An Open Letter to Daniel Heinrich

Mr. Heinrich,

You don’t know me and I don’t know you, which is something I thank God for. Unfortunately, over the last week I’ve had the displeasure of learning about you and your perverse hobbies, more than I would ever want to know.  I’m going to be blunt: you are a monster and you disgust me beyond belief.  You are a horrible excuse for a human being that deserves whatever punishment is served up to you and more.

The police searched your house and they discovered binders full of images of young boys, videos and DNA evidence linking you to the sexual assault of a young Cold Spring boy.  Who the hell do you think you are?  What gives you the right to take away a child’s innocence?

The police are labeling you as a “person of interest” in the Jacob Wetterling case.   I was only three years old at the time, but I remember my parents talking about it.  I remember the news reports and I was old enough to understand that something bad happened to separate a young boy from his family.   I remember being scared that something like that could happen to me.

I can’t begin to comprehend what Jacob’s family has gone through over the course of the last 26 years.  They have gone almost three decades with no answers as to what happened to their son and they’ve worked so hard to make sure other families don’t go through the same thing.  At this point, it’s the only thing they can give Jacob because someone robbed them of their life with him.

I would like to take a moment and try to appeal to your conscience.  If you know something, please give Jacob’s family some peace and closure.  Tell authorities what you know about Jacob Wetterling.  For all they’ve gone through and all they’ve done, they deserve that.

It is my hope that you will do this for Jacob, his family, the community and all of us.  In different ways, we’re all victims of your atrocities and those of people like you.  You’re the reason children need to be watched closely at all times and talked to about “stranger danger.”  You’re the reason we’re cautious and you’re the reason children don’t get to live their childhood to the fullest.

Should you opt to keep quiet, I hope you spend the rest of your miserable life in prison.  I hope they throw you in with the general population because I’ve heard they give special treatment to people like you.  I think it would be fitting for you to experience the same things your victims have.