After vanishing for nearly three months, 13-year-old Jayme Closs was found safe and sound. Jake Thomas Patterson admitted to kidnapping her after killing her parents. Get all the facts we know about this case.

Update March 27, 2019: Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping on March 27, per The Daily Beast, bringing an end to a heartbreaking tragedy. Jake admitted to fatally shooting James Closs and his wife, Denise Closs, in their Barron, Wisconsin home on Oct. 15, 2018, before kidnapping their young daughter, Jayme Closs, 13. Barron County prosecutors said they will drop the burglary charge against him, and will not file charges for any crimes in Douglas County, which occurred while Jayme was in captivity.

He now faces life in prison, as he waived his right to a trial with a guilty plea. “We represent him, we work for him, and this is what he wants,” his attorney, Richard Jones, said in Barron County Court Wednesday. “[Patterson] has wanted to enter a plea since we met him.”

Original Jan. 11, 2019: Jayme Closs, 13, went missing October 2018, the same month after police discovered her parents murdered in their Barron, Wisconsin home. Nearly three months after she vanished, Jayme was found alive on Jan. 10. Shortly after she was found, the Barron County’s Sheriff’s Office said a suspect was taken into custody, according to NBC News, and on Jan. 11, the authorities released his name: Jake Thomas Patterson, 21. As the details surrounding this horrible murder and this young girl’s disappearance come to light, here are the details we know about her suspected abductor.

1. He was first held on numerous charges. Jake Thomas Patterson, of Gordon, Wisconsin, is being held in jail on two charges of first-degree intentional homicide of Jayme’s parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, according to NBC News. He was also charged with one count of abduction. Jake, according to the Carron County’s sheriff, does not have a criminal history locally or in the state of Wisconsin.

2. The authorities weren’t looking for additional suspects. During the Jan. 11 press conference, the authorities said they are not looking for any additional suspects involved in this case. “Jayme was the only target,” the authorities said during the press conference, adding that he didn’t know her parents.

3. The officer revealed Jake’s identity for the first time during the press conference. The world got its first major look at Jake when the sheriff showed his mug shot, revealing a 5’11, balding white male with glasses.

4. He allegedly kept her hidden from the public for months. “Jayme was taken against her will and escaped from a residence in which she was being held,” said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald at a press conference, according to the New York Post. “The subject planned his actions and took many proactive steps to hide his identity from law enforcement and the general public.”

5. Jayme helped the authorities catch him. After three months, Jayme suddenly turned up at the doorstep of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas in Gordon, WI, along with one of the couple’s neighbors. Jayme reportedly approached a resident who was walking their dog and provided a description of the car she fled from, leading to Jake Thomas Patterson’s arrest.

“She kind of flung the door open and said, ‘Call 911, this is Jayme Closs!” Kristin recalled. “I knew it was her the second she walked in the door.”

We’ll continue to update this post with any new information about her alleged kidnapper. </s> The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs is expected to plead guilty in Wisconsin Wednesday.

Jake Patterson, 21, is charged with kidnapping, homicide and armed burglary.

RELATED ‘I Can’t Believe I Did This,’ Jayme Closs’ Alleged Kidnapper Writes In Letter From Jail

Patterson is accused of kidnapping Jayme after killing her parents last October. Closs was able to escape after 88 days.

In a letter to a Minneapolis TV station, Patterson says he intends to plead guilty but neither his attorneys nor prosecutors have commented on Wednesday’s arraignment hearing. </s> Wisconsin police gave details about the discovery of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who went missing in October when her parents were found shot to death.

 Jayme was found alive yesterday in the town of Gordon, which is in the northwestern part of the state about 40 miles southeast of Duluth, Minnesota.

 A short time after she was found, police arrested a suspect based on the description Jayme gave officers of his vehicle.

 Officers spotted the suspect, pulled him over and took him into custody.

 The suspect, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson from Wisconsin is being held on two counts of first degree homicide for the murder of Closs’ parents and one count of kidnapping.

 The Barron County Sheriff says Patterson planned his actions and held Jayme captive in a residence from which she escaped.

 Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald believes Jayme was the “only target” in the murder and kidnapping. He adds that she is safe and recovering with family members.

According to the sheriff, Patterson had zero criminal history. Also, officers do not know yet what happened to Closs during her three months in captivity.

 The sheriff also says that Jayme was inside the house when her parents were killed and it is still a mystery how Jayme became the suspect’s target. </s> Wisconsin Man Gets Life for Kidnapping Jayme Closs, Killing Her Parents

BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin man will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents.

Twenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson was sentenced Friday in Barron County. He pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. He admitted to abducting Jayme in October and killing her parents, James and Denise Closs.

The teen was held captive in a remote cabin for 88 days before she escaped.

