BARRON, Wis. — Jake Patterson, the man suspected of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents, is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Patterson’s preliminary hearing offers him the opportunity to hear the evidence the state has gathered against him before deciding whether to take the case to trial. Prosecutors strongly believe Patterson will stand trial.
Patterson will have to be transported to the hearing from the Polk County Jail where he’s currently being held. The Barron County sheriff said Patterson was moved from the Barron County Jail because one of Jayme’s relatives works at the facility.
Online court records show Patterson is due to appear in court at 11 a.m.
Patterson is accused of kidnapping Jayme and taking her to his cabin in Douglas County. Authorities say he kept her there for nearly 3 months, until she was finally able to escape when Patterson wasn’t home.
Authorities say Jayme found a woman walking her dog, who took Jayme to a neighbor's house to call 911.
Jayme is now reunited with her family. Since her reunion, family members have posted updates online on how she's doing. A recent post shows Jayme pictured with her grandfather, eating a steak dinner. The post said Jayme's grandpa promised he would buy her a big steak when she was found.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
