GOOD EVENING, ALMOST 26
YEARS TODAY -- TO THE DAY THAT
JACOB WETTERLING DISAPPEARED ,
THE FBI HAS NAMED A PERSON OF
INTEREST IN THE CASE.
YOU CAN SEE THIS GAUGE --
THE SKETCH THAT WAS RELEASED IN
1989.
IT IS NEXT TO A MUG SHOT FROM
1990.
ON THE SCREEN ON THE RIGHT IS A
CHART -- A PICTURE TAKEN TODAY.
THERE IS NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
LINKING HIM TO THE JACOB
WETTERLING KIDNAPPING , BUT HE
IS A PERSON OF INTEREST.
JENNIFER WAS IN COURT THIS
AFTERNOON.
WE'RE GOING TO START WITH AS WE
MURPHY --
Reporter: DURING THE REVIEW
OF EVERY ASPECT OF THE CASE,
THEY ZOOMED IN ON DANIEL JAMES
HEINRICH.
HE WAS A SUSPECT IN THE CASE
VERY EARLY ON.
EIGHT WEEKS AFTER JACOB'S
ABDUCTION IN 1989, THE FBI
INTERVIEWED DANIEL HEINRICH.
AT THE TIME, HE WAS A SUSPECT
IN THE SEXUAL ASSAULT OF
ANOTHER BOY THAT TOOK PLACE IN
JANUARY IN THE SEXUAL ASSAULT
OF ANOTHER BOY THAT TOOK PLACE
IN JANUARY 1989 AND HE WAS A
SUSPECT IN A SERIES OF ASSAULTS
ON YOUNG BOYS IN A NEARBY TOWN.
HE BEARS A CLEAR RESEMBLANCE TO
THE SUSPECT IN THE CASE.
ISSUE PRINT ALSO MATCHED ISSUE
PRINT FROM THE ABDUCTION SITE
AS DID A TIRE TRACK.
THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO GO ON.
THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE
IT WAS A MATCH. Reporter: IN
JULY 2015, INVESTIGATORS
REOPENED THE CASE IN ZOOMED IN
ON DANIEL HEINRICH ISSUING A
SEARCH WARRANT FOR HIS HOME.
HE IS CONSIDERED A SUSPECT IN
THE JACOB WETTERLING CASE.
WHEN THEY SEARCHED HIS HOME ,
THEY DO NOT FIND EVIDENCE TYING
HIM TO JACOB WETTERLING , BUT
THEY DID FIND VOLUMES OF CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY.
NEWLY -- NEW DNA TECHNOLOGY
SHOWED THAT HIS DNA WAS A MATCH
TO A SWEATSHIRT OF A 12-YEAR-
OLD BOY WHO WAS ABDUCTIVE AND
SEXUALLY ASSAULTED NEARBY JACOB
IN A NEARBY TOWN.
RIGHT NOW DANIEL HEINRICH IS
NOT CHARGED IN THE ABDUCTION OF
JACOB WETTERLING.
LET ME BE VERY CLEAR.
THE DEFENDANT HAS DENIED ANY
INVOLVEMENT IN THE DIFFERS --
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JACOB
WETTERLING . Reporter: TODAY
DANIEL HEINRICH WAS NAMED TODAY
AS A PERSON OF INTEREST IN THE
CASE.
THEY ARE ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S
HELP RIGHT NOW TO GET MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT DANIEL
HEINRICH . BOTH IN THE JACOB
WETTERLING CASE AND IN THE
PORNOGRAPHY CASE.
THEY ARE ASKING ANYBODY WITH
ANY INFORMATION TO CALL THE
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
THEY CAN ALSO CALL THE NATIONAL
CENTER FOR MISSING AND
EXPLOITED CHILDREN.
THERE ARE A LOT OF DOCUMENTS
THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO
THROUGH.
HE WAS NOT JUST QUESTIONED
ONCE, RIGHT? Reporter: HE WAS
QUESTION FOUR TIMES IN THE
MONTHS FOLLOWING THE ABDUCTION.
HE WAS A MAJOR SUSPECT EARLY ON.
THANK YOU ESMY BACK IN MAY
2014, WCCO TALKED WITH JARED.
HE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN
1989. HE STEPPED OUT OF A
VEHICLE AND GRABBED ME FROM
BEHIND AND SAID I HAVE A GUN
AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT.
GET IN THE CAR.
Reporter: THE MEN TOOK JERRY
TO A REMOTE AREA AND EVENTUALLY
LET THEM GO.
IT WAS NINE MONTHS LATER THAT
JACOB WETTERLING WAS TAKEN.
THERE WERE GRUELING INTERVIEWS
WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THEY BROUGHT ME TO A POINT
WHERE I MENTALLY BROKE DOWN.
I WAS PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTED. I
DIDN'T HAVE THE ANSWER.
SO, THE PARENT -- MY PARENTS
MADE THE DECISION THAT WE
SHOULD MOVE.
Reporter: DNA EVIDENCE HAS
NOW LINKED DANIEL HEINRICH TO
JARED'S CASE.
HE CANNOT BE CHARGED BECAUSE
THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAS
EXPIRED.
BUT DANIEL IS NOW A SUSPECT IN
THAT JACOB WETTERLING CASE.
WE HAD THE ONLY REPORTER IN
THE COURTROOM AT THE TIME.
SHE IS LIVE IN ST. PAUL.
Reporter: THE CODER.
-- COURT APPEARANCE WAS QUICK
AND TO THE POINT AND LASTED ALL
OF FIVE MINUTES.
DANIEL HEINRICH WAS ESCORTED
INTO THE COURTROOM WEARING
GLASSES AND BLACK FROM HEAD TO
TOE.
HE SPOKE ONLY TO HIS ATTORNEY
AND JUDGE JEFFREY KEYES.
HE SAID HIS NAME WAS DANNY
JAMES HEINRICH IN A LOW VOICE.
HE WAS ASKED ABOUT HIS
FINANCIAL STATUS AND WHERE HE
WORKS AND IF HE HAS A WAY TO
PAY AN ATTORNEY.
HE WAS APPOINTED A FEDERAL
OFFENDER, ANDREW MOEHRING.
A DETENTION WAS WAIVED FOR
HEINRICH AND AT THIS TIME HIS
ATTORNEY CANNOT COMMENT ON THE
RECORD.
THERE WILL BE A PRELIMINARY
HEARING IN ST. PAUL NEXT
WEDNESDAY AT 10:00 A.M.