Earlier this year, Heinrich’s DNA was found on the sweatshirt of a 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped from Cold Spring and sexually assaulted just nine months before Jacob’s abduction. Court documents say his shoes and car tires were “consistent” with tracks left near the site of Jacob’s abduction, but couldn’t be ruled an exact match. Jacob’s abduction shattered childhood innocence for many in rural Minnesota, changing the way parents let their kids roam. She became a national advocate for children, and with her husband, Jerry Wetterling, founded the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, which works to help communities and families prevent child exploitation. In 1994, Congress passed a law named after Jacob Wetterling that requires states to establish sex offender registries.

Source: Washington Post September 04, 2016 01:07 UTC