Community honors Wetterling family at their home

As the sun sets on September 3rd, 2016, for the first time in 27 years, we finally know where Jacob Wetterling is.

If you were there that day in 1989, you never forgot it. The snow, the cold, the face of a little boy named Jacob. At the time, no one ever thought it would take this long.

27 years. 27 summers robbed of a child's joy replaced only with a fleeting hope.

"A young lady at the gas station said, ‘I heard some breaking news.’ The first thing that came to mind was this and she said it and was like oh my God, I have to get home," Jerry Froelich said as he dropped off flowers at the Wetterling home.

When the news broke on Saturday, disbelief was followed closely by grief. The driveway of Jerry and Patty Wetterling becoming a place for flowers and moments beyond easy explanation.

It's a long time to hope for news no parent ever wants to believe.

The Wetterlings have yet to appear publicly, but in a text message to Fox 9 said simply, "Our hearts are broken, we have no words."