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What: Child safety advocate Patty Wetterling of St. Joseph
When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 11
Where: Springfield High School gym
Admission: Free will donation
SPRINGFIELD -- The mother of Jacob Wetterling will will tell her story and talk about creating a better world for children at Springfield High School at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Patty Wetterling, now a child advocate for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, began her advocacy after her son Jacob was abducted in October 1989. Five years later, Patty and her husband Jerry's work helped create the Wetterling Act, a United States law that requires states to implement a sex offender and crimes against children registry.
The law was named for Patty and Jerry Wetterling's son Jacob, who was abducted by a stranger. Jacob was missing for nearly 27 years until his death was confirmed when his remains were found Sept. 1, 2016 after Danny Heinrich confessed to kidnapping and killing Jacob Wetterling. Heinrich then led authorities to Jacob's remains in a field.
Heinrich's confession came as part of his guilty plea to a charge of possession of child pornography. Without the confession, the state had no case to charge Heinrich with the murder of Jacob Wetterling.
Heinrich was sentenced to 20 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release in November.
At the end of Heinrich's sentence, clinical professionals will review his entire past and determine if he becomes a Level 1, 2, or 3 sex offender and if he get a conditional release. If it is determined he is too dangerous to live on his own, Heinrich will be be referred to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program for the rest of his life.
The Minneapolis-based Jacob Wetterling Resource Center seeks to:
• End all forms of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation with training, education, advocacy, prevention and awareness, providing care and treatment for children, families, and adult survivors.
• A 24-hour Victim Assistance Helpline offers information, support, advocacy, and connection to resources for individuals, families and communities around issues related to missing persons, abuse, and exploitation.