In October 1989, 11-year old Jacob Wetterling was abducted near his home in the small town of St. Joseph, Minnesota. Despite an unparalleled effort to find him, his whereabouts remained a mystery for 27 years--until his kidnapper, arrested on another charge, confessed to Wetterling's murder and led authorities to his buried remains in September 2016.

Wetterling's disappearance--and the national media attention that followed--had far-reaching effects. No longer was small-town America considered safe from the exploitation of children. In 1993, Congress passed the "Jacob Wetterling Act," setting up a nation-wide registry for offenders convicted of crimes against children.

Based in part on earlier publications by the author, this detailed account chronicles the decades-long search for Wetterling and his abductor. Long-overlooked names and information that pointed the way to solving the case are brought to the forefront of the investigation.