New Lead Investigator Named For Jacob Wetterling Case

STEARNS COUNTY - A new lead investigator has been named for the Jacob Wettlering case.

Stearns County Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold is taking over after Captain Pam Jensen recently retired. Jensen led the Wetterling investigation for about 15 years. Bechtold says part of his responsibilities include investigating any new leads for the case.

"The main responsibilities are to coordinate the investigation, work on the leads and tips that are coming in, follow up on interviews and maintain contact with the Wetterling family and Wetterling foundation."

Bechtold says the case is significant to him because he was the first officer to respond to the Wetterling call.

"On October 22nd, 1989, I was the first officer to respond to the Wetterling home when the call came out. When we knew Captain Jensen was thinking of retiring, I started working more closely with her and working with her on the case over the last 6-8 months."

Jacob Wetterling was 11-years-old when he was taken on October 22, 1989 in St. Joseph.  A significant update in the Wetterling case was revealed last October, when 52-year-old Daniel Heinrich was named a "person of interest". He remains in jail due to unrelated child pornography charges.

The Wetterling investigation continues to be active. Anyone who has a tip on the case is asked to contact Stearns County Sheriff’s Office or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.