Patterson to Appear in Court Monday
BARON, WI (AP)–A man suspected of kidnapping a Wisconsin teenager and killing her parents is due to make his first court appearance. Twenty-one-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson is expected to appear in Barron County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon, after prosecutors formally charge him with intentional homicide and kidnapping. Investigators believe Patterson broke into James and Denise Closs’ home near Barron on Oct. 15, gunned the couple down and abducted 13-year-old Jayme Closs.
She was missing for nearly three months before she escaped from the cabin in Gordon where she said Patterson had been holding her. Charging documents could shed more light on the case. It’s unclear how Patterson became aware of Jayme, and authorities have found no evidence of any interactions between them.
Her family says they don’t know Patterson.