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Patty Wetterling discusses advocacy for children in new book
The project that covers Wetterling’s childhood, marriage, her son’s abduction and her ongoing advocacy for children, proved daunting.
ST JOSEPH, Minn. — Patty Wetterling has shared her story for decades, often in a voice both quiet and commanding.
But the mother, advocate and changemaker has never committed to page her perspective on her history, her heartbreak and her hope. That is, until now.
This week marks a new chapter in Wetterling’s story, as the woman known by most Minnesotans releases her memoir: “Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope.” Wetterling wrote the book with writer Joy Baker.
“I think Jacob’s story touched a lot of lives, and it’s an opportunity for people to sort of make sense of some of it all and make peace with some things,” Wetterling told KARE 11’s Karla Hult from her St. Joseph home on a warm October day.
But the project that covers Wetterling’s childhood, marriage, her son’s abduction and her ongoing advocacy for children, proved daunting. This is why Patty also turned to a friend and familiar ally in the quest to bring Jacob home.
“I finally recognized I can’t do this alone; there’s no way I would have ever finished the book,” Wetterling shared, adding moments later: “We found our voice together.”
‘The story found me’
On Oct. 22, 1989, Jacob Wetterling was abducted at gunpoint by a man wearing a mask about a quarter mile from his St. Joseph home. The 11-year-old’s abduction remained a “missing person” case until his confessed killer finally led authorities to his remains in 2016.
But what happened between the kidnapping and the confession is part of what Wetterling’s book addresses, along with her personal background, professional advocacy for children and her unrelenting pursuit for answers in her son’s case; that’s also how Patty’s path first crossed that of Joy Baker.
In 2010 as an avid writer looking to move beyond her marketing career, Baker started posting about Jacob’s case in her blog, “Joy the Curious.” The posts ultimately led her to partner with Jared Scheierl – the man whose own kidnapping case in 1989 was suspected of being connected to Jacob’s. Together, Baker and Scheierl contacted more survivors from the Paynesville community: men who, as boys, also had reported being molested by a man matching the description of the suspect in Jacob’s and Jared’s cases. Ultimately, the pattern presented by Scheierl and Baker – along with Jerry and Patty Wetterling’s own push to revisit the case – resulted in law enforcement running a DNA test on Jared’s clothes; a test that would help them find Danny Heinrich, the man who ultimately confessed to killing Jacob before leading authorities to his remains in rural Paynesville, Minn.
“It was just a marvelous coalition of Jared, Joy, Jerry and I,” Patty recalled about those early days of sharing information about the case.
“I often say that the story found me,” Joy also reflected, noting that having two sons of her own also played a role in her interest.
“I think it was because I was a mother that I wanted to cover this story, and I wanted to help Patty from one mom to another,” Joy said.
In 2015, that partnership for answers segued into writing a book; an effort that was interrupted by the devastating conclusion of Jacob’s case. But in 2018, the pair returned to researching, writing and attending writing retreats. And through a process of piecing together personal and public information – from letters to Jacob, to news articles and community photos – they slowly created their story.
“We muscled through it. and we got through it. But it was frightening, and I just can’t be more grateful for [Patty] just believing in me,” Baker said.
‘Most proud of our children and grandchildren’
At 323 pages, “Dear Jacob” is dense with details. Wetterling reveals insights about how the case strained her family and marriage. She reflects on the politics and challenges of lobbying Congress and later running for Congress. She celebrates her accomplishments related to helping to bring the AMBER alert to Minnesota, pushing for child protection laws and establishing Team HOPE – a support group for parents of missing children. And she discusses the moments when her very identity felt overwhelmed by a devastating crime.
But among those insights and memories, Wetterling stops short of outright attacking those who investigated her son’s case. As a long-time ally of law enforcement, Wetterling recognizes areas for possible improvement but warns against judging the original investigation by today’s standards.
“Don’t judge 1989 – where we did fundraisers to make sure all law enforcement had fax machines – don’t judge 1989 by today’s standards, because we didn’t have it,” she said.
And another point on which Wetterling was careful and clear: her children. She “protected” them, she said, along with Jerry’s own story about his journey. But Wetterling didn’t shy from touting her pride that her family survived what statistically few families do.
“We heard that 87 percent of marriages don’t survive,” a child abduction, Wetterling noted, later adding: “If it’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s really, the first thing is not the book. It’s our children. And our grandchildren. They are amazing. And that’s because we did it. We did it together.”
