Jayme Closs

Case background and investigation

On October 15, 2018, at approximately 12:53 a.m., a 911 call was made from the home of James and Denise Closs in Barron, Wisconsin. When deputies arrived, they found both parents shot dead. Their thirteen-year-old daughter, Jayme, was missing. The crime scene and dispatch call indicated someone had forced entry into the home.

A massive search was launched involving the FBI, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and hundreds of volunteers. Despite extensive efforts and thousands of tips, Jayme remained missing. The case attracted national attention, and a $50,000 reward was offered for information.

On January 10, 2019, after 88 days in captivity, Jayme escaped from a cabin in the town of Gordon, Wisconsin, where she had been held by 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson. She approached a woman walking her dog and told her she had been kidnapped. Patterson was arrested minutes later.

Patterson confessed to the crimes, explaining that he had targeted Jayme after randomly seeing her boarding a school bus. He had meticulously planned the abduction, shaving his head and wearing gloves to avoid leaving evidence. He held Jayme under his bed, forcing her to hide for hours at a time whenever he had visitors. Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping, and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 40 years.