Jake Patterson was driving around when he saw a young girl exit a school bus, and walk toward her home. He decided right then and there, that she would be the girl he would take. Her name is Jayme Closs, and she was 13 when this story took place in Barron, Wisconsin. Jake visited the Closs home three times; the first two times he chickened out, and the third time he brought a shotgun with him which gave him all the courage he needed.
The Murders
It was October 15, 2018. Jake parked his car down the street from the Closs residence. It was 1 am. He put on his ski mask and knocked on the front door. Jayme’s father James walked over to the door and peered out of the glass side panel, asking Jake who he was and what he wanted.
Jake screamed, “Open the fucking door!”
Before James had a chance to react, Jake shot and killed him through the glass and forced his way inside.
Jake checked each and every room, making sure not to leave any witnesses behind. Once he reached the bathroom he noticed that it was locked. Jayme and her mother Denise were behind the door, Jayme crying frantically and Denise on the phone with 911. Jake shot the door down.
The phone went dead.
Jake shot and killed Denise before tying Jayme’s wrists and ankles together with duct tape. He picked her up and dragged her through the front door and into the trunk of his vehicle.
The police arrived four minutes later. Little did they know, Jake had just driven by them in his maroon vehicle, with Jayme inside.
88 Days of Captivity
For the next 88 days, Jake held Jayme captive in a cabin owned by his father, 70 miles away in Gordon, Wisconsin.
Jake forced Jayme underneath his bed, covering each exit with laundry hampers, dumbbells, and tote bags. He warned Jayme that he would know if she tried to move any of the items, and she would be punished.
Jake hosted a Christmas dinner at his house that year. His entire family attended. He told Jayme that he would kill her if she made any sudden moves. He often beat her so badly that she believed him.
After three months, Jake started to believe that Jayme would never try to escape. He rarely locked the doors and he took fewer precautions as time went on, even letting Jayme out for brief walks around the neighborhood, after ensuring there were no other people in the area.
Jake’s sudden leniency and belief that she was afraid of him would soon work in Jayme’s favor.
Jayme’s Brave Escape
On January 10, 2019, Jake told Jayme that he was leaving to run errands. Before he left, he barricaded her underneath his bed with miscellaneous items, as per his usual routine. Jayme realized that this was her chance. She pushed the items out of her way and crawled out from underneath the bed.
Wearing only a t-shirt and leggings, Jayme put on Jake’s sneakers and ran out the front door, frantically searching for her savior. Luckily, a woman named Jeanne Nutter was out walking her dog that day.
Jayme ran to Jeanne and told her who she was. Jeanne recognized her name from the news; the murder of Jayme’s parents and her subsequent abduction had been all over the media for months.
Jeanne took Jayme to her house, a few houses down from Jake’s, and called 911. Jayme described the make and color of Jake’s vehicle. Soon enough, the police saw the very same vehicle drive past Jeanne’s home and pulled him over. Jake exited his vehicle, looked at the officers, and said, “I did it.”
When asked what he did with Jayme during those 88 days, a delusional Jake stated, “We were just like watching TV, playing board games, talking about stuff. We cooked a lot, everything we made was homemade, you know.”
Jake pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of kidnapping. On May 24, 2020, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 40 years for kidnapping.
“I took back my freedom.”
Jayme was taken in by her aunt and godmother who were absolutely elated to have her back. She received $25,000 of a $50,000 reward offered for information leading to her whereabouts — for rescuing herself.
Jayme was also given the Hometown Hero Award by the Wisconsin Assembly. In a statement, she proclaimed, “I took back my freedom.”