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What we know about the suspect in the kidnapping of Jayme Closs

Posted at 11:40 AM, Jan 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-11 14:34:35-05

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.

Jake Thomas Patterson

• 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.