When you are involved in a case that has been unsolved for more than two decades, you know that going back to the leads is never a safe option. As we have seen previously on “Still Missing Morgan,” maximum leads in Morgan’s case had turned cold. As a new investigative officer, it is unfair to say the men and women who had worked on the case before did not do a good job because resources and technology were not very advanced at that time. However, you are bound to feel frustrated, as you have promised yourself to provide justice to the victim’s family. Brett Hartley had all these exact feelings. That was not all; Jacob Wetterling’s case was solved, and the person of interest could also be linked to Morgan’s case. Strange, isn’t it? When a person goes missing, it is not only the family that is devastated; the entire law enforcement department, too, takes it as a personal loss. The involvement of the detectives and the special agents in Morgan’s case and also in Jacob’s case is commendable. But before we talk about the “person” and his involvement in the child abduction case, here is everything you need to know about Jacob Wetterling.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Jacob Wetterling?
Jacob Wetterling was an eleven-year-old boy who was abducted while he was returning home with his friends from a convenience store late in the evening. He was abducted in St. Joseph, Minneapolis. According to his friends, it was dark, and they had the flashlight on. A man appeared with a gun and asked them to turn off the light. The boys followed the order, still unsure if it was a joke. The man apparently asked the two other boys to run as far as they could, or he would shoot them. So when finally the two boys ran and reached a position they thought was safe, they turned back and saw no traces of Jacob or the man. However, they did not hear the sound of the car. Soon, the search began. The search went on for more than two decades, almost until another victim, Jared, came forward and talked about a man. Investigating the DNA’s of Jared’s abductor and abuser with the suspects in Jacob’s case, a match was found. The man was Heinrich Annandale.
Who Is Heinrich Annandale?
While investigating Heinrich Annandale, the investigative officers noticed that the man was very proud of his military service and had everything from that time showcased. They also saw he had a weird collection of knives, which were on display. What was shocking and utterly disgusting was that the man had a collection of child pornography and child erotica. Heinrich was a serial child abuser and was accused of killing Jacob.
Morgan’s Case: Another Suspect
A completely new individual came into the investigating officers’ radar while looking for suspects and witnesses from back in 1995. One witness’s father came forward and gave them intel about Billy Jack Links. On further investigation, it was found that he was held for an attempted abduction in Van Buren. He was asking another young girl to come along with him while she and two of her brothers were out. He even tries to lure them with money. The girl ran to save her and later complained to the police. But when the girl ran, the man drove his truck and hit a pole; allegedly, he panicked and left for his home. Throughout this episode, the man is drunk and smoking cigarettes. While this news went on TV, the witness came forward and reported about the truck this man had, for it appeared similar to him from Morgan’s case.
On further interrogation and investigation, it was found that he was caught drinking and driving his truck around. The truck had similar markings and a place for campers too. Thus, investigators were more interested in him. During the investigation, they also found out that Heinrich had sexually assaulted his own granddaughter.
The investigators dug the ground to examine a slab that Link installed after Morgan’s disappearance, thinking they might find something. Unfortunately, it was another dead end, for they retrieved nothing. However, the investigators kept looking for the truck and wanted to do a deep analysis with the best forces to receive something that would connect to Morgan’s case.
In this episode of “Still Missing Morgan,” what will strike you is the constant effort by the family and the police department. The way Collen protected Morgan’s siblings at their young ages by reducing the horrors of abduction in their minds is commendable. In one interview with Colleen, you will be able to see several missing children’s posters in the background, and you can see “recovered” marked on all of them. This will instantly break your heart and crush you, as you can imagine what passes through Morgan’s family every day. On the other hand, you can’t be more sorry for Patty Wetterling, for after twenty-seven years, she found out her missing son was dead, and a sick pedophile was behind it. It is troubling as we proceed through the episodes not to know where Morgan is; for now, all we can imagine is the worst-case scenario of what might happen to her or that she is probably no more. The unsure nature of the incident makes Morgan’s disappearance even more painful.