“In the Wetterling case the first conclusion was that it was a sexual abduction,” said Prof. Paula Fass, who discusses the case in her book, Kidnapped: Child Abduction in America. “The conclusion has been that when that type of selection takes place there is a preference being expressed for a certain age.” But Fass added that the age selection is not necessarily for a sexual purpose.

Jim Rothstein, a retired New York Police Department detective currently researching the disappearance, goes so far as to suggest that Jacob was captured by a pedophile ring. These rings, Rothstein asserts, procure and trade boys.

But case investigators say they have no evidence to support his theory.

Recent Investigation

Operating under the sex offender theory, and with few fresh leads, police spend most of their time reviewing the records of local child sex investigations.

Jacob, left, and Trevor, who is now a 22-year-old student at Colorado State University.

“We still have leads mostly when someone gets arrested for another crime,” said Patty Wetterling, who still speaks with investigators weekly. “We’ve been lucky to have law enforcement involvement for at least 13 years.”

While the kidnapping’s notoriety keeps the tips flowing, most of them aren't useful.

“A lot of them are people who always had suspicions that a family member might have been a pedophile and they think we should look at that person for the Wetterling case,” said sheriff’s Det. Pam Jenson, who’s been assigned to the matter for the past two years.

“The other calls are people who think they see a 12-year-old boy who looks like Jacob,” Jenson adds. “A lot of them don’t understand that Jacob would be a man now.”

Remarkably, some of the most veteran investigators remain optimistic.

“It’s been quite a while but there is always the possibility that someone will have a dose of conscience and may talk before their death,” said Patrol Lt. Dave Nohner, who worked the Wetterling case for 11 years. “There was a huge amount of emotion that ran with this case and whoever did this has to be carrying huge amounts of baggage.”

Could It Be Him?

One of the last pictures of Jacob, on a day trip two months before he was kidnapped, wearing the same blue mesh shirt he wore the night he vanished.

Patty and Jerry Wetterling have spent more years looking for their son than they spent raising him. Patty still looks for Jacob every time she sees a group of young men. He would be 24 now. Brown hair, blue eyes, about six feet tall. Could it be him?

“I used to teach high school math and I know statistics and I know the statistics are not good but I also know that some of these kids are still alive,” said Patty. “The phone rings, and I wonder. I get a letter with no return address, and I wonder. Until I know for sure, there is still a chance.”

The family has endured daily drives past the spot where Jacob was snatched and years of prank calls like the answering machine message with a young man's voice whispering, "This is Jacob Wetterling and I want you to know I'm still alive."

But the Wetterlings refuse to change their phone number or move from the four-bedroom home that Jacob biked away from 13 years ago.

"What if he came home?" Patty asks.