His smiling face looked out across the country for years, asking the public to help find him and bring him home. This past week we finally learned what happened to Jacob Wetterling, but the answer wasn’t what anyone wanted.
The case haunted people across Minnesota and the rest of the nation for 27 years. What happened to him? Where was he? How could this happen here?
I grew up in an even smaller town than Jacob, and enjoyed the same freedoms he and his friends did. It was the 1970s and 80s, and kids had the run of the town as soon as they learned to walk.
No one locked their doors. Parents didn’t worry about something happening to their children while they were out playing. They didn’t keep a vigilant eye on them. They told them not to get into trouble and to be home for supper.
That changed in 1985 with the disappearance of Sarah Rairdon, a 13-year-old girl from a nearby town. Even though her father eventually confessed and was charged with her murder, parents became more cautious. The world wasn’t the safe place it had always appeared to be.
Like many, I remember the night Jacob was abducted. My husband and I had just moved to St. Cloud and saw the lights from the search that night, although we didn’t know at the time what they were for. Like everyone, we were horrified once we heard, and prayed he would be found safe.
The man now charged with Jacob’s abduction and murder lived in a house just a block from the Annandale middle school during the time my own kids were attending it. Along with child pornography, he had photos of local children playing sports and at the park. Would yet another crime have been committed if he hadn’t been caught, once again in a small town where people used to feel safe?
The man who took him not only stole the life of an innocent young boy, he stole the innocence of a community, a state, a country. That innocence will never be recovered.
In today’s society we’re faced with that reality on a nearly constant basis. News of rape, murder and other violent crimes headline the news almost every night. I am continually bewildered that people can harbor such rage and hatred.
Jacob became everyone’s child after he was abducted. For 27 years people across the country prayed for his family, for answers, and for him to be brought home. Porch lights were left on to remember him. Now, at least, there is some form of closure.
My heart goes out to the Wetterlings. I cannot begin to fathom the pain they’ve endured and will continue to endure. I vividly remember the terror I felt when at one point in each of my children’s early lives I lost them for just a moment. One happened at an event at Munsinger Gardens, one in a store, and one fast asleep hidden under a bed (which resulted in a 911 call after 15 minutes of frantic searching). I can’t imagine 27 years of it.
Our world is full of violence and hostility. People hate based on race, religion, sexual preference, profession and anything else they don’t understand or agree with. It needs to stop.
People are understandably outraged at what happened to Jacob, but we can’t live in a society filled with hatred and anger. It only fosters more of the same. Although it’s been said countless times before, it bears repeating. We need to love and care for one another.
Jacob’s hope is alive in each of us, and we need to focus on his family’s message of strength and love. His mother herself said what would bring her comfort during this time is for people to hold hands, be with friends, play with children, create joy and help your neighbor.
Peace to the Wetterlings, and peace to you, Jacob.
