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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 12 January 2019

Wisconsin man arrested in teen’s abduction, parents’ deaths

By JEFF BAENEN same Jennie-O turkey plant
GRETCHEN EHLKE in Barron as Jayme’s par-
Associated Press ents, Jennie-O Turkey Store
BARRON, Wis. (AP) — A President Steve Lykken said.
21-year-old man shot a Patterson quit the next day,
Wisconsin couple to death saying he was moving from
at their home in a scheme the area, Lykken said. But
to kidnap their teenage the sheriff said it did not ap-
daughter, then held the girl pear Patterson interacted
captive for three months with them during his brief
before she managed to time working there.
escape in an isolated north Patterson had no criminal
woods town, authorities record, according to the
said Friday. sheriff. He graduated in
Jayme Closs, 13, was skin- 2015 from Northwood High
ny, disheveled and wear- School, where he was on
ing shoes too big for her the quiz bowl team and
when she approached a was a good student with
stranger and pleaded for a “great group of friends,”
help Thursday in the small said District Superintendent
town of Gordon, where Jean Serum.
Jake Thomas Patterson Kasinskas said she taught
lives. This photo provided by the Barron County Sheriff’s Department in Barron, Wis., shows Jake Thomas Patterson science in mid-
Patterson was apparently Patterson, of the Town of Gordon, Wis., who has been jailed on kidnapping and homicide charges dle school, but added: “I
out looking for her when he in the October killing of a Wisconsin couple and abduction of their teen daughter, Jayme Closs. don’t really remember a
was arrested and jailed on Associated Press ton about him.”
kidnapping and homicide worst the longer she was took her in that she had encountered Jayme and “He seemed like a quiet
charges, Barron County missing. walked away from a cabin brought her to Kasinskas’ kid,” she said. “I don’t re-
Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said. “My legs started to shake. where she had been held house. Minutes later, Pat- call anything that would
The news that Jayme was It was awesome. The stress, captive. terson was pulled over by have explained this, by any
safe set off joy and relief the relief — it was awe- “She said that this person’s a sheriff’s deputy based on means.”
60 miles (96 kilometers) some,” Fitzgerald said, de- name was Jake Patterson, a description of his vehicle The woman who first spot-
away in her hometown of scribing the moment he ‘he killed my parents and Jayme provided, authori- ted Jayme on Thursday,
Barron, population 3,300, learned Jayme had been took me,’” said another ties said. Jeanne Nutter, said she
ending an all-out search found. one of the neighbors, Kristin He was scheduled for an was walking her dog along
that gripped the state, with Jayme told one of the Kasinskas. “She did not talk initial court appearance a rural road when a dishev-
many people fearing the neighbors in Gordon who about why or how. She said Monday. It was not imme- eled girl called out to her,
she did not know him.” diately known whether the grabbed her and revealed
The sheriff said investiga- unemployed Patterson had her name.
tors are trying to figure out an attorney. “I was terrified, but I didn’t
what happened to Jayme Jayme’s grandfather, Rob- want to show her that,”
during her captivity and ert Naiberg, said he had Nutter, a social worker who
why she was seized, and been praying for months spent years working in child
gave no details on how for the call he received protection, told The Associ-
she escaped except to say about his granddaughter. ated Press. “She just yelled,
Patterson was not home at “I thought, ‘Good for her ‘Please help me! I don’t
the time. He said there is no she escaped,’” he said. know where I am! I’m lost!’”
evidence Patterson knew Jayme disappeared from Nutter took her to the home
Jayme or her family or had her home near Barron after of Peter and Kristin Kasins-
been in contact with her someone broke in and shot kas. Jayme was quiet, her
on social media. her parents, James and De- emotions “pretty flat,” Pe-
“I know all of you are nise Closs, on Oct. 15. The ter Kasinskas said.
searching for the answer sheriff said investigators be- Jayme told the couple she
why any of this happened,” lieve Patterson killed them didn’t know where she was
Fitzgerald said. “Believe in order to abduct the girl. or anything about Gordon,
me, so are we.” Patterson tried to avoid a town of about 644 peo-
The sheriff said that he did leaving evidence at the ple in a heavily forested
not know if Jayme had scene of the killings, taking region where logging is the
been physically abused such steps as shaving his top industry. From what she
but that she was hospital- head beforehand, the sher- told them, they believed
ized overnight for observa- iff said. A shotgun similar to she was there for most of
tion and released after an the one used was recov- her disappearance.
exam. Investigators were ered from the home where After Jayme vanished,
still interviewing her, and police believe Jayme was detectives pursued thou-
she was “doing as well as held, the sheriff said. sands of tips, watched doz-
circumstances allow,” he Property records show that ens of surveillance videos
said. the cabin belonged to Pat- and conducted numerous
Kasinskas called 911 to terson’s father at the time searches. Officials recruited
report the girl had been of Jayme’s disappear- 2,000 volunteers for a huge
found after another neigh- ance. Patterson worked ground search Oct. 23, but
bor out walking her dog for one day in 2016 at the it yielded no clues.q