Mother of Boy Missing Since 1989 'Hopeful' New Search Will Yield Results
Jacob Wetterling was last seen 21 years at the age of .
July 1, 2010— -- Patty Wetterling has never given up hope that one day the mystery of her son's disappearance in 1989 would be solved.
She may have a reason for new hope as law enforcement officials dug today at the farm near St. Joseph, Minn., where Jacob, who was 11 at the time, was last seen.
"I'm hopeful that they'll find something," Wetterling told ABCNews.com. "We're keeping our fingers crossed, saying a little prayer here and there."
Even after 21 years, Wetterling is cautiously optimistic about the search.
"It's hard," she said. "It's very confusing, what to feel, what to think, what to do."
Police have refused to say whether the focus on the farm is connected to Jacob Wetterling's disappearance, and won't even discuss the issue with the boy's mother.
"They can't tell me," Patty Wetterling said today. "I do believe it's connected."
The mom said the connection to Jacob's disappearance is impossible to ignore.
"It would be a stretch to think they were doing this massive search for any other reason," she said.
She praised law enforcement officials for their continued attention to a search that she has never given up on. "What it shows to me is the absolute commitment of law enforcement to never quit," Wetterling said.
Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold of the Stearns County Sheriff's Department said a court order prevents him from discussing the details of the investigation.
"We're conducting an investigation," he told ABCNews.com. "We have people there again today."
Ernie Allen, head of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, confirmed that the Stearns County Sheriff's office, the FBI, and members of his organization's 'Team Adam' were all at the farm. Team Adam is made up of retired law enforcement officials who specialize in finding missing children. Like Bechtold, Allen said he could not comment on the reason for the new activity, instead focusing on the ongoing nature of the investigation.
"This is a continuation of an investigative angle that law enforcement has been pursuing for some time," Allen told ABCNews.com.
"There is clearly a legal basis for a search," Allen said.
