Shivangi Sinha
Jerry and Patty Wetterling’s world, which they had carefully built in St. Joseph, Minnesota, came crashing down on October 22, 1989. Their 11-year-old son, Jacob Wetterling, had gone to a video store with his younger brother, Trevor Wetterling, and a friend, only to be abducted on his way back home. Faced with unimaginable agony and grief, the couple turned their pain into advocacy work that went on to help many families facing similar tragedies. In 2016, their decades-long search for answers finally came to an end when Danny Heinrich confessed to the crime. ABC’s ’20/20: Where Are You, Jacob?’ features interviews with Jerry and Patty as they reflect on their more than 27-year fight for justice and everything they endured along the way.
Jerry and Patty Wetterling Were at a Dinner Party When Jacob Was Kidnapped
Patty Wetterling was born and raised in a happy household in Minnesota. From a young age, she was determined to build a career for herself and went on to attend Minnesota State University, Mankato. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education. It was during a student-teaching trip to Mexico that she met Jerry Wetterling for the first time. Jerry, a native of Mason City, Iowa, was studying to become a chiropractor. The two fell in love, married in 1973, and began planning the kind of life and family they hoped to build together.
Patty’s first job involved preparing Merchant Marine students for their GEDs while she was living on a military base in Maryland. After Jerry graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1976, the couple settled in St. Joseph, Minnesota. For the first seven years, they lived in an apartment above Jerry’s clinic before eventually purchasing and moving into a home of their own. Patty chose to become a stay-at-home mother to their four children: Jacob, Trevor, Amy, and Carmen. She devoted herself fully to their upbringing. She was involved in their lives, even serving as the president of the PTA at Jacob’s school. On October 22, 1989, Jerry and Patty had left their daughters in the care of a neighbor while Jacob and Trevor went out with a friend.
Soon, Patty and Jerry received a call from their neighbor informing them that 11-year-old Jacob had been kidnapped at gunpoint. They immediately left the dinner party they were attending and rushed home. In the weeks that followed, the family struggled under the enormous emotional weight of what had happened. Jerry was only able to return to work on a half-day schedule after five weeks, as the search for Jacob consumed every aspect of their lives. It was not until 2016, when Danny Heinrich confessed to the crime, that Patty and Jerry’s long search for answers finally came to an end. During Heinrich’s sentencing that same year, both parents delivered victim impact statements, speaking about the loss of their son and emphasizing how needlessly and senselessly Jacob’s young life had been taken from them.
Jerry and Patty Have Been Advocating for Children’s Safety for a Long Time
Patty Wetterling transformed personal tragedy into decades of advocacy on behalf of missing and exploited children. Following Jacob Wetterling’s disappearance in 1989, she became one of the most recognized voices in child safety dialogue in the US. Just four months after the incident, she and Jerry founded the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a nonprofit for child-safety education and abduction prevention. In 1991, Patty joined the board of directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a position she held for 30 years. Her efforts played an important role in the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act in 1994, which created the foundation for modern sex-offender registries.
Over the years, she contributed to numerous child-protection initiatives, including helping launch Minnesota’s AMBER Alert program in 2003. Patty also entered politics, running as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate for Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District in both 2004 and 2006. Although unsuccessful, her campaigns focused heavily on public safety, education, and community issues. She later served as chair of the NCMEC board from 2012 to 2015 before stepping down from the organization in 2021 after three decades of service.
In 2023, she published her memoir, ‘Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope,’ co-written with Joy Baker, and also helped update the Department of Justice’s ‘Family Survival Guide.’ While Patty became the public face of many advocacy efforts, Jerry Wetterling continued operating his chiropractic practice in Minnesota. He generally maintained a lower public profile, focusing on supporting his family and the work being carried out in Jacob’s name. Together, Patty and Jerry built a legacy that has influenced child-protection policies and supported countless families facing similar tragedies.
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Jerry and Patty Wetterling Continue to Honor Their Son’s Legacy Even Today
Patty Wetterling remains actively involved in child safety and missing-children advocacy. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), continuing the work that has defined much of her life since Jacob’s abduction. In recent years, her work has expanded beyond legislative reform to include public education and awareness initiatives. She continues to appear as an occasional speaker at law-enforcement training programs, child-safety conferences, and community events.
In 2026, Patty and Jerry have also been helping promote filmmaker Iris Newberry’s documentary, ‘Echoes in the Night: The Search for Jacob Wetterling,’ a project to which Patty contributed closely. The film premiered at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival in March 2026. The couple is still based in St. Joseph, Minnesota. While public service remains an important part of their lives, their children and grandchildren are at the center of their world, bringing joy and purpose after decades of ups and downs.
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