Stearns County Sheriff Donald Gudmundson begins the press conference by saying the Wetterling investigation "went off the rails."
Danny Heinrich was a possible suspect on Jan 16, 1989 in the sexual assault of Jared Scheierl, but was disregarded because of small differences his car and Jared’s description. -Sheriff Gudmundson
Heinrich bio: apmreports.org/story/2016/09/…
Heinrich bio: apmreports.org/story/2016/09/…
Gudmundson notes parallels between Jared’s abduction and assault and witness statements in Wetterling case.
Scheierl bio: apmreports.org/story/2016/09/…
Scheierl bio: apmreports.org/story/2016/09/…
Task force “spinning its wheels” between Wetterling abduction and Nov. 30, 1989, when first parallels to Paynesville noted by investigators, Gudmundson says.
On the Paynesville incidents, Gudmundson notes numerous parallels between the incidents and Wetterling murder: descriptions of Heinrich’s voice, clothing, covering of his face.
Less than 48 hours after Wetterling abduction, a Paynesville victim tells authorities the incidents could be connected because of their similarities. It wasn’t until 1/5/1990 that this the lead sheet is examined by an investigator.
1/12/1990: Heinrich’s shoes were found consistent with shoe print and he is put under surveillance. He is only followed for “part of three days” and appeared to be trying to evade officers, by driving around rural roads, doubling back, turning out headlights.
Gudmundson: Heinrich’s car should have been black-lighted for semen stains. It was not.
We're tweeting live about Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson's press conference. He's reviewing the investigation of the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, which we covered in our podcast's first season. apmreports.org/story/2016/12/…
Gudmundson: Heinrich's photos of a child in his underwear were "inexplicably" not confiscated.
1/26/1990: Heinrich is in a physical lineup. Cold Spring boy does does not identify him.
Gudmundson says all of the Paynesville victims should have been shown the lineup, as well as the Wetterling witnesses. "They were not." There was also no voice lineup.
2/9/1990: Heinrich is arrested in a bar in Roscoe. He is drunk. Heinrich demands to know if he is under arrest. "One would never willingly arrest someone in a bar late at night. That was a big mistake."
Interrogation of Heinrich is the “most fatal flaw in the Wetterling investigation,” Gudmundson says. Interrogators were inexperienced.
4/23/1990 is the BCA's first involvement with investigating Heinrich.
Convicted sex offender Duane Hart told investigators he saw police scanners, a ninja outfit, and a handgun in Heinrich’s apartment. And that in October 1989, “Heinrich asks Hart how to get rid of a body.” apmreports.org/story/2016/10/…
“What happened to this information?" Gudmundson says it's not apparent that anything was done with it.
Heinrich is ignored for the next 20 years.
Heinrich is ignored for the next 20 years.
Why Heinrich should have been considered the main suspect, according to Gudmundson: He wore camouflage, was in military and lied about wearing those clothes. Fibers on snowmobile suit were consistent w/ Heinrich’s car. Shoe prints and tire tracks were consistent with Heinrich’s.
Gudmundson says Sheriff Charlie Grafft lost control of his investigation. apmreports.org/story/2016/09/…
Stress and anxiety “put us into tunnel vision.” The answer is right here. The light was not at the end of the tunnel. It was right here.”
Stress and anxiety “put us into tunnel vision.” The answer is right here. The light was not at the end of the tunnel. It was right here.”
Sheriff Gudmundson: "You know your investigation is already off the rails when you’re consulting psychics."
Sheriff Gudmundson says investigators wasted resources investigating an 80-year-old man in Vermont, while taking 2 months to follow up on Heinrich tip.
By June of 1990 “Heinrich is essentially forgotten.”
By June of 1990 “Heinrich is essentially forgotten.”
The task forces were not just on the wrong path, but on the wrong freeway and eventually on the Autobahn, Gudmundson says.
Gudmundson: “We can’t change what happened, but we can learn from it.”
Gudmundson is asked who made the call to go back to Heinrich. Gudmundson is not sure, but he says retired investigators didn’t think to take another run at him for years. They should have gone back and re-read the report.
Gudmundson says the case file was voluminous and Heinrich ”was like a whisper in the crowd. But it should have been a persistent whisper in the crowd.”
Question: Was everything investigators needed there in the first 48 hours?
Gudmundson says all the info was available to them before Wetterling was even abducted.
Gudmundson says all the info was available to them before Wetterling was even abducted.
Gudmundson: "I don’t want to get in a debate with the FBI about the truth. I’ve laid it out the way I saw it. If the FBI disagrees, they should release the files."
Sheriff Gudmundson is asked to characterize the Jacob Wetterling investigation. Was it a failure?
"Yes. All of us failed."
"Yes. All of us failed."
Are any of the responsible people still at the Stearns County Sheriff's Department?
Gudmundson: No they are all gone. You can’t discipline people for screwing up an investigation like this.
Then what do you do?
Gudmundson: Learn from it.
Gudmundson: No they are all gone. You can’t discipline people for screwing up an investigation like this.
Then what do you do?
Gudmundson: Learn from it.
