Jayme Closs’s 88-day nightmare began in the bathroom of her family home near Barron, Wis. It was there that the teen hid with her mother, terrified as they listened to Jayme’s father being shot to death.
Moments later, the washroom door flew open and a masked man entered. He tied Jayme’s hands and ankles, then shot and killed her mother. He took Jayme outside and dumped her in the back of a car.
So began the 13-year-old’s first few minutes in captivity, according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors on Monday.
Jayme’s more-than-12-week ordeal ended last Thursday, when she escaped from her alleged kidnapper’s cabin.
The complaint, which charged 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson with Jayme’s kidnapping and the killing of her two parents on Oct. 15, says Patterson methodically planned the crimes.
According to prosecutors, Patterson told investigators he was driving to his job at a cheese factory one day when he stopped behind a school bus and watched Jayme get on. At that moment, he told investigators, “he knew that was the girl he was going to take,” the complaint says.
Police allege Patterson stole licence plates to replace his own, checked out the Closs home twice, purchased a black ski mask and shaved his head to avoid leaving any hairs at the crime scene.
Hidden under a bed
Once at Patterson’s isolated cabin, the complaint says, Jayme would be kept under a bed for hours at a time, whenever he left the house or had friends over. The complaint says Patterson told investigators that when his father visited him on Saturdays, he would turn up the radio in his room to cover any noise she might make.
Patterson warned Jayme that “bad things could happen to her” if anyone knew she was there, the complaint says. It also alleges he would stack totes, laundry bins and barbell weights around her while she was under the bed so she couldn’t move without him noticing.
According to the court filing, Jayme escaped on Thursday, after Patterson told her he’d be away for five or six hours — giving her the chance to steal a pair of his shoes and a make a break for it. A woman out with her dog spotted the girl as she walked along a road near Gordon, a town about an hour’s drive north of Jayme’s hometown of Barron, and recognized her immediately.
Jayme Closs was first reported missing on Oct. 15, after her parents were found fatally shot at their home in Barron, Wis. (The Associated Press)
The woman said the girl begged her for help and told her how Patterson had been hiding her in a nearby cabin and that she had escaped when he left her alone.
Neighbours called 911, and officers arrested Patterson within minutes. He has no criminal history in Wisconsin, and was described by people who knew him as a quiet person and good student who participated in quiz bowl in high school.
On Monday, Judge James Babler set Patterson’s bail at $5 million US. Patterson’s defence attorneys, Charles Glynn and Richard Jones, said they believe Patterson can get a fair trial, but they’re not sure where.
“It’s been an emotional time for this community and a difficult time for this community. We don’t take that lightly. But we have a job to do in protecting our client,” Jones said.
Months of searching
Police collected more than 3,500 tips following Jayme’s disappearance, but no hard leads emerged.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said he met Jayme for the first time Sunday, and that she had an “awesome” smile on her face. She showed him her room at her aunt’s home in Barron.
“It was a moment I’ll never forget,” Fitzgerald said.
The New York Post published photos of Patterson’s cabin on Monday. They show a shabby living area with a couch, refrigerator and old television set. The ceiling is unfinished. Exterior photographs show a lean-to loaded with firewood, a three-car garage and an empty box of adult female diapers in a trash can. A sign over the cabin’s front door reads “Patterson’s Retreat.”
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald speaks during a news conference on Oct. 17, shortly after Jayme Closs’s disappearnce. Fitzgerald said Friday it was remarkable the 13-year-old was found, and called it one of the happiest moments of his life. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune/Associated Press)
Investigators say there’s no evidence of any online interactions between Patterson and Jayme. Her family insists they don’t know the man. Her grandfather, Robert Naiberg, told The Associated Press that Jayme told FBI agents she didn’t know Patterson at all.
Charging documents in Wisconsin typically contain at least a partial narrative of what happened at a crime scene as prosecutors try to prove there’s probable cause to support the allegations.
Glynn and Jones issued a statement Saturday saying they are relying on the court system to treat Patterson fairly.