Patterson was sentenced to life in prison without release on each homicide count and 25 years in prison on the kidnapping count. The sentences will be served consecutively. </s> A Wisconsin man charged with abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and fatally shooting her parents pleaded guilty Wednesday, bringing some closure to a case that made national headlines as authorities searched for the kidnapped teen for months.

Jake Patterson wept through the brief court appearance, struggling to utter the word "guilty" on two counts of intentional homicide, which carry a sentence of life imprisonment, and one count of kidnapping; the remaining armed burglary charge was dismissed during the hearing.

One of Patterson's attorneys, Richard Jones, told the court that the 21-year-old had "wanted to enter a plea from the day we met him" and was adamant that "this is what he wants to do."

Officers escorted Patterson out of the courtroom Wednesday. Before leaving, he faced the gallery and said, "Bye, Jayme," according to the Star Tribune.

As The Washington Post previously reported, Patterson was arrested in January and confessed to stalking Jayme in October and to killing her parents, James and Denise, on Oct. 15. According to police documents, after kidnapping Jayme, he kept her captive in a cabin for 88 days. The teenager escaped Jan. 10. </s> March 27 (UPI) -- The 21-year-old man charged with killing two Wisconsin parents and kidnapping their 13-year-old daughter pleaded guilty to the crimes Wednesday.

Jake Patterson, of Gordon, Wis., appeared in a Barron County courtroom and entered a guilty plea on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and a third count of kidnapping, Wisconsin online court records indicate.

A fourth felony, burglary while armed with a dangerous weapon, was dismissed, the court records show.

Patterson was charged in mid-January in the killing of James M. Closs, 56, and Denise J. Closs, 46, the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

They were found dead in their Barron, Wis., home in mid-October. Jayme was missing until January, when she escaped Patterson's captivity and was found some 65 miles north of Barron in Douglas County, Wis.

A criminal complaint said Patterson targeted Jayme for kidnapping when he spotted her boarding a school bus. He raided her home and shot her parents to death before kidnapping the girl.

Jayme was held under a bed for hours on end during her captivity, according to the complaint.

As part of his guilty plea, Patterson will not face charges related to potential crimes committed in Douglas County, court records show.

Patterson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, according to the court records, and faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. His cash bond, set in January at $5 million, was revoked Wednesday. </s> BARRON, Wis. (WCCO) – Authorities in western Wisconsin have identified the man suspected of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald identified the suspect at a Friday morning news conference as 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, who is being held on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. He said that Patterson targeted Jayme and took precautions to hide his identity from authorities.

It’s not believed that Jayme or her parents had any connection to Patterson prior to the abduction on Oct. 15.

Police arrested Patterson, of Gordon, just minutes after Jayme was found on Thursday evening. Authorities say the 13-year-old gave police a description of Patterson’s car, and they quickly located the vehicle.

Authorities say Jayme escaped her captor and was rescued after encountering a woman who was walking her dog in Gordon. The woman brought Jayme to a neighbor, who called 911.

Officers brought Jayme to a Duluth-area hospital for monitoring. She is expected to be reunited with her family on Friday.

Fitzgerald said his legs were shaking when he got the news that Jayme had been found.

“It was awesome. The stress and relief…It was awesome,” the sheriff said. “I don’t have a different word.”

The teenager was missing for 87 days. She disappeared on the morning of Oct. 15, when police were called to her home in Barron, which is about 65 miles south of Gordon. Inside, officers found her parents, 56-year-old James and 46-year-old Denise, dead with gunshot wounds.

In the days and months that followed, massive ground searches and vigils were organized and investigators were flooded with thousands of tips, none of which provided a break in the case. </s> BARRON COUNTY — Authorities on Friday identified the suspect in the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs as Jake Thomas Patterson. Patterson is also suspected of killing Jayme’s parents in their Wisconsin home in October.

