How to sign Jacob Wetterling's memorial guestbook
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. (KMSP) - The Wetterling family has invited the public to attend a memorial service for Jacob Wetterling at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. The doors to the service will open at 9 a.m.
Space is limited, so those planning to attend are asked to sign an online guestbook at jwmemorial.net. The location of the memorial service and driving directions will be shared by email with those who sign the guestbook.
Memorials are preferred to the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or your preferred children's organization that focuses on building a better and safer world.
The memorial service is being held during the same weekend as the Millstream Arts Festival in downtown St. Joseph, so attendees for both events are encouraged to arrive early and anticipate increased traffic.
Jacob Wetterling was abducted back in 1989 near his St. Joseph home. Court documents say he was taken at gunpoint by a masked man when he was just 11 years old. The case changed the way parents discussed stranger danger with their children, and launched Patty Wetterling's 27-year quest to find her son and prevent the abduction and exploitation of any other children.
Danny Heinrich of Annandale, Minn. was an early suspect in the abduction, and this week -- nearly 27 years after Jacob was abducted -- Heinrich confessed to the kidnapping and murder of Jacob Wetterling. Heinrich led investigators to a farm property near Paynesville, Minn., where they recovered his remains.
In a statement following the recovery of Jacob's remains, Patty Wetterling said there are a few things we can all do to bring comfort to the family:
Say a prayer
Light a candle
Be with friends
Play with your children
Giggle
Hold Hands
Eat ice cream
Create joy
Help your neighbor