Kidnapping of Jayme Closs

On October 15, 2018, Jake Thomas Patterson abducted American 13-year-old Jayme Lynn Closs from her family's home in Barron, Wisconsin. The attack took place at 12:53 a.m after he forced his way inside and fatally shot her parents.[2] Patterson took Closs to a house 70 miles (110 km) away in rural Gordon, Wisconsin, and held her in captivity for 88 days until she escaped on January 10, 2019.[3][4]

Kidnapping of Jayme Lynn Closs
Location
Abduction: 1268 U.S. 8,
Barron (town), Wisconsin, U.S
Confinement: 14166 South Eau Claire Acres Circle,
Gordon, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coordinates45°24′06.0″N 91°53′54.3″W
DateOctober 15, 2018 (2018-10-15) – January 10, 2019 (2019-01-10) (88 days)
Attack type
VictimsJayme Lynn Closs, 13
James Closs, 56 (father)
Denise Closs, 46 (mother)
PerpetratorJake Thomas Patterson,[1] 21

Police took Patterson into custody; shortly after, he told them he kidnapped Closs and killed her parents.[1][5][6] He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping.[1] On May 24, 2019, Patterson was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional 40 years.[7]

Jayme Closs now lives with an aunt and an uncle.[8]

Kidnapping

Jayme Lynn Closs (b. July 13, 2005) was the only child of James and Denise Closs of Barron, Wisconsin.[9][10] On October 5, 2018, Jake Patterson drove to the Closs home to kidnap Jayme Closs. Activity in the home deterred him, as he was afraid he would leave witnesses. Patterson made a second attempt two days later but again aborted for the same reason. On October 15, he made a third visit, this time armed with a shotgun. Shortly before 12:53 a.m. Central Time (05:53 UTC), Patterson parked his car at the end of the driveway. Wearing a black coat and ski mask, he approached the front door of the home, carrying the shotgun.[11] James Closs, 56, shone a light on Patterson through a glass pane in the front door and asked him to show him his badge. Patterson called out, "Open the fucking door!" Patterson fired once, fatally shooting Closs. Forcing his way into the house, Patterson checked every room in the house because he wanted "no witnesses left behind."[12] He found the bathroom door locked and began shooting it down.[11] Inside the bathroom were Denise Closs, 46, and Jayme.[11] Denise was comforting Jayme, who was crying loudly.[12] At 12:53 a.m., Denise Closs made a 911 call.[13][14]

While Denise Closs did not speak, the operator heard a disturbance and yelling before the phone call disconnected. When the dispatcher called the number back, they reached the voicemail of Denise Closs.[15] Patterson bound Jayme's wrists and ankles using duct tape, then fatally shot Denise Closs.[11] He dragged Jayme outside, almost slipping on blood,[16] placed her in the trunk of his car, and drove away.[11] The police arrived four minutes after the 911 call.[17] Patterson later told investigators that he pulled over 20 seconds down the road from the house.[11] Deputies sped by with emergency lights and sirens on.[18] Neighbors said they heard two gunshots but dismissed them since hunting was common around their homes.[19][20] After arriving at his cabin, Patterson made Closs change into a different pair of pajamas, then forced her under his mattress and sealed off all exits before going to sleep.[21]

Escape

Patterson believed that Closs was too afraid of him to make any escape attempts. He “never put special locks on doors because she wouldn’t escape.” They also slept on the same bed.[22] Patterson would rarely let Closs out of the cabin, only for brief walks on the lawn after checking for bystanders.[23] On the afternoon of January 10, 2019, Patterson told Closs he was leaving for a couple of hours. He put her under his bed before boxing her inside with his belongings, per his usual routine. After he departed, Closs pushed out the objects around the bed. She ran from the house wearing a light shirt, leggings, and a pair of Patterson's sneakers. Closs came across a local woman, Jeanne Nutter, walking her dog. Nutter recognized Closs from news reports and immediately took her to a neighbor's house.[24][25] After police were called, Closs told them "Jake Patterson" had killed her parents, taken her, and kept her prisoner just a few houses away from her current location in the neighborhood.[13] The neighbors described Closs as calm, quiet, dazed, and surprised that they recognized her from news coverage.

