>> ERIC: THIS SUNDAY WILL MARK 34 YEARS SINCE 11-YEAR-OLD JACOB WETTERLING WAS ABDUCTED AT GUNPOINT IN ST. JOSEPH, MINNESOTA, WHILE BIKING HOME WITH HIS BROTHER AND A FRIEND.

THE SEARCH FOR JACOB WOULD CONTINUE FOR NEARLY 27 YEARS UNTIL A CONFESSION BROUGHT AUTHORITIES AND THE FAMILY TO HIS REMAINS.

THROUGH THE DECADES, JACOB'S MOM, PATTY WETTERLING, BECAME THE FACE OF HOPE, TRAGEDY, AND A NATIONAL ADVOCATE FOR MISSING CHILDREN.

SHE CHRONICLES HER STORY IN "DEAR JACOB," A MEMOIR CO-AUTHORED WITH JOY BAKER, THE BLOGGER WHO HELPED CRACK THE CASE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Eric: YOU GO THROUGH THESE EVENTS, I GUESS AGAIN, WRITING THE BOOK.

WHAT WAS THE PERSON, AND WAS IT -- WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE AND WAS IT TOUGH FOR YOU?

>> IT WAS ACTUALLY HEALING.

YOU KNOW, I NEVER STOPPED TO THINK ABOUT ALL THAT WAS HAPPENING.

I WAS JUST PUSHING FORWARD.

WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO.

AND SO T GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT.

AND PART OF THAT I THINK IS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO HEAL.

YOU WERE THERE.

I MEAN, PEOPLE WERE -- THEY'VE LIVED IT EVERYWHERE I GO.

I'M HEARING STORIES.

MY HILD WAS BORN THAT DAY.

OR MY CHILD HAD CANCER, AND I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH WITHOUT FEELING YOUR HOPE AND KNOWING WHAT TO DO.

AND SO IT WAS LIKE THIS KIND OF HEALING AND THE STORY THAT HADN'T BEEN TOLD.

IT WAS OUR PERSONAL JOURNEY.

- >> Cathy: JOY, I WANT TO GET TO YOU IN JUST A MOMENT.

BUT, PATTY, IN THOSE HOURS AND DAYS AFTER THE KIDNAPPING, I REMEMBER IT WAS SO CHAOTIC.

AND YOU WRITE ABOUT THAT TOO.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE THAT?

>> I DIDN'T.

MY SISTER CAME FROM CALIFORNIA AND STAYED WITH US AND SHE'D SAY, GO HERE, DRESS, WEAR THIS, EAT.

YOU KNOW, I HONESTLY WAS -- WHEN I LOOK BACK AT EARLY VIDEO, WAS STARING INTO LA-LA LAND.

I WAS KIND OF NONFUNCTIONAL.

BUT PEOPLE WERE KIND ND THEY CARRIED US WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ENCOURAGE TO GET UP OUT OF BED.

SO IT WAS TRAUMATIC.

>> Eric: JOY, HOW DO YOU ENTER THE PICTURE HERE IN THE STORY?

>> WELL, I ADJUST A MOM OF TWO TEENAGE BOYS TRYING TO NAVIGATE MY WAY TO A SECOND ACT.

I HAD BEEN IN MARKETING MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE, AND SO IDENTIFY STARTED THIS BLOG.

I THOUGHT THAT WOULD KEEP ME WRITING.

AND I DECIDED TO WRITE ABOUT THE JACOB WETTERLING STORY AND THAT IS KIND OF HOW IT STARTED.

>> Cathy: BUT YOU HAD SOME DELICATE GROUND TO TROD IN THAT PATTY AND THE FAMILY WERE JUST INUNDATED AT CERTAIN POINTS WITH JUST WEIRDOES.

I MEAN, REALLY, YOU WERE.

STRANGE PEOPLE.

WHO HAD ALL KINDS OF THEORIES ABOUT WHERE JACOB WAS AND ALL OF THAT.

SO YOU COME ON THE SCENE.

AND YOU HAVE TO TRY TO GAIN PATTY'S TRUST TO WRITE HIS BOOK, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, THAT WAS HARD.

BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS JUST A MOM HELPING ANOTHER MOM.

AND THAT HAD NOT REALLY OCCURRED TO ME.

AND I -- IT WAS HARD.

I MEAN, I WAS PROBABLY ACTING A BIT LIKE A STALKER BUT TRYING REALLY HARD NOT TO.

AND SO PATTY EVENTUALLY CAME AROUND.

>> Eric: IN THE BOOK, YOU TALK ABOUT LOBBYING CONGRESS FOR A LAW CHANGE.

AND YOU'RE IN THE ROSE GARDEN WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNINGS AND I WANT TO GET THE NAME RIGHT.

THE JACOB WETTERLING CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN AND SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDERS REGISTRATION ACT.

I UNDERSTOOD FROM THE BOOK, PEOPLE SAY, YOU MUST VERY PROUD TO HAVE JACOB'S NAME ATTACHED TO A BULL.

AND THAT'S NOT SO.

>> IT'S HARD.

YOU'RE AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND IT SHOULD BE THIS GRANDIOSE MOMENT AND IT WAS INCREDIBLY SAD.

MY MOM CAME OUT THERE.

AND SENATOR DURENBERGER AND JIM RAMSTAD WERE REALLY KEY.

AND THERE WAS JUST A PART OF ME THAT JUST WANTED TO CURL UP IN A BALL AND GO AWAY.

BUT T WAS SOMETHING THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT SAID THEY NEEDED.

