A new '20/20' examines the chilling case that remained unsolved until 2016.
Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped by a masked man while riding his bike on the evening of Oct. 22, 1989.Nearly 34 years ago, the abduction of an 11-year-old boy from a dark road in rural Minnesota terrified the community and went on to become one of the biggest mysteries in the state's history.
A masked man suddenly approached them, ordered them to turn off their flashlights, and lay face down in a ditch, according to police. "Who would take a child?" Patty recalls thinking about during the 20-minute drive home. "That's all I kept -- who would do this?"Patty and Jerry Wetterling, the parents of Jacob Wetterling, discuss their son's case in an interview with ABC News' Deborah Roberts.Police launched an investigation and began looking for clues at the abduction site. They found tire tracks on a long driveway adjacent to the road, along with adult and child-sized footprints.
When the assailant dropped him off, Jared said he told him to run and not look back or he would shoot -- similar to the statements the masked man made to Trevor and Aaron on the night Jacob was abducted. Investigators looked into Dan Rassier, the neighbor whose driveway was near Jacob's abduction site and where authorities had found those tire tracks and shoe prints. Rassier had told police he had seen a car quickly turn around in his driveway that night and was convinced the vehicle was involved in the kidnapping. However, 14 years later, a man would come forward claiming to be the driver of that vehicle. Police would then turn their focus onto Rassier.
In 2014, the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team did a cold case review of the entire Wetterling investigation and began taking a closer look at a longtime person of interest, Paynesville resident Danny Heinrich.
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