IS DEFINITELY NOT A FACTOR IN
TODAY'S COMMUTE.
ALI LUCIA WILL HAVE MORE OF AN
UPDATE FOR YOU IN ABOUT 15
MINUTES.
AFTER 26 LONG YEARS, THERE
ARE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JACOB
WETTERLING.
THE FBI ARRESTED A MAN WHO
THEY ARE DESCRIBING AS A PERSON
OF INTEREST.
FEDERAL AGENTS ARRESTED
52-YEAR-OLD DANNY HEINRICH AT
HIS HOME IN ANNANDALE LATE
WEDNESDAY FOR HAVING CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY.
YESTERDAY, THE FBI ANNOUNCED HE
WAS NOW A PERSON OF INTEREST IN
JACOB'S 1989 KIDNAPPING.
MR. HEINRICH HAS BEEN
INTERVIEWED BY INVESTIGATORS
ABOUT THE 1989 DISAPPEARANCE OF
JACOB WETTERLING.
LET ME BE VERY CLEAR.
THE DEFENDANT HAS DENIED ANY
INVOLVEMENT IN THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF JACOB WETTERLING.
A MASKED MAN ABDUCTED 11 YEAR
OLD JACOB ON OCTOBER 22ND, 1989.
JACOB WAS WITH HIS BROTHER AND A
FRIEND ON A ROAD NEAR HIS RURAL
ST. JOSEPH HOME.
HERE IS A LOOK AT THE SUSPECT
SKETCH RELEASED SHORTLY AFTER
JACOB'S ABDUCTION.
NEXT TO IT ARE THE MUG SHOTS OF
DANNY HEINRICH IN 1990 AND THE
MUG SHOT FOR WHEN HE WAS
ARRESTED ON WEDNESDAY.
COURT DOCUMENTS SAY IN THE
MONTHS AFTER THE ABDUCTION,
INVESTIGATORS INTERVIEWED
HEINRICH FOUR TIMES IN
CONNECTION WITH THE CASE.
1990, A FOOTPRINT AT THE SCENE
OF JACOB'S ABDUCTION WAS A MATCH
TO A SNEAKER SEIZED FROM
HEINRICH'S HOME.
A TIRE PRINT AT THE SCENE WAS
SIMILAR TO HIS CAR, BUT IT WAS
NOT A 100% MATCH.
THE DOCUMENTS ALSO REVEALED THAT
HEINRICH WAS ALREADY A SUSPECT
IN A SERIES OF UNSOLVED GROPING
ATTACKS ON YOUNG BOYS IN THE
LATE 1980S IN THE NEARBY CITY OF
PAYNESVILLE WHERE HEINRICH LIVED
AT THE TIME.
HE WAS ALSO A SUSPECT IN THE
ABDUCTION OF A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY
NAMED JARED IN COLD SPRING NINE
MONTHS BEFORE JACOB WAS
ABDUCTED.
THESE GUYS THAT STEPPED OUT
OF THE VEHICLE, APPROACHED ME
FROM BEHIND, SAID I HAVE A GUN,
I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT.
THE MAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
JARED THEN LET HIM GO.
NO ARREST WAS EVER MADE IN THE
CASE, BUT YESTERDAY, IT WAS
REVEALED THAT IN THE PAST FEW
MONTHS, INVESTIGATORS WERE ABLE
TO USE NEW DNA TECHNOLOGY IN
JARED'S CASE, AND THEY FOUND A
MATCH, A DNA MATCH TO HEINRICH.
HEINRICH MADE HIS INITIAL
APPEARANCE IN FEDERAL COURT IN
ST. PAUL YESTERDAY.
WCCO'S JENNIFER MAYERLY WAS THE
ONLY REPORTER IN COURT.
SHE TELLS US IT WAS NEVER
EXPLAINED EXACTLY WHAT THE
HEARING WAS FOR.
HEINRICH'S ATTORNEY TOLD US HE'S
BEEN TAKEN TO COUNTY JAIL.
THAT'S WHERE HE'LL BE UNTIL HIS
NEXT COURT APPEARANCE ON
WEDNESDAY.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE NEWS
OF HEINRICH'S ARREST SPREAD
QUICKLY IN THE SMALL TOWN OF
ANNANDALE.
TURNS OUT THE HOUSE HE'S BEEN
LIVING IN FOR THE PS YATH EERS
IS JUST A BLOCK FROM A MIDDLE
SCHOOL.
OF COURSE, THAT HAS PEOPLE A
LITTLE ON EDGE THERE.
ASHLEY ROBERT HEARSAY WITH WHAT
NEIGHBORS HAD TO SAY.
JASON, NEIGHBORS SAY THEY
KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP WHEN
STATE, FEDERAL, AND LOCAL AGENTS
SEARCHED HEINRICH'S HOUSE OVER
THE SUMMER.
THEY EVEN SAY AFTER THAT RAID,
HEINRICH SPOKE OPENLY TO THEM
ABOUT BEING A SUSPECT IN 1989 IN
JACOB WETTERLING'S DISAPPEARANCE
AND SAID THE FBI WAS OUT TO GET
HIM AGAIN.
HEINRICH LIVED ALONE IN
ANNANDALE, BUT AT ONE TIERJS
CARED FOR AN OLDER BROTHER.
IT'S A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD FILLED
WITH KIDS AND JUST ONE BLOCK
FROM A MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AUTHORITIES SEARCHED HEINRICH'S
HOME ON JULY 28TH AND SEIZED
VOLUMES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
THAT'S WHEN NEIGHBORS LEARNED
ABOUT HIS PAST.
THEY SAY IT'S SHOCKING AND
SCARY.
YEAH.
IT'S A SHOCK.
BUT HE IS KIND OF A STRANGE GUY
SO -- BUT I HAD NO IDEA.
HE SAYS, "OH, I THOUGHT THAT WAS
ALL DONE AND IN THE PAST, AND
NOW, HERE THEY ARE AGAIN."
NEIGHBOR, PATTY PETERSON, WHO
YOU JUST HEARD FROM SAYS SHE
WOULD SOMETIMES SEE HEINRICH
TALKING TO HIMSELF AND THAT HE
WAS LOUD.
OTHERS SAY HEINRICH TOLD THEM
BACK IN THE 80S AFTER JACOB'S
DISAPPEARANCE, AUTHORITIES EVEN
TOOK HAIR SAMPLES WHEN THEY
BROUGHT HIM IN FOR QUESTIONING.
ASHLEY, YOU MENTIONED AN
OLDER BROTHER ONCE STAYED WITH
HEINRICH.
DOES HE HAVE ANY OTHER FAMILY IN
THE AREA?
KIM, FIRST, LET ME TELL YOU
ABOUT HEINRICH'S OLDER BROTHER.
HE HAD MEDICAL NEEDSS AND NOW
WITH THE VA.
HE HAS A YOUNGER BROTHER WHO
LIVES IN WAKE PARK BUT DIDN'T
WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHARGES.
ASHLEY, THANK YOU.
WETTERLING'S PARENTS RELEASED
A STATEMENT SAYING FOR 26 LONG
YEARS WE HAVE SAID THAT SOMEBODY
KNOWS SOMETHING.
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS
MAN, HIS TIES TO ST. JOSEPH IN
1989, HIS VICTIMIZATION OF
CHILDREN SINCE, PLEASE CALL THE
STEARNS COUNTY SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT OR THE NATIONAL
CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED
CHILDREN.