My First News Item
My Nine News ItemThe Great Escape: Teenager Emerges After 88 Days Concealed Beneath Captor's Bed
Jake Patterson was driving when he noticed a young girl getting off a school bus and heading toward her house. In that moment, he made the disturbing decision to take her. The girl's name was Jayme Closs, and she was only 13 years old when this happened in Barron, Wisconsin. Jake went to the Closs home on three separate occasions. The first two times, he got scared and changed his mind. However, on the third visit, he brought a shotgun with him, which gave him the confidence to carry out his terrible plan.
On October 15, 2018, at 1 am, Jake parked his car away from the Closs house. He wore a ski mask and approached the front door. Jayme's father, James, came to the door and looked through the glass side panel. He asked Jake about his identity and the reason for his visit.
Jake screamed, “Open the fucking door!”
Before James could respond, Jake shot and killed him through the glass, and then forcefully entered the house.
Jake carefully searched every room to ensure there were no witnesses. When he reached the bathroom, he found it locked. Jayme and her mother Denise were inside, with Jayme crying and Denise talking to 911 on the phone. Jake fired his gun, breaking down the bathroom door.
After that, the phone call abruptly ended.
Jake shot and fatally wounded Denise before using duct tape to bind Jayme's wrists and ankles. He then carried her and forcefully took her out of the house, heading towards the trunk of his vehicle.
Just four minutes later, the police arrived at the scene. Unbeknownst to them, Jake had recently driven past them in his maroon vehicle, with Jayme hidden inside.
For 88 days, Jake kept Jayme trapped in a cabin owned by his father, which was located 70 miles away in Gordon, Wisconsin.
Jake made Jayme hide under his bed and blocked all the ways out with laundry hampers, dumbbells, and tote bags. He threatened Jayme, telling her that he would find out if she tried to move any of those things, and she would face punishment.
During that year, Jake held a Christmas dinner at his house, and his entire family attended. He warned Jayme that he would kill her if she made any sudden moves. He frequently subjected her to severe beatings, which made her genuinely fear him.
Jake Thomas Patterson
After three months passed, Jake started to think that Jayme would never dare to escape. He became less cautious, rarely locking the doors and allowing Jayme to take short walks around the neighborhood, making sure there were no other people nearby.
Jake's newfound leniency and his belief that Jayme was too scared to defy him would soon turn out to be advantageous for Jayme.
The Escape
On January 10, 2019, Jake informed Jayme that he had to go out for errands. Before he left, he placed various items to block her under the bed, as he usually did. This time, Jayme saw it as her opportunity. She pushed the items aside and crawled out from under the bed.
Wearing just a t-shirt and leggings, Jayme put on Jake's sneakers and hurriedly fled through the front door, desperately searching for someone to help her. Fortunately, she came across a woman named Jeanne Nutter who happened to be walking her dog that day.
Jayme rushed towards Jeanne and revealed her identity. Jeanne recognized Jayme's name from the extensive media coverage about the murder of her parents and her subsequent abduction, which had been in the news for months.
Jeanne swiftly took Jayme to her own house, located just a few houses away from Jake's. She immediately called 911 for help. Jayme provided a description of Jake's vehicle, including its make and color. Before long, the police spotted the exact same vehicle passing by Jeanne's house and pulled it over. Jake stepped out of the vehicle, looked at the officers, and confessed, saying, "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 admitted his guilt and pleaded guilty to two charges of first-degree homicide and one charge of kidnapping. Then, on May 24, 2020, he received a sentence of two back-to-back life imprisonments with no chance of release, along with an additional 40 years for the kidnapping offense.
Jayme's aunt and godmother were overjoyed to have her back and welcomed her into their care. As a result of her courageous escape, Jayme was awarded $25,000 out of a total $50,000 reward that was offered for information leading to her safe return. She essentially rescued herself.