UPDATE 9.6.16: Danny Heinrich, the Minnesota man who offered detectives information that led them to the remains of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, has confessed to kidnapping and killing the boy nearly 27 years ago.
Heinrich admitted abducting, sexually assaulting and shooting Jacob on Oct. 22, 1989. The case remained unsolved for more than a quarter-century.
The confession came Tuesday as Heinrich pleaded guilty to child pornography charges in federal court in Minneapolis. A plea deal means Heinrich will face no new charges in the boy's murder, according to The Associated Press. Heinrich faces the statutory maximum of 20 years on the child pornography count. Heinrich's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Read the original story below.
The remains of a Minnesota boy who disappeared 27 years ago are those of Jacob Wetterling, investigators said Saturday.
The Ramsey County medical examiner and a forensic dentist identified Jacob's remains, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office confirmed the identity later in the day, according to the St. Cloud Times.
"Our hearts are broken," Patty Wetterling, Jacob's mother, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We have no words."
The 11-year-old boy was taken while he was on his bicycle about a half-mile from his home.
Jacob went missing after riding his bicycle to a nearby convenience store with his brother and a friend Oct. 22, 1989. On their way home, a man wearing a mask and holding a gun stopped them. The man told them to throw their bikes in the ditch and get face down on the ground. After asking their ages the man told two of the boys to run into the woods. As they ran, they glanced back and saw the gunman grab Jacob's arm. They kept running for the woods and when they looked back again, both the man and Jacob were gone.
Read: Mom pens birthday letter to son missing 26 years
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