Here’s what we know about him:
• Patterson is a 21-year-old from Gordon, Wisconsin, about 70 miles north of Barron, not far from where Jayme lived with her parents.
• Patterson was taken into custody Thursday after the girl gave investigators a description of his vehicle, according to Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec. A short time later, a patrol officer found a vehicle that matched the description and pulled it over. Patterson was arrested down the road from his home outside Gordon. He did not appear to be looking for Jayme, Dalbec said.
• He’s being held in the Barron County Jail. He faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the killings of Jayme’s parents, James and Denise Closs, and one count of kidnapping, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told reporters.
• Patterson “planned his actions and took many proactive steps to hide his identity from law enforcement and the general public,” Fitzgerald said.
• Fitzgerald said investigators believe Jayme was Patterson’s target and that the suspect had no earlier contact with her family.
• Patterson had “zero” criminal history locally or in Wisconsin, Fitzgerald said. Authorities are not looking for any additional suspects.
• He’s unemployed, Fitzgerald said, and lives in a remote area outside Gordon. </s> A Wisconsin teenager missing for nearly three months after her parents were killed in the family home was found alive and a 21-year-old man has been jailed kidnapping and homicide charges.At a press conference Friday morning, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, is being held in the Barron County Jail on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. Patterson, from Gordon, Wis. where Closs was found, is being held in the Barron County Jail.The sheriff said Patterson had no prior criminal record and that investigators believe Patterson killed Jayme's parents because he wanted to abduct her, and that Patterson "took many steps to hide his identity."Fitzgerald says Jayme managed to escape from a cabin on Thursday and approached a woman who was walking her dog. That woman alerted a nearby neighbor, who called 911.Fitzgerald says Closs was medically cleared, is out of the hospital and is being interviewed by law enforcement.The woman who found Closs pounded on her neighbors' door shouting: "This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!"Jayme was skinny and dirty, wearing shoes too big for her feet, but appeared outwardly OK when she was discovered Thursday afternoon near the small town of Gordon, the neighbors said."I honestly still think I'm dreaming right now. It was like I was seeing a ghost," Peter Kasinskas told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "My jaw just went to the floor."Jayme went missing on Oct. 15 after police discovered someone had broken into the family's home outside Barron and fatally shot her parents, James and Denise Closs. Jayme was nowhere to be found, with the Barron County Sheriff's Department describing her as likely abducted.Detectives pursued thousands of tips, watched dozens of surveillance videos and conducted numerous searches in the effort to find Jayme. Some tips led officials to recruit 2,000 volunteers for a massive ground search on Oct. 23 but it yielded no clues.Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in November that he kept similar cases in the back of his mind as he worked to find Jayme, including the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, who was taken from her Salt Lake City home in 2002, when she was 14 years old. She was rescued nine months later with the help of two witnesses who recognized her abductors from an "America's Most Wanted" episode."I have a gut feeling she's (Jayme's) still alive," Fitzgerald said at the time.He was right.The Star Tribune reported Town of Gordon resident Kristin Kasinskas heard a knock on her door Thursday afternoon. It was her neighbor, who had been out walking her dog, with Jayme alongside.In the 20 minutes Jayme was in their home, Kasinskas and her husband, Peter, tried to make her feel more comfortable, they said. They offered her water and food, but she declined both. Jayme was quiet, her emotions "pretty flat," Peter Kasinskas said.Jayme told the couple she didn't know where she was or anything about Gordon. From what she told them, they believe she was there for most of her disappearance.Gordon lies about 40 miles south of Lake Superior and about 65 miles north of Barron, Jayme's hometown. The town is home to about 645 people in a heavily forested region where logging is the top industry.The Douglas County Sheriff's Office confirmed on its website that Jayme was found in the town at 4:43 p.m. Thursday, and that a suspect was taken into custody 11 minutes later. The Associated Press couldn't confirm the Kasinskases' account; the sheriff's office's non-emergency line rang unanswered Thursday night and Sheriff Thomas Dalbec didn't respond to an email.A neighbor says she and her husband had problems years ago with the man suspected of kidnapping a Wisconsin teenager and killing her parents. Investigators say Jayme escaped from a cabin in the town of Gordon where Patterson was holding her Thursday.Daphne Ronning told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Patterson's parents moved to Gordon about 15 years ago.She says the parents later moved away but Patterson and his brother continued to use the home. She says she and her husband once caught them siphoning gas. She says her husband spoke with them and they didn't have any further problems.Ronning says she didn't know Patterson was living in the house and hadn't seen Jayme around.ABC7 spoke with one of Jayme's aunts, Sue Naiberg Allard, after the news broke that she was found."There's rumors earlier today and, I prayed and prayed they were true and they come to not be true and I just shut myself totally down because I thought today was going to be the day the to find out two hours later that she was found, I just cannot believe this," she said.Barron Mayor Ron Fladten said Thursday night he was overjoyed at learning she is alive."There was a lot of discouragement because this took quite a while to play out," Fladten said. "A lot of people have been praying daily, as I have. It's just a great result we got tonight. It's unbelievable. It's like taking a big black cloud in the sky and getting rid of it and the sun comes out again."He acknowledged that Jayme may not be the same person she was before she disappeared."I hope that she's in good shape," the mayor said. "She's no doubt been through just a terrible ordeal. I think everybody wishes her a good recovery and a happy life going into the future."The notification that Jayme had been found came just four hours after Fitzgerald had taken to Twitter to debunk a report that she had been found alive near Walworth County. Douglas County, where Jayme was found, is hundreds of miles northwest of Walworth County.
Teenager Jayme Closs, who went missing in October 2018 in Wisconsin after the murder of her parents, is found alive. A suspect, Jake Thomas Patterson, age 21, has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder and one count of kidnapping.