The police arrived around 4:45 p.m. and decided to remove Closs from the area for her safety.[26] The description Closs provided for Patterson and his vehicle enabled deputies to spot his car just minutes afterward when Patterson drove by the house.[27] After a deputy stopped him, Patterson exited his vehicle and said, "I did it."[26][28]

A hospital admitted Closs under guard. The next morning, they released her to the custody of her aunt, Jennifer Smith.[10] Hormel, the parent company of the Jennie-O store where Closs's parents worked, announced on January 24 that they would grant $25,000 of the reward money to Closs for rescuing herself.[29]

Perpetrator
Jake Thomas Patterson
Born (1997-06-17) June 17, 1997
EducationNorthwood High School
Height6.0 ft (183 cm)
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Criminal chargeTwo counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping
PenaltyTwo consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole plus 40 years

Patterson's parents divorced in 2007. He graduated from Northwood High School in nearby Minong, Wisconsin in 2015. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, but was discharged after one month at MCRD San Diego.[30][31]

Police did not believe Patterson had any social media contact with Closs or her family[32] and relatives of Closs did not recognize Patterson's name.[33] Patterson told authorities he saw Closs getting off a school bus outside the family residence in September while he was driving home from work and that he "knew that she was the girl he wanted to take".[34] Patterson's grandfather stated, "Something went terribly wrong, nobody had any clues... We are absolutely heartbroken. It's wrenching to deal with. He was shy and quiet, he backed off from crowds, but a nice boy, polite. Computer games were more of a priority than social interaction."[35]

Patterson confessed to police that he had kidnapped Closs and killed her parents.[1][13] He had no previous criminal history in Wisconsin.[36] He was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary on January 14,[25] with bail set at $5 million cash.[37][38] On March 27, he pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional first-degree homicide and one count of kidnapping.[39][40]

The judge agreed to dismiss the armed burglary count.[40] On May 24, Patterson was sentenced to the maximum of two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders plus an additional 40 years for the kidnapping.[7] Douglas County authorities did not pursue charges against Patterson related to Closs's 88 days in captivity because they did not want to bring Closs in for questioning and believed there was sufficient evidence to pursue a life sentence without parole without needing additional charges.[41][38][42]

While in jail in March, Patterson wrote a letter in response to questions sent to him by a reporter from a television station in Minneapolis. He apologized for his crimes and stated they were committed "mostly on impulse", contrasting with reports from the police that he had taken various measures in preparation for the crime.[43][44][45] He added that his intention from the beginning was to plead guilty in order to spare Closs and her family the trauma of the case going to trial.[45][46] Later that month, a television reporter in Minneapolis received a cell phone call from Patterson in which he briefly answered questions sent to him in a letter. Regarding the time Closs spent in captivity, Patterson said, "We were just like watching TV, playing board games, talking about stuff. We cooked a lot, everything we made was homemade, you know".[47]

At Patterson's arraignment, his father told a reporter he had a note of apology he was trying to get to Closs.[35] On June 20, he was registered officially as a sex offender.[48] In July, he was transferred from the Dodge Correctional Institution to an out-of-state prison in New Mexico and got in a fight with another inmate in August 2019.[49][50]

