The details behind the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs are chilling. Police say a 21-year-old, with no criminal record, allegedly killed Closs’ parents so that he could kidnap the Wisconsin teenager. NBC reports on the suspect:
Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, of Gordon, Wisconsin, is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of James Closs, 56, and his wife Denise, 46, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at a news conference Friday.
He is also charged with kidnappinga short time later, one of my patrol sergeants happened to find the vehicle that matched the description that jayme gave my deputies of the suspect and pulled the vehicle over and took the suspect in custody Jayme from her home in Barron on Oct. 15, the same day her parents were found shot to death.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department released the image of Jake Thomas Patterson, who was arrested in the Jayme Closs case. pic.twitter.com/m5mmyJ5UQd
— Mary Ann Georgantopoulos (@marygeorgant) January 11, 2019
Closs’ recovery marks the end of an agonizing three-month search. During a news conference today law enforcement talked about the steps that led to her rescue. Closs was apparently able to escape from the home where she was being held. Douglas County Sheriff Thomas Dalbec describes what happened next:
My agency received a 911 call about 4:30 yesterday afternoon from the individual who was out walking her dog. Said she was approached by a young female claiming to be Jayme Closs. This lady immediately went to a nearby house and notified that neighbor called 911.
Police officers were then able to quickly track down the suspect:
A short time later, one of my patrol sergeants happened to find the vehicle that matched the description that Jayme gave my deputies of the suspect and pulled the vehicle over and took the suspect in custody.
Watch the rest of the news conference above.