The DNA Match That Solved Minnesota's Most Notorious Missing Child Case

In October 1989, 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was tragically abducted at gunpoint while biking with friends near his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. This sent shockwaves through the small, tight-knit community. Police launched a massive investigation and search effort but found no signs of the missing boy.

As the years passed with no breaks in the case, it grew increasingly cold. Then in 2010, a local blogger and victim collaborator used mapping technology to link unsolved assaults in a neighboring town through recovered DNA evidence. This led police back to a person of interest they had identified years prior - Daniel Heinrich.

In 2015, authorities were finally able to match Heinrich's DNA to DNA recovered from one of the assault scenes. He was charged in connection with Jacob's abduction. In a shocking twist, Heinrich ultimately confessed to the crime and led investigators to Jacob's gravesite, bringing closure to the Wetterling family after nearly 27 years of pain, trauma and unanswered questions. It was a case that gripped a community and nation for decades.

Видео The DNA Match That Solved Minnesota's Most Notorious Missing Child Case канала MindBlast