---
title: "A resolution honoring the life of Jacob Wetterling and the efforts of Patty Wetterling and the Wetterling family to find abducted children and support their families."
identifier: "114-SRES-554"
congress: 114
bill_number: 554
bill_type: "SRES"
version_code: "is"
version_type: "Introduced in Senate"
bill_url: "https://chamberzero.com/congresses/114/bills/sres/554"
source: "https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-resolution/554"
site: "Chamber Zero"
site_url: "https://chamberzero.com"
rendered_at: "2026-06-03T23:37:30.691Z"
---
Whereas Patty and Jerry Wetterling faced the unimaginable tragedy of having their 11-year-old son, Jacob Wetterling, abducted near their home in Stearns County, Minnesota, on October 22, 1989;Whereas Jacob Wetterling was taken at gunpoint and his disappearance remained unsolved for nearly 27 years;Whereas Jacob Wetterling’s body was not recovered until September of 2016;Whereas Patty Wetterling bravely turned her grief into action and devoted her life to advocating for missing and exploited children;Whereas Patty Wetterling has become a nationally recognized educator on child abduction and the sexual exploitation of children;Whereas Patty Wetterling serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children;Whereas Patty Wetterling and her husband co-founded the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center to educate communities about child safety issues to prevent child exploitation and abductions;Whereas Patty Wetterling authored the publication "When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide", along with 4 other families;Whereas Patty Wetterling served for more than 7 years as Director of Sexual Violence Prevention for the Minnesota Department of Health;Whereas the Star Tribune selected Patty Wetterling as one of the "100 Most Influential Minnesotans of the Century";Whereas Patty Wetterling’s efforts led to the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (Public Law 103–322; 108 Stat. 2038), a Federal law that requires States to implement a sex offender and crimes against children registry; andWhereas Jacob Wetterling’s memory lives on through the efforts of the Wetterling family: Now, therefore, be itThat the Senate honors—
  - (1) the life of Jacob Wetterling; and
  - (2) the efforts of Patty Wetterling and the Wetterling family to prevent child exploitation and abductions across the United States.