AND I WOULD DO WHATEVER -- THAT'S WHAT I ASKED.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

WHAT WOULD HELP YOU FIND THESE KIDS?

AND THEY SAID IT WOULD HAVE HELPED TO KNOW WHO WAS IN THE AREA.

SO WE DID IT.

>> Eric: TELL US ABOUT JARED SCHYRE LSKS.

L. >> HE WAS AMAZINGLY BRAVE.

HE WAS A YOUNG 12-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS KIDNAPPED AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED NINE MONTHS PRIOR TO JACOB IN JANUARY OF 1989.

AND I FOUND JARED.

I WANTED TO TALK TO HIM.

I DIDN'T KNOW OF HIM UNTIL I STARTED BLOGGING.

AND SO FOUND HIM WITH SOME GENEALOGY SKILLS AND SOME LUCK.

AND HE AGREED TO TALK TO ME.

AN JUST BY HIM SHARING HIS STORY AND THEN WHEN WE DISCOVERED THESE OTHER CASES IN ABOUT A ANESTHESIAS VILLE OF THESE SIMILAR INCIDENTS, JARED WAS THE ONE WHO WENT UP TO THESE GUYS AND SAID, HERE'S MY STORY.

WILL YOU SHARE YOURS?

AND SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT START AID THIS WHOLE THING.

>> Eric: AND THEN YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS TOO, OF COURSE, PATTY.

>> I KNEW JARED.

I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE ARTICLE THAT SHE HAD FOUND IDENTIFYING OTHER VICTIMS.

I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IS THAT.

AND SO IT WAS NEW.

ALL THE LOS ANGELES TRAINING SAID I PARTICIPATED IN AND LEARNED IS WHEN THERE'S A CLUSTER OF VICTIMS, THERE'S PROBABLY -- THEY'RE RELATED.

AND JOY WAS TURNING EVERYTHING OVER.

FOR SO LONG, I WANTED TO KNOW IF SHE WAS NORMAL.

BUT SHE'S NOT NORMAL.

SHE'S EXTRAORDINARY.

SHE'S REALLY BRIGHT.

AND KEPT ASKING QUESTIONS.

AND LOGGING EVERYTHING AND CHARTING.

WHERE DID THESE HAPPEN?

AND PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE.

WE HEARD FROM THE F.B.I.

JUST THE OTHER DAY THAT HELPED THEM DRAMATICALLY WHEN THEY WENT BACK TO REVISIT THE CASE.

>> Eric: DO YOU QUESTION THE QUALITY OF THE INVESTIGATION?

>> NOPE.

NO, I REALLY DON'T.

THOSE KIDS WERE VICTIMIZED IN 1987.

JACOB IN '89.

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIDN'T HAVE FAX MACHINES.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM STATEWIDE.

SO NOBODY KNEW HAT WAS GOING ON HERE.

AND MAYBE TEN MILES AWAY, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THAT AUTOMATIC THING.

AND THEY DID WHAT THEY COULD.

I THOUGHT IT WAS INCREDIBLE DETAIL.

AND THEY SAVED EVIDENCE.

THAT'S WHAT EVENTUALLY GOT THEM TO IDENTIFY THE VICTIM, THE GUY WHO VICTIMIZED JARED.

>> >> Cathy: I THINK ABOUT HOW SO MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES WERE CHANGED BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO JACOB.

AND I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, EVEN PARENTING CHANGE AID.

DID IT NOT?

I MEAN, YOU HAD TWO BOYS.

DID YOU BELET THEM GO OUT OF YOUR SIGHT AFTER THIS?

>> WELL, NOT MUCH.

HONESTLY.

I MEAN, I WAS A VERY STRICT PARENT.

ASK MY BOYS.

I'M SURE THEY WOULD TELL YOU THAT.

AND THAT WAS A WHOLE NEW WAY OF RAISING CHILDREN.

I MEAN, YOU HAD TO TELL YOUR KIDS, IF SOMEONE TRIES TO TAKE YOU, YOU RUN.

YOU JUST DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

SO WE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR KIDS.

>> Cathy: AND THERE'S BEEN GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE KIND OF GROWN UP IN THAT WAY.

>> Cathy: I ANT TO KNOW, DO YOU FEEL JACOB IS WITH YOU?

>> ALL THE TIME.

I WAS THINKING ABOUT HIM TODAY.

YEAH, WE CARRY HIM RIGHT HERE, CLOSE TO OUR HEARTS.

AND I CAN HEAR HIM LAUGH SOMETIMES.

AND LIKE THAT WAS A GOOD ONE, MOM.

YOU KNOW?

HE CALLS ME OUT.

OUR FAMILY CARRIED HIM WITH US FOR SO LONG.

AND I JUST REFUSE TO LET THE MEMORY AND THE LEGACY OF WHO HE WAS, AND THAT'S THE WORLD WE'RE FIGHTING FOR.

I WAS LISTENING TO YOUR SPEAKER AND IT'S LIKE THE WORLD NEEDS TO PULL TOGETHER.

SO MANY PEOPLE, THE ENTIRE STATE AND REGION PULLED TOGETHER FOR JACOB BECAUSE HE HAD THAT SPIRIT, THAT EVERYBODY WAS UNITED AROUND.

AND I THINK WE ARE STARVED FOR THAT NOW.

WE NEED TO PULL TOGETHER AGAIN.

>> Eric: "DEAR JACOB": A MOTHER'S JOURNEY OF HOPE, IT'S A GREAT READ AND THERE'S A LOT OF BEHIND THE SCENES STUFF.