved in making St. Joe a better place for its residents.

Bruess has been the driving force behind organizing an event to host Wetterling in St. Joe to discuss her book.

“When reading the book, you realize how profound the involvement of CSB+SJU was in the early searching, organizing, coordinating and supporting them through it all and even after Jacob was found,” Bruess said.

Wetterling herself has described the appreciation she holds for the CSB+SJU community through the hardships that have come following the disappearance of her son.

“St. Ben’s has been on this very long journey from the beginning, in 1989, with students distributing fliers and joining the thousands of community members in a line of hearts and hands supporting our search for Jacob, to the very end in hosting Jacob’s memorial service in 2016,” Wetterling said via email. “Our family was carried and moved by the demonstration of love, prayer, stewardship, hospitality and community support. Joy and I are honored to share this memoir here, with this glorious, hopeful, loving community.”

Once the idea was brought up by Bruess and Wetterling, plans were set into motion for the event that will take place here on campus, in collaboration with FAP, the CSB+SJU history department, the McCarthy Center and the Minnesota State Historical Society.

“Essentially, the idea was brought to us (FAP), and we said yes, absolutely, we’ll make it happen. We looked at the dates that were available, and we figured out the logistic pieces. It happened relatively quickly because we wanted to make sure to get in early in the book tour,” said Richard Crawford, interim director of FAP.

The event will be one of the first opportunities that Wetterling will have to speak publicly about the book. With this in mind, and the nature of the story’s popularity, FAP kept in mind concerns about a potential overflow of people in attendance the night of the event.

“It’s a free event, and it’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to do so, but we are doing reserved seats and well as a live stream the night of to make sure that can have access to the talk and information without it becoming too overwhelming.” Crawford said.

The event will take on a discussion-based style with opportunity for audience engagement. This evening is a chance to honor the impact of Wetterling’s advocacy and the strides made in child safety and support for families of missing children. “The passion that she brings towards this experience, that is so incredibly challenging and heartbreaking, but to turn it into how structures and systems can be changed to make the world a better and safer place is really inspiring,” Crawford said.