Minnesota authorities were reportedly led to the remains of Jacob Wetterling by Daniel Heinrich, who was originally questioned in the investigation.
The remains of an 11-year-old Minnesota boy who was abducted in 1989 have reportedly been discovered with the help of a man once questioned by investigators in the decades old case.
Police were led to bones believed to be those of Jacob Wetterling, as well as other items, in an undisclosed location with the help of Daniel Heinrich.
Heinrich was questioned in December 1989 after Wetterling was pulled off his bike and kidnapped at gunpoint in Stearns County.
At the time, Heinrich told investigators he could not recall where he was the day Jacob vanished that October, WTSP reports.
Fast forward to July 2015 when authorities were issued a warrant to search Heinrich's home after police say DNA evidence linked him to the sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy in the area 10 months prior to Jacob's disappearance.
Inside Heinrich's home, cops say they found child pornogrpahy along with news reports about the Jacob Wetterling case.
While the statute of limitations on the sexual assault has run out, Heinrich was arrested last October on alleged possession of child pornography and named a person of interest in Jacob's abduction for the first time.
He reportedly then led police to where Jacob's remains were buried in Stearns County.
The Wetterling family, through the Jacob Wetterling Foundation they established following the disappearance, issued a lengthy, emotional statement after learning of this week's sad development.
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"We are in deep grief. We didn't want Jacob's story to end this way... Our hearts are heavy, but we are being held up by all of the people who have been a part of making Jacob's Hope a light that will never be extinguished. It shines on in a different way. We are, and we will continue to be, Jacob's Hope," the statement read, in part.
Jacob's mother, Patty Wetterling, posted a statement to Twitter.
"Our family is drawing strength from all your love & support. We're struggling with words at this time. Thank you for your hope."
Watch: Brothers Missing for Two Months Could Have Been Abducted by Mom
