Photos: Saying goodbye to Jacob Wetterling

Memorial for Jacob Wetterling
Flowers line the stage inside Clemens Field House at the College of Saint Benedict before the community memorial service for Jacob Wetterling Sunday. Notes on the flowers carried messages of sympathy from friends, family and businesses, including corporations like Delta Airlines.
Evan Frost | MPR News

About 2,800 people gathered on the campus of the College of St. Benedict Sunday to pay final respects to Jacob Wetterling, the 11-year-old whose fate hung in limbo for 27 years until his abductor led authorities to the boy's remains earlier this month.

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"We wouldn't have survived the past 27 years without the love and support of all of you," Jacob's mother, Patty Wetterling, told the crowd. "Every prayer, every candle lit, every flower, every porch light, every hug, every kind note — each and every one has provided us with the courage to move forward."

After the service, which was held in the Clemens Field House on the college's campus, mourners were invited to an ice cream social in Jacob's honor.

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