In October 1989, 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted near his home in the small town of St. Joseph, Minnesota. Despite an unparalleled effort to find him, his whereabouts remained a mystery for 27 years—until his kidnapper, arrested on another charge, confessed to Wetterling's murder and led authorities to his buried remains in September 2016.
Wetterling's disappearance—and the national media attention that followed—had far-reaching effects. No longer was small-town America considered safe from the exploitation of children. In 1993, Congress passed the "Jacob Wetterling Act," setting up a nationwide registry for offenders convicted of crimes against children.
Based in part on earlier publications by the author, this detailed account chronicles the decades-long search for Wetterling and his abductor. Long-overlooked names and information that pointed the way to solving the case are brought to the forefront of the investigation.