Our Reporting

September 27, 2016

In a trap: What it means to be a 'person of interest'

The police twice used the label "person of interest" in the Wetterling case. It's an imprecise term that stops short of calling someone a suspect but can leave a person in a long-term limbo.

September 27, 2016

The questionable science of tire track and shoe print analysis

They can rule out a suspect, but shoe prints and tire tracks in the dirt lack solid standards for use as forensic evidence.

September 27, 2016

What did Dan Rassier say when he called 911 the night of the abduction? We don't know

APM Reports tried to get a transcript of Dan Rassier's 911 call. First the Sheriff's Office said no; then it said it didn't have it.

September 20, 2016

Dayton provided severance to appointees who resigned

Gov. Mark Dayton authorized nearly $80,000 in severance payments to three outgoing top officials, a departure from past practice and an action Republican lawmakers are criticizing.

September 20, 2016

Inconclusive: The truth about lie detector tests

Investigators in Jacob Wetterling's disappearance used lie detectors "a lot," one of them says. But some research suggests they're not much more reliable than flipping a coin.

September 20, 2016

Does hypnosis help solve crimes?

Wetterling investigators used hypnosis to prod memories, but some experts fear the process can cause people to remember things that didn't happen. So while it may help investigations, courts have been wary to accept it as evidence.

September 20, 2016

Not photographs: The misunderstood police composite sketch

Early on, investigators circulated a number of police sketches, hoping they would generate better leads in Jacob Wetterling's abduction. But sketches can be tricky and lead potential witnesses down the wrong path.

September 13, 2016

DNA and the Wetterling abduction

DNA profiling has grown up since the Wetterling abduction, becoming both more powerful and, sometimes, as much art as science. It played an important role in shaping the case against the man who led authorities to Jacob's remains.

September 13, 2016

It's a match. Or is it?

DNA analysis has come to be one of the most relied-upon tools in forensic criminology. Here's a look at when it's simple and when it's not.

September 8, 2016

Higher education behind the bars of San Quentin

California's San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco is one of few prisons in the nation to offer a college education to inmates. Here's a look at the Prison University Project behind the prison walls.

September 8, 2016

Prison history assignment yields surprise, passion for research

When inmates at Indiana Women's Prison got an assignment to write the institution's history, the project dug up unknown details and instilled a love of research in inmates.

September 8, 2016

College behind bars: Keeping an idea alive

After an abrupt reversal 20 years ago, some prisons and colleges try to maintain college education for prisoners.

September 7, 2016

Patty Wetterling

More than anyone else, she has been the face and voice of the search for Jacob.

September 7, 2016

Jerry Wetterling

More reserved than his wife, Jacob's father struggled with the investigation and turned to psychics.

September 7, 2016

The Jacob Wetterling 911 call: Audio and transcript

Stearns County sheriff's office transcript of 911 call from Merlyn Jerzak, a neighbor of Patty and Jerry Wetterling. His daughter, who had been babysitting at the Wetterling house, called him to come to the Wetterling house when she learned of Jacob Wetterling's abduction from Jacob's brother, Trevor, and their friend, Aaron Larson.

September 7, 2016

Transcript of Heinrich testimony

At a plea hearing on Sept. 6, 2016, Danny James Heinrich admitted kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing Jacob Wetterling on Oct. 22, 1989.

August 25, 2016

Investigators find four cases of maltreatment at defunct Mesabi Academy

Nearly two months after a juvenile correctional facility in northern Minnesota was closed, county officials found evidence of maltreatment in the actions of Mesabi Academy employees.

August 25, 2016

Restorative justice: A new approach to discipline

Schools facing dilemmas over disparities in discipline policies are turning to an approach known as restorative practices, focusing on how to repair harm done.

August 25, 2016

St. Paul: New discipline policy sows dissatisfaction

In St. Paul, administrators dealt with disparities in discipline by reducing suspensions and expulsions. In the end, the superintendent was fired and few were happy with the result.

August 25, 2016

Using new approach, Denver cuts suspensions by half

In 2008, Denver schools abandoned their zero-tolerance approach to discipline and opted for other ways to deal with school behavior. Suspensions and expulsions are way down and the racial gap in discipline has narrowed.

August 25, 2016

Two centuries of school discipline

How to discipline students has been debated in American schools since the country was founded.

August 25, 2016

What exactly should school cops do?

Police officers have been in schools for years, initially brought in as a means of student protection. But some say they have become too involved in school discipline.

August 18, 2016

States attack college readiness in high school

Using a solution as obvious as it is rare, a few states have begun designing remediation course work while students are still in high school.

June 8, 2016

Where to go? The stories of three families after Mesabi Academy

Families and counties are scrambling to place children after Mesabi Academy said it would close its doors June 30. Hennepin and Ramsey counties have sent more complaints about the correctional facility.

May 26, 2016

State, county and federal supervision didn't convey worry about Mesabi Academy

A flawed, confused system prevents judges, social services officials and guardians from discovering critical information about the condition of the residential treatment facilities regulated by the Department of Corrections. Mesabi Academy, scheduled to close next month, is a case study. Since opening in 1998, the juvenile correctional facility had been seen as a reliable jobs provider, receiving subsidies from government and tens of millions of dollars in loans from its parent. But attempts to sustain the business may have compromised resident and worker safety.

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