But then she envisioned Jacob. He was huddled in a corner, saying he was going to give up. And that's what I do every day. Searching faces on buses and trains, at construction sites and shopping malls, Ms. Wetterling looks for a young man with brown hair and blue eyes, probably about 6 feet tall now, with a 21st birthday just around the corner. Ms. Wetterling started a foundation, Jacob's Hope, which focuses on the plight of missing and exploited children, a forum that gives her a chance to talk with law enforcement officers across the nation and keep her son's case from being forgotten.
Some leads still come, but none has panned out.
There are people who call, from all over the country, and say they think they have seen Jacob, sometimes sending pictures. There are con artists who call and ask about a reward. There are sadistic pranksters who call to try to twist their minds. The Wetterlings came home one night and switched on the answering machine. The voice of a young man whispered into the telephone.