A 21-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old girl who had been missing for three months, and killing her parents after the teen managed to "survive and escape" his clutches, authorities said. Authorities identified the suspect Friday as Jake Thomas Patterson of Gordon, Wisconsin, the same town where Closs was found alive 88 days after she was abducted, authorities told reporters Friday morning. Patterson, who is currently not employed, had been concealing Closs from his friends and family, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said. "The subject planned his actions and took many proactive steps to hide his identity from law enforcement and the general public," Fitzgerald said. In a news conference on Friday afternoon, he added that Patterson also shaved his head so he wouldn't leave hair behind and tried to conceal footprints. Closs escaped from Patterson's home, where she was being held against her will, Fitzgerald said, but the circumstances under which she did so were not released. Douglas County emergency dispatchers received the 911 call around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec said. "It's amazing, the will of that 13-year-old girl to survive and escape," Fitzgerald said. "That comes from the hope and the prayers in this community and what everybody did." Patterson once worked at Hormel Foods, the same company as Closs parents, but did not know them or make contact with them, Fitzgerald said on Friday afternoon. He "was hired one day but quit the next," Steve Lykken, president of Jennie-O Turkey Store, a Hormel brand, wrote in a statement. Patterson had specific intentions to kidnap Closs, but it's still unclear how he became aware of Closs, Fitzgerald said. A woman who was walking a dog found the teen and walked her to a nearby home, where the residents offered Closs food and water and called 911, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Both the woman who found Closs — who asked that her name not be used — and the residents of the nearby home recognized her from media reports, Fitzgerald said. One of the residents, Peter Kasinskas, told ABC Saint Paul, Minnesota, station KSTP that when he opened his front door, he first noticed the woman's dog running into his kitchen before she stated, "This is Jayme Closs. Call 911." Kasinskas described Closs as "pretty quiet," but said the teen was able to give them the name and description of the man who kidnapped her. Closs also told Kasinskas and his wife that she was being held in a house about a quarter mile away from their home. She managed to escape while Patterson wasn't home, Fitzgerald said. Douglas County deputies later located a vehicle matching a description of the suspect's car provided by Closs, then pulled Patterson over and arrested him. They believe he was out looking for her. He was taken into custody in Douglas County and is currently being held at the Barron County jail on two charges of first-degree homicide and one charge of kidnapping. Closs was reported missing on Oct. 15 after her parents, James and Denise Closs, aged 56 and 46, respectively, were found shot to death in their home in rural Barron, Wisconsin, about an hour's drive south from where she was located. Authorities are still trying to find out what happened to Closs during the three months she was missing. Investigators received more than 3,500 tips during that time, Fitzgerald said. Shortly before Closs was found, a fake alert in Walworth County had been released saying she had been located, Fitzgerald said. Her family "never gave up hope," Fitzgerald said. "Jayme is safe, and the family is requesting that you please respect their privacy at this extremely emotional time," he said, adding that she has been medically cleared and is being interviewed by investigators. “Jayme is the hero in this case. There is no question about it. She’s the one who helped us break the case,” Fitzgerald said on Friday afternoon. Closs' aunt and godmother, Jennifer Smith, reunited with Closs at the hospital on Friday afternoon, Fitzgerald said. She would be reunited with the rest of the family Friday night. "We are just happy everyone kept praying and didn't give up hope like we didn't," Smith told ABC News Thursday evening. "A lot of happy tears in this house tonight." Patterson does not have a criminal history, and authorities are not searching for any additional suspects, Fitzgerald said. On Friday afternoon, police served a search warrant at Patterson's house in Gordon. KTSP aired video Friday night of a search of a home in Gordon. Fitzgerald said they recovered several guns, including one that is consistent with what was used at the scene of the initial homicide. They are awaiting confirmation that it is the same weapon. The case has been turned over to the Barron County District Attorney's Office, Prosecutor Brian Wright told reporters. Wright plans to have a criminal complaint filed against Patterson by next week, he said. Patterson will make his initial appearance in court on Monday at 3:30 p.m., where he will be formally charged.<doc-sep>BARRON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs (all times local): 6:30 p.m. The grandfather of a 21-year-old Wisconsin man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents during a home invasion says his grandson was "quiet and shy." Jim Moyer told ABC News on Tuesday that his grandson, Jake Thomas Patterson, is a "nice boy, polite" who often "backed off from crowds." Moyer says "Computer games were more of a priority than social interaction" for Patterson. The grandfather says Patterson's family is "absolutely heartbroken." Patterson was charged Monday with two counts of intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary. Prosecutors say more charges could come later. ___ 5:50 p.m. Authorities are deciding what to do with a $50,000 reward for information about 13-year-old Jayme Closs, the Wisconsin girl who was found alive nearly three months after authorities say she was abducted from her home and her parents killed by an intruder. Milwaukee FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Tuesday that the reward remains under review. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the reward is being discussed with the FBI and will be determined later. The FBI offered a $25,000 reward on Oct. 24 for information about Jayme's whereabouts. The Jennie-O Turkey Store, where James and Denise Closs worked, later doubled the amount to $50,000. Jayme was discovered Thursday by a woman walking her dog near the small northwestern Wisconsin town of Gordon, 60 miles (100 kilometers) away from her hometown of Barron. The woman, Jeanne Nutter, took Jayme to the home of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas, who called 911. Peter Kasinskas told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the couple does not want the reward. He says if anyone gets it, Jayme should because "She got herself out." Authorities arrested and charged a 21-year-old man in her abduction and her parents' deaths. Story continues ___ 12:45 p.m. The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents has been transferred to a different jail. Twenty-one-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson had been held in the Barron County Jail since his arrest Thursday. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says he moved Patterson to adjoining Polk County Monday night. Fitzgerald confirmed that one of Jayme's relatives works at the Barron County facility, but he called the transfer an "administrative decision" and said no one threatened Patterson. He says Patterson will be jailed in Barron County for court appearances. Investigators believe Patterson broke into Jayme's home near Barron in October, killed her parents and abducted her, then hid her for nearly three months in a cabin in remote Douglas County. Jayme escaped on Thursday. Deputies arrested Patterson minutes later. ___ 11:30 p.m. A new criminal complaint offers the most detailed accounting yet of how 13-year-old Jayme Closs was abducted from her Wisconsin home and held captive for three months after an intruder killed both of her parents. The man charged in the case, Jake Thomas Patterson, is accused of hiding her in a 2½-foot space under his bed for hours at a time, warning her that if she tried to flee "bad things would happen." The complaint filed Monday says Patterson kept Jayme trapped in his remote cabin. Finally last week, she mustered up the courage to escape. Police say she fled the cabin and found a neighbor who called 911. Patterson was arrested minutes later and charged on Monday. The complaint says he did not know Jayme but saw her get on a school bus one day and decided he would take her. His motivation remains unknown.<doc-sep>The Wisconsin man charged with kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and murdering her parents had only seen the girl once before abducting her and holding her for nearly three months under his bed, according to a criminal complaint. Jake Patterson, 21 years old, said he had never met Jayme Closs when he saw her getting onto a school bus outside her home in rural, northern Wisconsin in October, according to the complaint issued by the Barron County District Attorney’s office. The complaint says Mr. Patterson coasted down the family’s driveway with his lights off after midnight a few days later, clad in black and armed with a 12-gauge shotgun. The mystery of the subsequent murder and abduction riveted Wisconsin until Thursday when Jayme escaped and approached a woman, identified herself and her captor and asked for help. Mr. Patterson was subsequently arrested as he drove around looking for his hostage, according to authorities. On Monday Mr. Patterson was ordered held on $5 million bail. When police pulled Mr. Patterson’s car over and asked him to step out of the vehicle he indicated he knew why they had stopped him and said, “I did it,” according to the complaint. The complaint lays out in vivid detail the slaying of Jayme’s parents, James M. and Denise J. Closs, as well as her abduction. On Monday, Mr. Patterson was charged in court with two counts of homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary. Bail was set at $5 million. Mr. Patterson attended the hearing from a jail cell via videoconference. He sat with his attorney in a cinder-block room wearing an orange jumpsuit and appearing impassive. He twice told the judge in a clear, steady voice that he understood the proceedings. According to the 12-page complaint, Mr. Patterson was driving to work on his second day at a cheese factory when he randomly ended up behind the school bus where he saw Jayme get on in front of her house. He had “no idea who she was nor did he know who lived at the house or how many people lived at the house,” the complaint said. “When he saw JLC, he knew that was the girl he was going to take,” the complaint said, identifying Jayme by her initials. Mr. Patterson quit his job that day, went to Walmart and began to prepare for the abduction. He bought a black mask, stole a license plate and put it on the rear of his car, removed the dome light from the inside of his car and got rid of a cord in the trunk used to open it from the inside, according to the complaint. He then went to the house twice over the next few days but was scared off by activity inside and cars in the driveway. On Oct. 15, Jayme was asleep in her bedroom when her dog started barking. She got up to investigate and noticed there was a car rolling up her driveway. She went to her parents’ room and woke them up, according to the complaint. When Jayme’s father looked through a glass window on the front door, Mr. Patterson aimed a shotgun and shot him in the face, killing him, according to the complaint. Then he shot the lock off the door and entered the house. Mr. Patterson kicked in the bathroom door and ripped open the shower curtain. There, he found Mrs. Closs with her arms wrapped around Jayme. He ordered Mrs. Closs to tape her daughter’s