Jaycee's Story Gives Hope to Mom of Missing Boy

by Amy Hatch (Subscribe to Amy Hatch's posts) Sep 3rd 2009 2:00PM

Jerry and Patty Wetterling hold a photo of their kidnapped son, Jacob. Credit: Craig Lassig, AP

A Minnesota mother whose son was abducted by gunpoint in 1989 says that the return of kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard is a beacon of hope for all parents of missing children.

For the past 20 years, Patty Wetterling has been living every parent's worst nightmare: In 1989, her son, Jacob, then just 11, was kidnapped while playing with his best friend and his brother. "They witnessed it," Wetterling told CNN. "They saw this masked man with a gun."

When Wetterling heard the news that Jaycee Dugard was rescued from nearly 20 years of captivity and abuse from her alleged kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, she told CNN that it made "her heart smile."

Ever since the fateful October day that took Jacob away from her, Wetterling has been a tireless advocate not only for her own missing son, but also for all parents who are living out the horror of losing their children to kidnappers or sexual predators. The St. Joseph, Minn. woman ran for Congress twice in an effort to give children a bigger voice in government, and also helped create Minnesota's sex-offender registry. She also helped found Team HOPE -- Help Offering Parents Empowerment -- a parent-to-parent support program for mothers and fathers of missing kids.

Today, Wetterling is focused on preventing tragedies like hers. As the head of the sexual violence prevention program for the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul, a big part of her job, she told CNN, is ending current "social norms" in the media that encourage sexual violence.

Prevention is just part of the picture, however, and Wetterling encourages all citizens to be alert for the signs that something is amiss -- in Dugard's case, a police officer noticed something suspicious.

"These kids do not come running forward on their own. They are found by someone else," she told CNN. "The bottom-line lesson is to tell people to report things when they see them. Trust your instincts ... You'd want somebody sticking up for your child, so don't second-guess."

Wetterling and Dugard's mom, Terry Probyn, kept in touch throughout the years after being brought together on a television show about missing and abducted children. Jaycee and Jacob were the same age when they disappeared.

Wetterling said she and Probyn spoke occasionally by telephone over the intervening years, but have not yet been in touch since Jaycee was reunited with her family last week. She said that Jaycee and her family will need time and space to heal from their ordeal.

But that doesn't dampen her happiness over Jaycee's return: "It's just phenomenal," Wetterling told CNN. "I know a lot of parents of missing children, and we all hope and pray that one day we'll get to hold our kids again. That's the goal."

As for Jacob, Wetterling said she still believes it's possible that she will be reunited with her son.

"We never quit," she told CNN. "We need you home. And to the man who took him: It's time. It's time to lift the burden that you've carried, as well, for all these years and tell us where he is and what happened. It's time."

Would you come forward if you saw something suspicious?

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Comments (31)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

John 9-04-2009 @ 6:40AM

Ever Wonder why so many Children are disappearing?,... Than Wonder no more,.... http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/010106sexslavescandal.htm --- AND -- Washington Child Sex Scandal: - Watch Video = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bHD8yeFSoE

cagedbird714 9-04-2009 @ 9:32AM

Please help find Mia Evans...She is a 14 year old runaway that left home on Monday, 8/24/2009. She was last seen in Belleville, NJ but maybe in Brooklyn, NY. Please pass information on to anyone who can help!

Here is a flyer of her information: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,542820,00.html?sPage=fnc/us/crime

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uASANTmr898

Theresa 9-04-2009 @ 7:33AM

Patty and Jerry, I believe there are a lot of people, like myself, from your home state of MN that also thought of Jacob when Jaycee
Dugard was found. We continue to pray that this day will happen for you and your family soon!

Dave 9-04-2009 @ 10:09AM

Amen.

Char 9-04-2009 @ 12:34PM

It is so sad.. how these sicko child abductors ( steal ) these young innocent kids ! How can it be prevented ! ? Never allow your kid out of your sight ! Especially nowdays - in this wicked world ! I pray Jacob is found ! He would be 31 yrs old !

