In Barren, Wisconsin on October of 2018, 13 year old Jayme Closs was kidnapped by 21 year old Jake Patterson, who also killed Jayme’s parents upon her abduction. Jayme had been accounted for and missing until January 10th when she escaped captivity.

Patterson spotted Jayme getting on her school bus in the morning during his commute to work. He soon decided after seeing her a few times that he wanted to kidnap her. He contemplated the act for a while and even reportedly went to her house twice preparing to commit the act, but it wasn’t until the third time that he followed through. After shooting open the door of the Closs’ house with a shotgun, Patterson shot James Closs and later found and killed Denise Closs, who was hiding from Jake in the bathroom. It had later been found out that Jake had shaved his head as to not leave behind hair for DNA evidence of the murder and kidnaping. The horrific reasoning for killing both of Jayme’s parents was so that there would be no eyewitness of the heinous crime.

Jayme was then abducted, thrown into the trunk of Patterson’s car, and taken to a remote cabin, and was held there for 3 months. Jake had hidden Jayme under his bed and concealed her with laundry bins and kept her from escaping by placing barbell weights around the perimeter of the bed. It had been revealed that he did this to hide Closs when he had visitors over at his cabin. On some occasions she was allegedly trapped under the bed for up to 12 hours without access to food or water. Jayme stated that she accidentally moved one of the heavy objects keeping her under the bed, and she was threatened by Patterson that something bad would happen to her if she did it again.

Jayme found her opportunity to escape when Jake said he would be leaving the cabin for 5-6 hours. She then left the cabin when she was sure he was gone, and ran out to find help. Jeanne Nutter, a woman who owned a cabin nearby, was walking her dog when Jayme approached her. After Jayme told Jeanne her name and her story, Jeanne ran around to different houses trying to get in contact with someone who could help them out. “I said, ‘Oh Jayme, we’ll find somebody. I know a teacher who lives down the road.’ I was talking calmly, but I was freaking out inside.”, Nutter told People about the traumatic event.

Kristin Kasinskas, the teacher Nutter spoke of, and her husband Peter let Jayme into their home and proceeded to call 911. “So we’re kind of scared cause [Patterson] might come.” Was said on the other line of the 911 call to get help for Jayme. Because of this fear that Patterson could possibly be coming back to find Closs, Mr. Kasinskas stood at the door with a gun in hand in case Jake were to find them.

Later, Patterson had been found driving around in his vehicle seemingly searching around for Jayme. The police arrested Patterson on January 10 for two counts of first degree intentional homicide as well as kidnapping and burglary. Jayme is now recovering from the horrifying event and is staying with her aunt, and various family members are going to visit her to give her the support she needs at this time.