mouth shut, then when she couldn’t do it, he took over and taped her mouth, arms and legs. He took her out of the tub and then shot Mrs. Closs in the head, according to the complaint. He then dragged Jayme to his car, put her in the trunk and drove to his home in Gordon, about 70 miles north, according to the complaint. He ordered Jayme to change out of her clothes, put on his sister’s pajamas and crawl under his bed, where she stayed for much of the next three months, according to the complaint. When Mr. Patterson had visitors at the house, he hid her under his bed and played music in his bedroom. He placed baskets next to the bed with weights in them and told her if she tried to move them he would know. Once, after she accidentally moved a basket he hit her on the back of the head. He told her if she disobeyed him again “the punishment would be worse next time,” the complaint said. On Christmas, Mr. Patterson left the house for 12 hours. He told authorities that after two weeks he believed he had gotten away with the murders and the abduction, according to the complaint. On Thursday, he told Jayme he was leaving the house for several hours. Jayme crawled out from under the bed and walked out of the front door of the house. She was thin, disheveled and wearing a pair of Mr. Patterson’s sneakers on the wrong feet, according to the complaint. When she finally saw a woman in the road, according to the complaint, she said: “I’m Jayme Closs…I don’t know where I am…He killed my parents.” Corrections & Amplifications Jake Patterson’s last name was incorrectly given as Peterson in one reference in an earlier version of this article. (Jan. 15, 2019) Write to Douglas Belkin at doug.belkin@wsj.com<doc-sep>
Jayme Closs’ accused kidnapper began his plot to abduct the 13-year-old girl from her Wisconsin home after randomly seeing her get on a school bus one day, a moment when he said “he knew that was the girl he was going to take,” according to a chilling criminal complaint revealed Monday. Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, told authorities he spotted Closs for the first time after he stopped behind a school bus on Highway 8 while he was driving to work at the Saputo Cheese Factory, where he worked for only two days. He didn’t provide a specific reason why Closs was his selected target and the complaint doesn't provide a date for the chance encounter. Soon after, however, Patterson said he purchased a mask to use in the abduction. “The defendant stated he had no idea who she was nor did he know who lived at the house or how many people lived at the house. The defendant stated, when he saw [Jayme Closs], he knew that was the girl he was going to take,” the complaint stated. Patterson was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and armed burglary after police captured the 21-year-old following Jayme's escape from the Gordon, Wisconsin house. He appeared in court for the first time Monday and his bail was set at $5 million cash. The alleged kidnapper detailed his plans to abduct the teen, despite knowing nothing about Jayme or the Closs family prior to the incident, the complaint said. Patterson told cops he had never contacted Jayme on any social media sites and only learned her name and her parents' names from news reports after he had allegedly imprisoned her in his northern Wisconsin cabin. “Detective Nelson reports the defendant confessed to killing James and Denise Closs, and kidnapping [Jayme],” the complaint stated. JAYME CLOSS SUSPECT HAD 'ABSOLUTELY' NO CONTACT WITH FAMILY BEFORE KILLINGS, KIDNAPPING, AUNT SAYS According to the criminal complaint, Patterson visited the Closs home two times before the fatal Oct. 15 shooting, but was scared off by lights and “people walking around the house.” He said he “put quite a bit of thought” into the kidnapping to avoid getting caught, including stealing license plates and shaving his head so he wouldn’t leave DNA evidence at the home. Jayme told detectives that on the night of the kidnapping, she was asleep in her bedroom when her dog began barking. She woke her parents up and her father went downstairs to find Patterson, dressed entirely in black, armed with a gun. Jayme said she and her mother went to hide in the bathroom. “[Jayme] stated she heard a gunshot and knew her father had just been killed,” the complaint stated. Her mother called 911 — which authorities previously detailed — but hung up when Patterson found them hiding. “Patterson told her mother to put tape over [Jayme’s] mouth, which her mother did, and then Patterson shot her mother” while they were both in the bathtub, according to the complaint. JAYME CLOSS SUSPECT WASN’T HOME WHEN SHE ESCAPED, ‘APPEARED TO BE OUT LOOKING FOR HER,’ AUTHORITIES SAY AS DETAILS OF KIDNAPPING EMERGE Jayme said Patterson put her in his car's trunk and drove away. As they left the scene, she said she heard the sirens of police cars. While held captive at Patterson's home, Jayme said he left multiple times to attend Christmas festivities, and other times had friends or relatives over. On these occasions, he would make her get under a bed and trap her in the location by placing heavy weights on various household items. On Jan. 10, he told Jayme he was going to be gone for 5-6 hours. It was then she made a break for it. “[Jayme] stated she was able to push the bins and weights away from the bed and crawl out. [Jayme] stated she put on a pair of Patterson’s shoes, walked out of the house, and walked toward the road to a woman,” the complaint stated. The teen approached Jeanne Nutter, a retired child protective services worker who was walking her dog at the time. Nutter brought Jayme to a neighbor’s house and called the police, who decided to take Jayme to a secure location until Patterson was caught. While en route, the police officer transporting Jayme saw a red car that matched the description of Patterson's vehicle. Jayme said she wasn't sure if that was the car, however, the officer alerted other cops to the vehicle anyway.