References
  1. Levensen, Eric. "Suspect in Jayme Closs case confessed to killing her parents and kidnapping her, complaint states". CNN. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  2. "Missing Wisconsin girl's family faces painful holiday season". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  3. Barron County Sheriff. "Jayme Closs has been located". Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  4. "Jayme Closs located alive in Gordon, currently hospitalized". KBJR6.com. January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  5. Jones, Sheena; Chavez, Nicole (January 10, 2019). "Missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs found alive in Wisconsin". CNN. CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  6. "Missing Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs found alive: What we know about how she escaped". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  7. ""You are the embodiment of evil": Judge hands down life without parole to Jake Patterson for Closs kidnapping and murders". KARE (TV). May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  8. https://www.eonline.com/news/1110242/how-jayme-closs-is-doing-1-year-after-her-incredible-escape-from-the-kidnapper-who-killed-her-parents
  9. https://www.com/crime/jayme-closs-wisconsin-teen-14-birthday/%3f=true
  10. "Man who kidnapped Jayme Closs and murdered her parents sentenced to life in prison". NBC News. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  11. Baumhardt, Alexandra (January 14, 2019). "He spotted Jayme Closs at a bus stop, then launched a deadly plan to kidnap her, police say". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  12. "Man who kidnapped Jayme Closs and murdered her parents sentenced to life in prison". NBC News. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  13. Sanchez, Ray (January 19, 2019). "The Jayme Closs case: A chilling tale of murder, kidnapping and escape in rural America". CNN. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  14. "Wisconsin girl missing 4 days: What we know about Jayme Closs' disappearance and her parents' death". USA Today. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  15. Simon, Darran. "Sheriff seeks 2,000 volunteers in search for missing girl -- that's two-thirds of the town's population". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
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  17. "Missing Wisconsin girl's parents died from gunshots, Jayme Closs may have been there, sheriff says". USA Today. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  18. "Jayme Closs kidnapping suspect applied for job at liquor distributor on day she escaped". CBS News. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  19. "Jayme Closs: Police seek two vehicles seen near Wisconsin slaying, girl's disappearance". USA Today. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
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  25. Eustachewich, Lia (January 11, 2019). "Jake Thomas Patterson charged in Jayme Closs kidnapping". New York Post. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
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  27. "Rescuers recount dramatic moments Jayme Closs was rescued". KARE. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  28. "The Latest: Cabin's ownership changed days after abduction". WRAL. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019. Ownership of a remote cabin where a Wisconsin teenager was apparently held during a nearly three-month disappearance passed to a credit union soon after the girl's abduction. Records show that defendant Jake Thomas Patterson's father transferred the title of the cabin near Gordon to Superior Choice Credit Union on October 23, eight days after the October 15 attack at the Closs family's home near Barron, which is about 60 miles (97 km) south of Gordon. It was appraised at $79,300.
  29. Grinberg, Emmanuella (January 24, 2019). "Jayme Closs to get $25K reward money after saving herself". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  30. "Suspect in Jayme Closs Kidnapping Was Discharged from MCRD". Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  31. Staff, A. O. L. "Accused Jayme Closs kidnapper shaved his head before abduction, authorities say". AOL.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  32. Corbin, Cristina (January 12, 2019). "Neighbor who came to Jayme Closs' aid: 'We were armed and ready' for suspect to come looking". Fox News. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
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  43. BeMiller, Haley; Thompson, Andy (March 21, 2019). "Jake Patterson's letter, phone interview 'pierce Jayme's soul' as he molds narrative". Green Bay Gazette. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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  45. Raguse, Lou (March 7, 2019). "'I can't believe I did this' – Accused Jayme Closs kidnapper writes letter from jail". KARE 11. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  46. Associated Press (March 8, 2019). "Station: Suspect in Closs abduction says he'll plead guilty". Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  47. Mayerle, Jennifer (March 15, 2019). "Accused Closs Kidnapper Jake Patterson Calls WCCO's Jennifer Mayerle". WCCO-TV. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  48. "Jayme Closs Kidnapper Officially Registered Lifetime Sex Offender". RadarOnline. June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  49. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/ncna1083811
  50. "Jake Patterson deleted from Wisconsin prison records as he's quietly moved to New Mexico". Retrieved July 25, 2019.
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