‘He’s still here’
As for the child taken from a dirt road near his home in St. Joseph, both Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker say his voice is also felt – if not directly heard – on every page of Patty’s memoir.
“He’s kind of my guiding spirit really. He is a light, and I think I’m not the only one who believes that,” Baker said.
“He’s still here,” Patty also reflected, adding: “He was just such a solid, amazing presence in a lot of people’s lives and maybe that’s why we wrote the book. He deserved that… It’s like Jacob wasn’t done yet. He wasn’t ready to be done. And he’s still impacting lives and that part was fun to share. He’s amazing.”
“Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope” written by Patty Wetterling with Joy Baker and published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press is available on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
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Prosecutors say Mychal Allan Stowers was on work release from prison when he shot his pregnant ex-wife, and then shot another man during a carjacking.
ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police are looking for a man now charged with two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her unborn child.
A criminal complaint filed against 37-year-old Mychal Allan Stowers details the two murder counts as well as carjacking and assault charges associated with his getaway.
St. Paul squads were dispatched to 139 Sycamore St. E. just after 9 p.m. Oct. 19 on reports of shots fired. Arriving officers were met by residents who told them they heard gunshots in apartment 3. Police entered the apartment and found a woman laying on the floor surrounded by spent 9mm shell casings. Paramedics responded and declared the victim dead just before 9:30 pm.
Police later identified the victim as 35-year-old Damara Alexis Stowers.
Investigators on the scene found a loaded handgun on a bed in a different bedroom, along with photos from an ultrasound. In the apartment mailbox were two letters, one addressed to the victim and the other to a Mychal Stowers. While officers were in the apartment a cellphone rang, and the contact name that showed was “My$hon Stowers.”
Neighbors described seeing a heavyset man in his late 30s or 40s running from the scene. One told officers he heard four or five shots from the apartment, walked outside, and soon heard two more from a few blocks away.
The owner of the building told police the victim was in the process of being evicted, and that her ex-boyfriend had been living in the apartment with her, which was against the lease.
Additional officers were dispatched to 99 Acker Street, a few blocks from the apartment shooting scene, at around 9:15 p.m. on reports of a carjacking. They found a man who had been shot in the leg, breaking his femur. The victim’s friend said they were standing outside a running vehicle when a heavyset Black male ran up, said something they did not understand and then shot the victim. The assailant then stole the running gray Audi.
The complaint states that on the same day an employee of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Mychal Stowers called, said he had shot someone and wanted to turn himself in. Despite the call, Stowers did not turn himself in.
Records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) show Stowers was released from prison in March after serving time for another murder, was on work release and supposed to be living at a halfway house. He had had been granted a pass to visit his “ex-wife” at 139 Sycamore.
Preliminary tests show the same gun fired spent shells recovered at both the murder and carjacking scenes, and the defendant matches descriptions of the shooter from witnesses at both scenes.
At this time Michael Stowers is not in custody.
Donald Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to entering another man’s apartment and shooting him to death last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released a statement saying 59-year-old Walter Hill was sentenced on second-degree intentional murder charges in 60-year-old Donald Edmondson’s November 2023 killing.
Prosecutors said Hill was given 337 days of credit for time already served.
“Mr. Edmondson should still be alive,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “A violent act committed with such disregard by Mr. Hill has taken him from his family. This sentence delivers accountability and protects our community, and I hope it brings some measure of peace to Mr. Edmondson’s loved ones as they attempt to move forward with their lives.”
According to police, Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
The attorney’s office said Hill entered his guilty plea Monday.
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MINNEAPOLIS — The makers of the video game “Call of Duty” launched a new, locally inspired campaign Friday, coinciding with the release of the franchise’s newest installment, “Black Ops 6.”
Motorists might notice real estate agent Kris Lindahl, famously seen with his arms out over every interstate in town, was replaced by *ahem* “The Replacer,” an Activision character played by actor Peter Stormare.
For the next few weeks, The Replacer will step in for Lindahl not only on billboards but also on advertisements across television, streaming and social media platforms.
But why does Lindahl need The Replacer’s help, you might ask?
So he’s free to play “Black Ops 6,” of course.
The Replacer isn’t new to Minnesota. He also once stepped into the shoes of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
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