Jacob Wetterling case file: breaking news, analysis
Stearns County is releasing its file from the 27-year investigation of Jacob Wetterling's abduction. Follow this for the latest updates.
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Sheriff Gudmundson has gotten emotional. "We can’t change what happened, but we can learn from it.”by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 4:01:41 PM -
Remember: This crime was 30 years ago, and local cops didn't have modern DNA technology.
However, Gudmundson said his department in the late 1980s was solving cases "left and right" without modern DNA tech. Essentially, he's saying lack of technology was no excuse for the botched investigation. -
Background on Dan Rassier here:
Former 'person of interest' in Wetterling case to sue sheriff
Dan Rassier, 53, said it ruined his reputation to be wrongly accused in the high-profile case. -
Big takeaway from the sheriff's presentation: The FBI mishandled the investigation and took on work for which it wasn't qualified.But for now, the FBI files on Jacob's killing are confidential. The public won't get a clear picture of how federal investigators handled Jacob's disappearance.
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Gudmundson just brought Prince into the picture. He says Minnesota lawmakers need to look at data practices law in light of the investigations into the deaths of Jacob and Prince.
Both cases have been under heavy public scrutiny. The sheriff appears to suggest that Minnesota should consider limiting the amount of data that becomes public after a case is closed.The Wetterling family sued to keep confidential documents that were legally to become public. They lost, which is the reason for today's document release. -
Gudmundson says he's talked with the Wetterlings, offers condolences. "Our wish was this case would have turned out differently and better.”by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 4:18:47 PM
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Sheriff says the investigation "went off the rails," starting with Paynesville assaults in 1987. "All of us failed."by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 4:22:21 PM
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So, we're over an hour into this press conference. Here are some of the big takeaways:
- Local law enforcement lost control of its investigation early on. The FBI took over and things went "off the rails," Sheriff Gudmundson said.
- Police didn't identify Heinrich quick enough, and botched their first arrest of him.
- Sheriff and others seem likely push for changes to Minnesota open records law.
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Sheriff says he has assigned a detective to other unsolved Stearns County cases, including killing of Reker girls in 1974.by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 4:26:17 PM
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Gudmundson says other cold cases are getting new reviews, including the 1974 murder of the Reker sisters.
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Al Garber, the FBI agent who was in charge of the investigation in 1989, has taken the podium. "I was there. I saw it every day."by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 4:29:33 PM
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Former Wetterling task force head and FBI agent Al Garber says the analysis by Gudmundson isn't fair. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DnjSFrGV4AEcIVP.jpg
by Tim Nelson via twitter 9/20/2018 4:35:08 PM -
'Off the rails': Sheriff details massive failure of Wetterling probe
Stearns Country Sheriff Don Gudmundson offered a brutal assessment Thursday of cascading errors and internal friction among law enforcement that let Jacob Wetterling's killer stay free for decades even as the evidence pointed overwhelmingly to Danny Heinrich. -
If you want to watch the entire Stearns County press conference on the Wetterling investigation, it's here: mprnews.org/story/2018/09/…by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 7:13:13 PM
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You can read Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson's presentation on the Wetterling investigation at mprnews.org/story/2018/09/…by Kirsti Marohn via twitter 9/20/2018 8:47:48 PM