Jayme Closs
For my first story, I wanted to pick something close to home for me. Today I will be telling you the story about the kidnapping of Jayme Closs.
Jayme Closs was an only child who lived with her Mother, Denise Closs, and her Father, James Closs. This small family lived in northern Wisconsin in a town called Barron. Jayme was only 13 at the time. On the night of October 15th, 2018, Jake Patterson, 20 at the time, had broken into the Closs home in the middle of the night.
This was not the first time he was at their house though. Later during the trial, Jake admits to visiting the Closs house two other times before committing the murder. At the time, Jake worked at a cheese factory in Almena, Wisconsin. The Closs house was on his way to the factory and in September, he saw Jayme for the first time. Jake was behind Jayme's school bus and he saw her get off the bus one day. He didn't know who she was but he knew that she was 'the girl he wanted to take'.
He took a lot of planning and thought into his evil plan. He shaved his face and head so he would not leave behind any hair evidence. He even cut a cord that allows you to open the cars trunk from the inside.
On October 15th, Jayme was asleep in her bed with her dog, Molly. At around 12:53am, Molly started barking. Jayme got up and saw the car in the driveway and ran to wake up her parents. Jake parked his car at the end of the Closs' driveway, put on a ski mask, and grabbed his shotgun. He tried to force his way into the home but James was now awake. James shone a flashlight outside and asked to 'see his badge', mistaking Jake as a cop. Jake then screamed "Open the door" and shot through. He fatally shot Jayme's father, James Closs and he was declared dead upon the scene. James was 56.
Jake went through the rest of the house looking for the other two people. It was said he wanted to 'leave no witnesses behind'. Jayme and her mother were hiding in the bathroom. When Jake got to the bathroom door, he realized it was locked and he began to shoot at the door. Denise was hugging Jayme, trying to keep her safe and quiet because Jayme was crying loudly. Denise tried to make a 911 call while trapped in the bathroom.
Since Denise tried to stay quiet, she did not speak during the 911 call. However the operator listened closely to what was about to unfold. The operator heard yelling and shots being fired. The call was then ended and the operator immediately called for an ambulance and police to go to the Closs residence. But after the operator tried to call Denise back, it reached voicemail.
Back at the Closs house before police showed up, Jake handcuffed Jayme on the wrists and ankles using duct tape and duct taped her mouth too. Before leaving the house Jake looked away from Jayme's mother, Denise and fatally shot Denise. Denise was 46. Jake then dragged Jayme outside and put her in the trunk of his car and drove away only to pull over less than a minute away from the house. Police showed up at the Closs residence 4 minutes after the 911 call. When they questioned neighbors in the area, the neighbors stated that they heard gunshots but assumed they were hunting shots being fired since it was common around their area.
After Jayme and Jake arrived at his cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin, he made her change her clothes and wedged her under his mattress. He also boarded up any possible exits she could reach. He then went to sleep.
Jayme was trapped at his cabin for about 88 days. Jake thought that he had done the deed; he thought she would never leave because she was too scared. He would yell at her if he caught her trying to escape and told her that 'bad things would happen' if she ever tried to escape. He would never let her out of the cabin and would try to keep her hidden under his mattress; she would be boarded up under there with blankets, storage bins, and heavy objects. Jake would even have friends and company over while hiding Jayme under his mattress. There were few instances where he would let her walk around the yard after checking for bystanders.
He knew there was an amber alert for Jayme. Search teams were gathered to help find Jayme. Everyone had hope that she would be found alive. Jake was on a close watch out for the police at all times. He would keep his shotgun loaded and ready if the police ever showed up. At one point, Jake started to drink and feel guilty about what he did so he let Jayme write a letter to her family to let them know she was still alive. He planned on sending it out but never did.
On January 10th, 2019, Jake told Jayme that he was leaving the cabin for a few hours. He still stuffed Jayme under his mattress and boarded it up before he headed out. Jayme got the courage to push the things out of her way and wiggled out. She ran out of the house and searched for the nearest bystander; A woman named Jeanne who was out walking her dog. Jayme ran up to Jeanne and Jeanne recognized Jayme from the news reports. Jeanne then took Jayme into a neighbors house and they called 911.
During the 911 phone call, Jayme told the operator that Jake Patterson had killed her parents, kidnapped her, and kept her a prisoner in a cabin just a few houses away from her current location. When Jake got home, he realized that Jayme was gone and got in his car and went looking for her.
Police had arrived around 4:45pm and took Jayme to a safer location. Jayme was described to be quiet and dazed. Jayme was able to give a description of Jake and the car he would be driving. Police spotted Jake's car just a few minutes after he drove by the house. Police stopped him and Jake got out of his vehicle before announcing 'I did it'.
Jake confessed to police that he killed Jayme's parents and kidnapped her. Jake had no prior criminal history in the state of Wisconsin. He was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary with bail set at $5 million on January 14th.
Police believed that Jake did not actually have any contact with the Closs family before the incident. Even the Closs family did not recognize the last name Patterson. Jake stated in an interview, while he was in jail, that he committed his crime on impulse. And with impulse, he was not sure of what to do long-term after he took Jayme. He was also asked if he tried to change Jayme's appearance. He stated that he tried to cut her hair once but she was terrified and cried so he decided not to.
Jayme wanted him locked up forever. During his trial, Jayme and her aunt and uncle gave testimonies. They described him as an evil, disgusting man who is extremely dangerous to the public. Jayme stated that he thought he could own her but she was smarter and watched everything Jake did to take back her freedom. She also stated that 'Jake Patterson will never have any power over me'. They also asked the judge to give him the maximum sentence.
On May 24th, Jake pleaded guilty and was given two life sentences without any possibility of parole plus 40 years for kidnapping Jayme. Jake was sobbing wishing he could undo what he did. But the judge could see in his face that he had no real remorse for what he did. Justice had been served and Jayme was finally free.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald and the Closs family attorney Chris Gramstrup gave thanks to everyone involved to help bring justice to the Closs family. They hope that everyone finds the importance to these types of situations and hopes that communities will stick together to help other missing children across the United States.
Today, Jake Patterson is staying in a jail in New Mexico. Jayme is now living with her aunt and uncle and is stronger than ever. She is moving forward and getting back to her life before, enjoying the activities she used to do. She is said to be an inspiration to everyone.
Comments
Post a Comment