Jacob was 11 when he was abducted on Oct. 22, 1989, by a masked gunman along a rural road. He hasn’t been seen since and the case remains unsolved.

Every Oct. 22, the resource center that bears his name asks individuals to leave a porch light on to rememb er Jacob. This year, the center is also asking people to honor all missing children by talking to others about child safety.

The resource center was founded in 1990, originally as the Jacob Wetterling Foundation. It merged with the National Child Protection Training Center in 2010 with the goal of ensuring every child grows up safely.

All Jacob Wetterling wanted to do was rent a video. At age 11 he was savvy enough to know that if mom said no, dad just might say yes.

Jacob’s parents, Jerry and Patty, had left their house in St. Joseph, Minn. to attend a dinner party in nearby Clearwater Minnesota . Jacob stayed behind to watch over his two younger siblings, Trevor, 10, and Carmen, 8. Jacob’s friend, Aaron Larson, age 11, joined the group.