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Jacob Wetterling's Parents Fighting To Make The World Safer For Kids

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The parents of Jacob Wetterling say more needs to be done to make the world safer for children.

In a video released Tuesday, Patty and Jerry Wetterling called for people to honor their son by embodying traits of kindness and compassion.

"Jacob believed in a world where children have the right to grow up safe and follow their dreams," Patty Wetterling said. "That's what we are fighting for."

The couple also thanked those who supported them through the decades-long search for their son, who was abducted from St. Joseph in 1989. He was 11 years old.

Last month, Danny Heinrich admitted to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and fatally shooting Jacob Wetterling. He led investigators to the boy's remains on a farm in Paynesville.

"After such a long time, the suddenness of the answer – the horrific last minutes or hour of Jacob's life – and the finality of this death have been so very hard for us to process," Patty Wetterling said in the video.

Her husband added that it's been difficult for the couple to eat, sleep, think and work since they learned of their son's death. Yet, as they continue to grieve, they say they won't stop working to find other missing children.

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