Darlene 9-04-2009 @ 5:00PM

We have never forgotten about Jacob.Our son is 1 year younger than him. We live in a small town called Chisholm. My kid's would ride their bikes to the video store which was a mile away.I felt very safe for them to do that!! After I heard about Jacob I got more paranoid about that,Also from this small,safe town,a little girl was abducted,about 6 years ago.Little sweetheart was never found.God must give you parent's such inner strength!! GOD BE WITH YOU ALL!!! P.S.NOW I WORRY ABOUT MY GRANDCHILDREN

betsymurphey 9-04-2009 @ 8:37AM

Sadly, there have been so many child abductions in the years since I gave birth to my son in May of 1989. This is the one I remember the most though. I think it was because I was a brand new mother when it happened and because this boy looked like what I believed my son would look like at the same age. I held my five month old blond haired, blue eyed son and sobbed when I watched the coverage knowing that one day he would be out riding a bike with friends too. I just can't imagine what these families go through! I have lifted this family up in prayer a lot over the years and I did think of them when the Jaycee story broke. .I hope against hope that they get Jacob back one day too and I hope he can heal. We have to stop these horrible predators. Our children deserve better!

diana 9-04-2009 @ 9:01AM

THIS IS WHY I SAY THAT IT SHOULD BE THE LAW THAT ALL CHILDREN ARE DNA TYPED, FINGER & FOOT PRINTED AT BIRTH!

AND THERE SHOULD BE NO TWO OR THREE STRIKES. ONCE SOMEONE IS LABELED A PREDATOR THEY SHOULD EITHER BE SENTENCED TO LIFE W/OUT PAROLE OR DEATH.

WHAT ABOUT CASTRATING OR AMPUTATING ONE HAND? MAYBE EVEN TAKING THESE PREDATORS CENTRAL VISION AWAY? IT WOULD DECREASE EVERYONES CHANCES OF BEING ATTACKED AGAIN ESPECIALLY IF THEY WERE PARTIALLY DISABLED!

IF THEY ARE GOING TO LET THESE PREDATORS OUT ONTO THE STREETS AGAIN THEY NEED TO HAVE A PERMANENT GPS LOCKED ON THEM SO WE KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AT ALL TIMES & INCASE OF A FUTURE EVENT WE KNOW IF THEY WERE IN THE SUSPECTED AREA OR NOT.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY UNIDENTIFIED PPL THERE ARE? THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME KIND OF NATIONAL REGISTRY SO THAT WHEN SOMEONE IS FOUND ANYWHERE IN OUR NATION THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE IDENTIFIED. WHAT ABOUT A UHRR, UNIDENTIFIED HUMAN REMAINS REGISTRY?

I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS STORY & I FEEL FOR THESE PARENTS & ALL PARENTS ALIKE. YOU WOULD THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO COMMIT CRIMES WOULD SOMEHOW LEAVE BEHIND INFO ABOUT A CASE THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED IN WHEN THEY DIE SO THAT PPL CAN FIND THEIR LOVED ONES & KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BUT THESE PREDATORS DON'T HAVE A CONSIOUS. GOD BLESS THESE FAMILIES & I HOPE THEY HAVE A HAPPY IF NOT SATISFYING CONCLUSION.

Mic 9-04-2009 @ 9:12AM

To Jerry and Patty, I pray you will one day hold your son again..I remember Oct. 1989...I was carrying my first child, and I remember praying for your child's return...when my son was born in Feb. 1990, he was named Jacob, in honor of your strong, and much loved son.

Stanwoody 9-04-2009 @ 9:19AM

Castration, amputation, blinding? Gee you are a nice person. Too bad you were born in this century. Saudia Arabia is nice this time of year, perhaps you would be happier there. I hope I haven't gotten on your bad side. I would hate to loose my fingers. Say hello to Tony Saprano for me.

