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,"" establishing a nation-wide registry for offenders convicted of crimes against children. In its updated third edition, 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 forefront of the investigation.