True Crime Junkie

TRUE CRIME JUNKIE

WITH JOHNNY FLETCHER

THE KIDNAPPING OF JAYME CLOSS

There's a good chance that many of you recall this fairly recent case from 2018 when a young girl's world was turned upside down by a 21-year-old misfit in a small Wisconsin town. What makes the kidnapping of Jayme Closs unique is that while it technically had a happy ending - the newbie teenager ultimately escaped her confinement at the hands of Jake Patterson - the horrific events surrounding her initial capture resulted in the deaths of both Jayme's mother and father. Yet four years later, this now young woman has persevered and is reportedly thriving in the aftermath of her unthinkable ordeal.

By all accounts, Jake Patterson was a lost soul, unable to find his path in life, drifting from one short-lived job to another while also failing to make it in the military. The latter venture lasted all of five weeks before he was kicked out of boot camp. Simply put, Patterson's future looked bleak as he whiled away the days in Gordon, Wisconsin. But one day he happened to catch sight of Jayme - a resident of Barron, Wisconsin - getting off a school bus on his way home from work (one of the rare days he held employment). From that day forward, Patterson, despite his later claim that he acted on impulse, began to plot the kidnapping of the 13-year-old student. Not surprisingly, he'd had virtually no interaction with females up to that point in his life and fantasized about keeping one captive to satisfy his unfulfilled desires.

On October 15, 2018, Patterson, having aborted two previous attempts to enter the Closs home and take Jayme, decided that it was now or never and forced his way in. Both parents were home; sadly, Jayme's dad was shot and killed at the front door as Patterson burst through. He then located her mother - who was barricaded inside a bathroom with her daughter - and shot her, too. Patterson then took Jayme to his car and headed back to Gordon. Unbelievably, the cops unknowingly passed him on the way to the Closs home, having received an interrupted 911 call by Jayme's mother as she fought for her life.

For nearly three months, Patterson held Jayme captive inside his home where she spent much of her time underneath his bed, too afraid to move for fear of punishment or death. But she was periodically allowed to come out of the room for meals and, of all things, board games and other activities. Ironically, despite Patterson's initial intent to imprison a sexual partner, he never laid a hand on Jayme, too ashamed at what he'd done - yet in too deep to turn back. Then came a fateful day: January 10, 2019. Patterson, having earned Jayme's trust - or so he thought - left the house for a couple of hours, assuming that she'd never try to escape. He was wrong. Showing incredible strength and courage, Jayme ran out the front door and into a cold, snowy Wisconsin afternoon, flagging down a good Samaritan for help. Patterson was later taken into custody and is currently serving two consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. SCAN TO DONATE TO DAWNITA'S GOFUNDME

PICTURED: Left Jayme Closs, Right Jake Patterson

"BY ALL ACCOUNTS, JAKE PATTERSON WAS A LOST SOUL, UNABLE TO FIND HIS PATH IN LIFE, DRIFTING FROM ONE SHORT-LIVED JOB TO ANOTHER WHILE ALSO FAILING TO MAKE IT IN THE MILITARY.