Danny Heinrich case: Survivor and mother speak on 20/20
Danny Heinrich confessed in 2016 to abducting and killing 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling after DNA from another 1989 kidnapping survivor led police to him. Now that survivor, Jared Scheierl, and Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, speak in a new ABC “20/20” episode about trauma, healing, and advocacy.
Key Takeaways
- Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped near St. Joseph, Minnesota, on Oct. 22, 1989, and never seen alive again.
- DNA on Jared Scheierl’s clothes linked Danny Heinrich to a related January 1989 assault; Heinrich later confessed to killing Jacob.
- Heinrich received a 20-year sentence under a plea deal and led authorities to Jacob’s remains in 2016.
- An updated “20/20” episode, “Where Are You Jacob?,” airs July 17, 2026, on ABC and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
- Scheierl and Patty Wetterling discuss healing and their advocacy for missing and abused children.
For decades, Minnesota’s most notorious child kidnapping case had no resolution. That changed when evidence from Scheierl’s earlier abduction pointed investigators toward Danny Heinrich, who then admitted he also attacked and killed Jacob.
The story returns to national television as Scheierl and Patty Wetterling open up in new interviews about what came after the confession—and why they keep speaking out. More true-crime coverage lives in our Bizarre World section.
What happened to Jacob Wetterling and Jared Scheierl?
On Oct. 22, 1989, Jacob was biking home to his St. Joseph residence with his 10-year-old brother and best friend when a masked, armed man stopped them. The man took Jacob and ordered the other boys to run home and not look back, or he would shoot.
Nine months earlier, in January 1989, 12-year-old Jared Scheierl was kidnapped in nearby Cold Spring, driven to a remote spot, and sexually assaulted. Scheierl told “20/20” the attacker later dropped him outside Cold Spring and said to run and not look back—or he would shoot.
Police long suspected a link between the cases. Jacob’s community lived with unanswered questions for decades until the case broke open in 2015 and 2016.
How did Danny Heinrich get caught?
A cold-case review found DNA on Jared’s clothes that matched Danny Heinrich. He was arrested in October 2015 on federal child pornography charges after a search of his home, ABC News reported.
Almost a year later, Heinrich took a plea deal: one count of child pornography and a 20-year sentence in exchange for information about his crimes against Jacob. He confessed to abducting, assaulting, and killing the boy and showed where he had buried him on farmland, allowing remains to be recovered in 2016.
Even though Heinrich admitted assaulting Scheierl, he could not be charged in that case because the statute of limitations had expired. Minnesota later removed the statute of limitations on sexual violence in 2021.
Why are the survivor and Jacob’s mother speaking out now?
The updated “20/20” episode “Where Are You Jacob?” revisits the case with new interviews, airing Friday, July 17, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Co-anchor Deborah Roberts sits down with Patty and Jerry Wetterling, Scheierl, and others connected to the investigation.
Scheierl said he long asked why he survived when Jacob did not. “You’re finding that purpose every day. And then once my daughter was born, I knew my purpose,” he told “20/20.”
Patty Wetterling has spent decades in advocacy for missing children and child victims. “I tried to help as many families as I could,” she said. “We tried to get on the prevention side.” Scheierl called her strength an inspiration, noting she speaks up and speaks her mind.
Nearly 37 years after losing Jacob, Patty said she cannot live with only the horrific ending. “I remember the world that he knew, and it’s worth fighting for,” she told “20/20.” “I have to celebrate the life that he lived.”