Our 11th FindJodi podcast features a conversation with Patty Wetterling, Jacob Wetterling’s mother.
The 11-year-old victim’s name often comes up during discussions of Jodi Huisentruit’s case.
Jodi reported on Jacob Wetterling’s disappearance while she was an anchor at KSAX-TV in Alexandria, Minnesota
Jodi reported on Jacob’s 1989 abduction near his home in rural St. Joseph, MN. Jacob was biking from a convenience store with his younger brother, Trevor, and best friend Aaron Larson, when they were confronted by a masked gunman.
Jacob’s story struck close to home for Jodi, as she had grown up less than an hour away in Long Prairie, the same small town where Jacob was born.
Jodi met Jacob’s mother just months after he disappeared. Jodi was a senior at St. Cloud State University in January 1990, studying communications and broadcast journalism, when she and several college friends visited Patty at the Wetterling’s home.
Listen to “An Interview With Patty Wetterling” on Spreaker.
They went there for Jodi to interview Patty and Jacob’s older sister. Jodi’s friend Amy Westman and her brother had spray painted “Jacob’s Hope” on the Berlin Wall a few weeks earlier, and Amy shared photos and a piece of the wall with Patty. That was the focus of the story Jodi prepared for her college news station.
Jodi’s friend Amy Westman photographed at the Berlin Wall. (Courtesy Amy Westman)
Three years later, when Jodi was working at KSAX-TV in Alexandria, MN, she interviewed Patty again. This time, it was on what would have been Jacob’s 15th birthday.
Jodi’s next job after Alexandria was anchoring the morning and noon news at KIMT-TV in Mason City. IA.That’s where Jacob’s father, Jerry, grew up and where Jacob’s grandparents still lived when Jodi was abducted on her way to work on June 27, 1995.
After Jodi disappeared, her friends, including Amy Westman, immediately reached out to Patty Wetterling, asking what they should do to help get out the word about their missing friend.
Caroline Lowe’s podcast studio in California with reminders of Jodi and Jacob.
When Jacob was finally found in 2016, after his killer confessed as part of an unrelated plea deal, hope deepened that Minnesota’s other high-profile missing person, Jodi Huisentruit, might also be located.
But sadly, almost 26 years after her abduction, Jodi is still missing.
In our recent conversation, Patty shared her memories of Jodi and recalled the shock of learning the young reporter who’d been to her home had been abducted.
“I do remember her — her blonde hair, her fresh eyes and huge interest in Jacob’s case,” said Patty. “My memory is (thinking) this can’t be happening. This was too close to home, too many ties to Jacob. To find that somebody who helped us so much, tried so hard to help find Jacob, was now also missing. It is sort of incomprehensible.”
Jacob’s mom, who is a nationally recognized child safety advocate and educator, appealed for answers to what happened to Jodi.
“She deserves to be found. Her family deserves to know answers. There is somebody out there who is a very dangerous person.”
She added, “I believe people can help and maybe the person who did it is ready to tell. You don’t know and we can’t assume they would never tell because (Jacob’s abductor) did.”
Anyone with information on Jodi’s case can reach out to the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636. Information can also be provided to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations at (515) 725-6010 or dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us.
You can anonymously contact the FindJodi team here.
Subscribe to the FindJodi Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- New developments in Jacob Wetterling case FindJodi.com 10/31/2015
- Jacob Wetterling Resource Center #11forJacob
8 Comments
Since Jodi was reporting on Jacob’s disappearance maybe someone like Danny’s mother felt like she (Jodi) was going to lead to her son being found out. Is it possible that Danny’s mom was involved? I can see her wanting to protect her son and family secrets.
Who’s Danny?
Really! You need put more attention. He’s the Jacob’s kidnapper.
How generous of Patti Wetterling to do this interview. Her compassion and strength are inspiring. As she said, perhaps telling stories about Jodi and her kindness might touch somebody’s heart to come forward. Jodi had reported on Jacob’s disappearance and interviewed Patti. How sad that Jodi, too, became a missing person. As Patti, “Jodi deserves to be found.”
I sometimes think that Caroline Lowe shoehorns Jacob Wetterling into the Jodi discussion too often, but I really enjoyed this interview with Patty.
I see that I misspelled Patty’s name (as Patti), for which I apologize. I was struck by her comments about how telling stories about Jodi could move someone to come forward. I didn’t know Jodi personally and the reason the case stayed in my mind through the years was proximity (driving past the Mason City exit on I-35 a couple of times a year and wondering about the case). What moved me more recently was the Up and Vanished episode, seeing video clips of Jodi at the birthday party and then after that, reading again some excerpts from her journal. What broke me was that she wrote, “Life is good,” only to have hers taken from her a few weeks later. I think about the many women who lose their lives in this way. I think about how the role of education might help so that women can be aware of red flags in relationships or in their acquaintances. I’ve had to do this myself to identify that some attentions were potentially unhealthy, were red flags. I was too trusting, too. The other thing is that I think about how we might do education around helplines for people who are becoming unhealthily attached and might not be aware of where that is going to take them. Could they recognize their own behavior and reach out to stop it? Could there be a number for them to call before it gets to that point, where they could confidentially get counseling about what to do or where to get help? I don’t know — maybe that’s not practical or doable or maybe such a resource wouldn’t be utilized. Maybe a person getting to that point doesn’t think about help or want it. It’s just something I wonder about.
