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On the night of Oct. 22, 1989, Jacob Wetterling was abducted less than a mile from his home in St. Joseph, Minn. The 11-year-old had been riding bikes with his younger brother and a friend when a man in a mask approached them with a gun. He ordered them to lie in a ditch and asked their ages. 

The man then told Jacob's brother and friend to run into the woods and not look back. By the time they did, Jacob and the man were gone. 

27 years of agony in Jacob Wetterling case

Jacob's abduction came to define central Minnesota. Searchers scoured fields and farms. Parents kept their children at home. For many, it was the end of a free-range childhood and the start of "stranger danger." 

Years passed with no break in the case. Every Oct. 22 for 26 years, Minnesotans turned their porch lights to remember Jacob. Jacob's parents went on to push for legislation that made sex offender registries mandatory across the country.

This week, the nearly 30-year mystery got its ending. Daniel Heinrich 

 to Jacob's sexual assault and murder in court. He killed Jacob, he said, the night he was abducted. As part of a plea deal, he led authorities to Jacob's remains.

, looks at why so many years passed without any answers for the Wetterling family, and how the case shaped the lives of everyone in its shadow. 

Madeleine Baran, host and lead reporter for 

, joined MPR News host Tom Weber to discuss the Wetterling case, and what law enforcement did — and did not — do. The first two episodes of 

, along with additional information on the case, are available from 

To listen to the first episode of In the Dark, and an interview with lead reporter and host Madeleine Baran, use the audio player above.

Crime, Law and Justice

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MPR News with Tom Weber

Tom Weber Feature

The Jacob Wetterling abduction

MPR News Staff

Author

Daniel Heinrich, who confessed this week to killing Jacob Wetterling, was questioned by police as early as 1990. A new podcast asks: Why did it take so long to solve one of Minnesota's most infamous crimes?

This is the first episode of "In The Dark," it was featured on MPR News with Tom Weber

In the Dark: Episode one

Reporter Madeleine Baran of the APM Reports team spoke with MPR News host Tom Weber about their new podcast "In The Dark."

'In the Dark': Why did it take so long to find Jacob Wetterling?

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