– Authorities confirm, Jacob Wetterling’s remains found

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —Authorities in central Minnesota say the remains of Jacob Wetterling have been found.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says in a statement that Jacob’s remains were identified on Saturday.

The 1989 abduction of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling from a deserted road has intrigued Minnesota residents and others around the country for more than two decades. Despite extensive searches, tens of thousands of leads and a reward offer, Jacob was never found. Now, his mother Patty Wetterling, said in a text message to KARE-TV on Saturday that Jacob “has been found and our hearts are broken.” More at Kare11.com

Later she added, on Twitter Saturday afternoon, “Our family is drawing strength from all your love & support. We’re struggling with words at this time. Thank you for your hope.”

She declined to comment further.

Additional DNA testing will be performed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. More details on the investigation early next week.

A law enforcement official says a person of interest in the decades-old abduction, Danny Heinrich, of Annandale, led authorities to some remains.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and other officials are offering support to the family of Jacob Wetterling, after his mother said the remains of the boy missing for nearly 27 years have been found.

In a statement, Dayton says Jacob’s story “has touched the lives and hearts of Minnesotans for a generation.” And he says he’s praying for peace for the Wetterling family “and for all Minnesotans touched by this tragedy.”

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has worked with Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, on missing children legislation. Klobuchar says the Wetterling family “and all who knew and loved Jacob are in our hearts today.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, whose district includes the Wetterlings’ hometown of St. Joseph, says Jacob’s disappearance on Oct. 22, 1989, “shattered the innocence of all Minnesotans.”

Here are things to know about the case:

WHAT HAPPENED

Jacob was riding his bicycle with his 10-year-old brother, Trevor, and a friend on Oct. 22, 1989, when a masked gunman abducted him near his home in St. Joseph, about 80 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The gunman was on foot, and no car was in sight. Authorities said the man held onto Jacob and threatened to shoot the other two unless they ran into the woods.

Sheriff’s deputies, National Guard troops and hundreds of volunteers scoured the area but found no clues. The FBI released a personality profile of the type of person who may have kidnapped the boy — probably a previous sex offender, a white man 25 to 35 years old and likely someone who worked at an unskilled job.

A FRUSTRATING SEARCH

Jacob’s disappearance generated more than 50,000 leads. Despite extensive publicity, repeated aerial and ground surveys and an initial reward of more than $100,000 after the kidnapping, state, local and federal authorities were frustrated by the lack of evidence. The seemingly unsolvable case remained open.

In 2010, authorities spent two days searching and digging at a farm near where Jacob was last seen, but forensic tests on the items showed no link to the crime.

ATTENTION ON CHILDREN

In 1990, Jacob’s parents, Patty and Jerry Wetterling, founded what is now known as the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, which works to help communities and families prevent child exploitation. She later would chair the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Patty Wetterling would continue to speak passionately about making the world a safe place for children. And in 1994, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Act, legislation for a sex offender registry.

‘PERSON OF INTEREST’

Last year, authorities re-examined the case and said Danny Heinrich, of Annandale, was a “person of interest” in Jacob’s disappearance. He faces federal child pornography charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty, but has denied any involvement in Jacob’s abduction, and has not been charged with that crime.