Jake Thomas Patterson, the 21-year-old man accused of kidnapping Wisconsin 13-year-old Jayme Closs after murdering her parents, is set to appear in court Monday afternoon for his arraignment. Law&Crime has obtained a copy of the the criminal complaint that prosecutors are filing with the court, which provides significant details about the allegations. Closs went missing on Oct. 15, 2018, following the deaths of her parents James and Denise Closs.
On Oct. 15, 2018, Patterson went to the Closs home, used a shotgun to blast the front door open, then shot Closs’s parents before taking her, the complaint says. Closs, identified in the document as “J.L.C,” told authorities that she heard her dog barking, then woke up her parents. Then she allegedly saw Patterson, and she and her mother hid. She then heard a gunshot, which she believed meant that her father had been killed. Patterson then allegedly told Closs’ mother to put tape over Closs’ mouth, which she did before Patterson allegedly shot her too. She said that Patterson was wearing all black, with a face mask, gloves, and a hat. He then allegedly taped her hands and ankles together and put her in the trunk of a car before driving away.
Patterson allegedly took Closs to his house, where he told her to take off her clothes, which he then said he was going to throw away.
During the time that she was there, Patterson allegedly made her hide under his bed when he wasn’t home, so no one would know about her. On Jan. 10, 2019, however, while Patterson was gone, Closs escaped, the complaint says.
She then flagged down Jeanne Nutter, who brought her to safety until law enforcement officers came to get her. Closs identified Patterson as her captor, and officers apprehended him minutes later.
According to Detective Jeff Nelson with the Barron County Sheriff’s Department, Patterson confessed to the crimes. Nelson said Patterson recalled how one morning he was driving behind a school bus and saw Closs get on. According to Nelosn, Patterson allegedly said that when he saw Closs, “he knew that was the girl he was going to take.” About a week or a week and a half before he allegedly took Closs and killed her parents, Patterson twice went to their home, but the first time there were too many cars around, and the second time he saw lights on and people walking around in the home, so he didn’t do anything, the complaint says.
When he was finally ready to go ahead with the plan, the complaint says, Patterson replaced the license plates on his car with stolen ones. He allegedly said that the shotgun he took belonged to his father, and that he wiped down the weapon and shells to remove any traces of DNA.
Patterson is facing a total of four felony charges. They include kidnapping, armed burglary, and two counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Patterson Complaint by on Scribd
[Image via Barron County Jail]
