"Wow. No way," were Caroline Lowe's first thoughts, she told me Monday, when KARE 11 news director Jane Helmke called to ask if the former, longtime WCCO-TV reporter would come back to Minnesota to work an indefinite special assignment on the Jacob Wetterling case as a member of the "KARE 11 Investigates" team.
Last week's naming of a person of interest in Wetterling's 1989 disappearance had Lowe, who left WCCO in 2011 after 34 years for a job at KSBY-TV in San Luis Obispo, Calif., again sharing information with her former 'CCO colleagues. No more. "I can't now that I'm here," said Lowe, who remains the lone investigative reporter at KSBY. KSBY and KARE are NBC stations.
"This was an opportunity. I'm just so very grateful. I don't have any illusions I'm going to come up with anything great, but I'm going to do my best to dig," Lowe said.
Lowe got permission from Helmke to give her four closest WCCO-TV colleagues a heads up about the KARE 11 assignment. "I did feel some concern because I am so close to some people at 'CCO. It was tough calling Amelia, but they were great," said Lowe, adding, "Every one of us is going to be out there until we find Jacob." In addition to WCCO anchors Amelia Santaniello and Liz Collin, Lowe also gave advance notice to two photographers with whom she worked the most, Tom Aviles and Dave Chaney.
Lowe returned to Minnesota early Monday with a stone inscribed with the word HOPE, a token given by Patty Wetterling at her going-away party. "I really can't forget Jacob. I have his picture and Jodi [Huisentruit's] on my desk in California," said Lowe. There are other missing people she also can't forget.
Lowe considers it a privilege to work with Helmke, "one of the most humble news people."
Helmke rarely accepts credit. When asked whose idea it was to hire Lowe, a stroke of genius, Helmke said, "I guess it was mine." As I teased her how unusual that was to hear, Helmke said, "Well, I think it was all of ours. We're just looking for ways to put all of our best people on it and other resources we could grab a hold of and partnerships we could build that would help us be better journalists. I'm thrilled she could be available. We have a great team. It's not about anything we can't do; it's just that she has other great resources that she can continue to make us better and better. She, of course, was there on Day 1, and she has made missing children and adults a passion and life mission beyond television journalism. She has just a lot of resources."
And by resources, Helmke means SOURCES, as Lowe also became certified as a police officer while in Minnesota. In fact, Lowe told me she was at the BCA this summer when she returned to visit Minnesota.
