Mother: Family 'deeply grieving' boy who disappeared in 1989
A masked gunman abducted 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling on Oct. 22, 1989, as he rode his bicycle near his home in the central Minnesota community of St. Joseph, about 80 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Saturday that a person of interest in Jacob's abduction took authorities to a field in central Minnesota where Jacob's buried remains and other evidence were recovered.
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office said Jacob's remains were identified Saturday, and that authorities expect to be able to provide more details this week.
Patty Wetterling has become a nationally recognized advocate for missing and exploited children since the loss of her son.
A 1994 federal law named for Jacob requires states to establish sex offender registries.