I was reading today, in People magazine,about an unsolved case of Tammy Zywickis, Grinnell College student who’s car broke down on the Interstate on her way back to college and was found murdered in 1992. Her mother and family are still hoping DNA and new ways to test will help solve her disappearance and murder.
It got me thinking now as a grandparent, a mother and looking back when I was a young college student just how trusting I was and about how one moment you can be doing all the things you do as a young woman and not know the potential of something harmful happening. In this case a tractor trailer was spotted by her car and a good description of it given to police by several motorists. I remembered how my car stalled on my way to college at night and I actually got in a truck when offered a ride to the next town. I was a graduate student, careful, and yet in 1975 we did those things. We hitch hiked. Would I do them now or want my grandchildren to do it. Of course not.
You have raised so many questions I have thought about. I also think of Jacob. My daughter’s small catholic school always prayed for his safe return and each year attended the hope gatherings Patty always kept alive in the investigation. I prayed for his safe return. I thought of him frequently and his parents and family. I was pained by how they found out what happened to him for Patty and Jerry and the entire family. She actually went to the college I did and student taught in Mexico as I did. I was so hurt for them but I was also grateful they had some answers.
I’m inspired by Patty’s tireless hard work on behalf of missing children. We are connected, though not always closely, in so many ways as parents, neighbors, and friends who want to solve these cases. I hope all young people are careful. Sometimes, like in Jacob’s case, these random acts of violence happen. While living in the inner city I was attacked and mugged in front of my young daughter at the gas station that was on the corner where George Floyd was killed. My house was burglarized. It’s hard to get over that trauma. So I imagine how difficult it is for parents of missing children not to know what happened to their beloved children,
I think it’s why we want to solve Jodi’s case and hope and pray it will be solved. If you are a young woman I think it’s good that you’re thinking of these things. There are so many things I would do differently now. But random acts of violence happen even when you’re careful. I think when you’re young you try to handle things. I think Jodi may have thought she could deal with the nasty phone calls and the stalker who she noticed was following her. The fact that she did go to the police once and did tell people about the calls means she was worried on some level. The old tell someone rule applies here. But as you suggested further steps may have helped. She also had to weigh it against it getting out because she was a local celebrity being a news reporter. Again what you have suggested may have helped.
I think to, even though I’m old now, that I was much too trusting in relationships and too afraid to hurt someone’s feelings. Your gut, inner-self is the best be careful signal you have. Yet too many young women ignore it. I know I did. I once heard a crime investigator say it is the most reliable crime fighter you have. So run and never get in a car with anyone or let them take you to another place.
I was so independent I hiked through 15 countries in Europe, the UK, and Ireland alone in 1975. My daughter did it in 2000. I had her call me frequently. That didn’t exist when I was hiking. I would never want a young person not to be able to live their life.
The things you have suggested are wise. We all need to be aware with all the car-jackings and other crimes happening now. We also need to not feel guilty or attach blame for these awful crimes because in the end it’s those who do them that need to be found and for the parents to get answers and justice.
Your advice about potential abusive controlling relationships is important. Sometimes women make excuses for that, don’t see it, or are unaware of the manipulation, jealousy, and control because it’s disguised in the public charming gentleman who cares role.
Peace and Love
Rosalie, that’s amazing that you hiked through all those countries alone and your daughter later did so as well. I agree that one should be able to live their life and that someone who is victimized should never feel guilty or to blame. They did nothing wrong. That rests squarely on the person who did it. But as for the tools we can foster to protect ourselves from people who would harm us….Years ago I read a book called the Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. He has worked in the field of violence prevention. I had never thought of fear as a gift, but the book encouraged trust in that inner sense that tells you something is off. For instance, someone being overly friendly to the point that maybe you feel uncomfortable — he says to trust that feeling. It helped me immensely because I wanted to be nice and gracious to everyone and I also would help any stranger in need and talk to anyone who approached me. Before I read de Becker’s book I talked myself out of my own feelings. I’d say, “That person is just being friendly,” and I’d make excuses for their behavior if I felt uncomfortable. After reading his book I learned not to discount my own feelings about situations. With someone you think you know well, it can be more difficult. You don’t see the control or the temper until it asserts itself, seemingly out of the blue. You may tell another friend about it who says, “But he is the sweetest person I know.” That’s what you thought, too.
In Beth Bednar’s book, a friend said that Jodi had expressed concern about a mutual friend of theirs and his temper.
I think I remember the Tammy Ziwickis case when it happened. If that’s the case I’m remembering, her grieving father said, “She was my princess.” Just heartbreaking.
I followed Jacob’s case, too. Like many of us, I came to love him and his family, although I never met them. As Patty said, “Jodi deserves to be found.” She deserves to have her case remain open and active. I do feel that Chief Jeff Brinkley of the MCPD is bringing gravity and diligence to the investigation. He’s not able to say what they’ve got, but he indicated on 48 Hours that “we’re close, but I don’t think it will be fast.” I do worry we’ll run out time, though, so I hope everything that can be done is being done. If we’re close, could we ramp up the speed of things? I wish I understood what stands in the way. It seems like they need something else to take it to the next level. If someone in Mason City has or knows what that is, I hope and pray they will come forward. Soon. And I hope they know that if they kept it to themselves out of fear, they will not be judged for that but instead will be offered compassion. At least by many of us. We understand how fear can silence people.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and perspective, Rosalie. Peace and love to you as well.