Body of American boy found after 27 years missing

US authorities have just discovered the body of Jacob Wetterling, an 11-year-old boy who went missing 27 years ago.

The parents of missing boy Jacob Wetterling. Photo: AP.

Details about where and when Jacob was found have not been released, but county police saidStearns, StateMinnesota, said the identity of the body has been confirmed by medical examiners.

Jacob's mother, Mrs.Patty Wetterling, said the family's hearts were "broken".

"We are deeply saddened. We did not want Jacob's story to end this way," the Wetterling family said on the Resource Center's website.Jacob Wetterling, an organization founded to prevent child abuse after Jacob's disappearance.

Jacob disappeared while riding home from a grocery store with his brother and a friend in October 1989, when he was 11. His brother said a masked gunman kidnapped him.

Minnesota police tried to follow up on leads for years but had no positive leads until last year, when authorities made an arrest.Danny Heinrich, 53, and claims he is involved in the case.

They seized several books about child pornography as well as DNA samples that implicated Heinrich in the kidnapping and sexual assault of another boy in Stearns County around the same time.

Boy Jacob Wetterling. Photo: NBC News.

Heinrich's brother,David Heinrich said he knew nothing about his brother's actions and expressed sympathy for the Wetterling family.

Jacob's disappearance brought the issue of child molestation to the attention of the American public. In 1994, the US Congress passed the Jacob Crimes Against Children and Child Sexual Abuse Act.

"For nearly 27 years, the thoughts and prayers of the people of Minnesota have been with the Wetterling family, who have never given up hope or stopped searching for their beloved Jacob. Today, we continue to send our love and sympathy to the Wetterling family as they finally bring their son home to rest," said Governor Mark Dayton.

According to VNE