MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Justice has released the records related to the Jayme Closs case. The 13-year-old was kidnapped from her home after her parents were brutally murdered by then 21-year-old Jake Patterson on October 15, 2018.
The records include the Division of Criminal Investigation report that includes 660 pages of investigations ranging from the autopsy of Closs' parents, evidence retrieved from the home and an interview with Jayme, amongst 75 other case files. Additionally, Barron and Douglas Counties have released their files.
They first describe the night of October 25, 2018. That's when Barron County dispatch got a 911 call with a woman screaming on the other end. Officers responded to find shotgun shells, a door blasted open, James and Denise Closs dead, and their daughter Jayme missing.
In an interview with law enforcement, Jake Patterson would later say he drove away from the house just 20 seconds before police arrived. Jayme was in his trunk.
According to reports from the Department of Justice, Patterson would keep Jayme in his home for the next couple of months. The DOJ reports show he would sometimes keep Jayme under his bed. In a lengthy interview, Patterson said they would sometimes watch tv, play games, even go outside. He eventually thought they could have a life together and maybe get an apartment.
Patterson also described some guilt. He told investigators he once allowed Jayme to write a letter to her aunt so Jayme could tell her family that she was okay. It never got delivered.
On January 10, 2019, Jayme escaped and found a neighbor. She was safely taken away by law enforcement who once again would pass the car Patterson was driving. This time, law enforcement stopped his car. Patterson got out and said 'I did it.'
The officer driving Jayme away said in the reports, 'she showed me small smile, and we continued.'
The DOJ redacted Jayme's interviews with authorities.
