In October 2018, 21-year-old Jake Patterson murdered James and Denise Closs in their Wisconsin home and abducted their 13-year-old daughter, Jayme. He held her captive for 88 days before she escaped on her own. The case drew national attention for both the calculated nature of the crimes and Jayme’s eventual self-rescue.

Patterson later told investigators that he chose Jayme after spotting her one morning as she boarded her school bus while he was on his way to a temporary job. He said he “immediately knew that was the girl he was going to take.” According to court documents, he had no prior connection to the family and did not know who lived in the house or how many people were inside. Once he decided on Jayme, he resolved to kill anyone else present so there would be no witnesses.

On the night of October 15, 2018, around 2:40 a.m., Patterson approached the Closs home armed with a sH๏τgun. He sH๏τ James Closs through the front door after the father opened it and asked for identification, believing the visitor might be law enforcement. Patterson then forced entry, located Denise and Jayme hiding in a bathroom, and fatally sH๏τ Denise. He bound Jayme and drove her approximately 70 miles north to a remote cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin.

During the nearly three months of captivity, Patterson kept Jayme concealed under a twin bed that was raised only a short distance off the floor, surrounding it with barriers when he left the property. He threatened her against attempting to escape. When visitors came, including his father on weekly visits, he forced her to remain hidden. Jayme eventually managed to push past the obstacles, leave the cabin without a coat in freezing weather, and find help from a woman walking her dog nearby. She was recovered on January 10, 2019.

When asked about his motive, Patterson offered limited explanation. He told police there was no specific personal reason for selecting Jayme beyond the fact that she was the first girl he noticed after the idea of abducting someone took hold. He claimed he had felt directionless and that, in the longer term, he imagined they might somehow build a life together. In a letter written from jail, he described his reasons as “complicated.” Authorities noted that he had carefully prepared in advance—modifying his vehicle, removing potential forensic evidence, and planning the approach—but the deeper psychological drivers remained largely unexplained in public records.

Patterson pleaded guilty to the murders of James and Denise Closs and to the kidnapping of Jayme. In May 2019 he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the killings, plus additional time for the kidnapping. He is currently serving his sentence in a New Mexico prison.

At the sentencing hearing, a statement from Jayme, read by her attorney, emphasized her own resilience: she said Patterson had tried to control her but failed, describing his actions as those of a coward while affirming her own bravery. After her recovery, she lived with relatives and received support for the trauma she had endured.

The case remains one of the most closely examined abductions in recent Wisconsin history, both for the random yet deliberate selection of the victim and for the determination Jayme showed in freeing herself after nearly three months in captivity.

Main sources : A&E Crime