Key Kye 9-04-2009 @ 10:24AM

They should clear Guantanamo Bay, sentence all pedophiles to life in prison, whether it is big enough or not so they can get their jollies off on each other! Or, just shoot them in the head and end their life! This is what they do to their victims whether they return them or do the unthinkable....end their life too. This is a sad world! There is no rehabilitation for these frealks and someone needs to get rid of them.
I will pay the taxes to keep them the hell away from children.

Aunt Dottie 9-04-2009 @ 8:18PM

You are so right. But it is the laws also that need to be really changed and fast ! We have 3 bio siblings we adopted. after ten years the mother had another baby. Born with drugs in him. DYFS of nj took the baby away. He also had hepatitis C. He was placed with his siblings and told he would not be returning to the mother. Because of her background in child abuse. ( letting one get thrown down the stairs, one found with crack pipe in mouth.she was giving large amounts of cough meds to the children at night so she can go out and get her drugs. The state has wasted thousand of dollars on her with rehab. Medical bill for the children. And this judge after one year and 7 days give her back the baby that her siblings have loved and walked the floor with while he went threw horrable withdtawals. He is now in daycare all day long with strangers. And back to her at night. And you know what this judge then did. Said," the three siblings that are adopted are no longer this babies siblings because they are adopted. And not that these three keep getting slapped because of the mother's behavior. Then have been denied visitation now after even a lawyer was hired. The judge says then may not even speak on his behave. so see it is the laws that need to be put into place. But also strickly followed by the judges. one child wants to know why after all of this is she not in jail ? That child is 7. So what did we just show her. Drugs are good ?

Carl Maxwell 9-04-2009 @ 10:37AM

How about the thousands of children daily being legally kidnapped by corrupt and money-hungry agencies and lying foster parents? Our son was taken from us through false charges and even as we were totally innocent, the kangaroo court, after fighting for five solid years, removed all connection to our son. Taken from us at age four, he is now 23, if still alive, and we have no idea where he is. Where do we go for help about this?

bassuener 9-07-2009 @ 7:32PM

Patty and Jerry, I too have thought frequently about Jacob over the last few weeks and of your family and hope that you and Jacob are reunited soon. Your strength is inspiring. Please know that your story is not forgotten and that many people think of you and your family often and hope for the best.

Carl Maxwell 9-04-2009 @ 10:35AM

My son was kidnapped by a lying, corrupt, money-hungry, prejudiced CPS and foster parent more than nineteen years ago. He is 23 now, and I don't know if he is alive or dead. Many thousands of children are taken falsely from loving and innocent parents because of similar conditions every day here in this country. Where do we turn for help about this?

Vicki 9-04-2009 @ 9:15AM

Diana, I agree with you but... to DNA type and finger print, etc. will only help identify a body, not prevent abduction...

Bellona91 9-04-2009 @ 9:29AM

It may not prevent the crime but if everyone had such prints done, then it would be possible to find more evidince at crime scenes, like what if the man had touched the bike at any point. If he didn't have a criminal record but he had the original prints done at birth then it would be more likely for him to get caught.

kathy 9-04-2009 @ 9:32AM

i have a grand daughter comming soon. i bought a hand and foot print kit at wall mart for the very reason we are talking about now. a foot print is just as unique as a finger print. it could identifi a lost child tht doesn't remember who they really are.

hvspysctt 9-04-2009 @ 9:16AM

I'm very sorry of Jacob's parents...I pray that they can finally see their son...I believe he is againest his will like the recent Durgard case...I believe that his parents need to get more involved and check all the police and FBI records once again to seek Jacob whereabouts...Maybe this nut-case who kidnapped Durgard knows something about Jacob ? Now he is now in jail or prison...he might share some information...

JONI 9-04-2009 @ 9:28AM

I have a son Jacob's age AND I live in Minnesota....when Jacob was kidnapped it put fear in my heart. I will never forget the day and I will never forget his face. I look for him all the time..trying to picture how he would look some 20 years later. Never give up hope..there are people out there STILL looking for Jacob and still praying he will come home!

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