MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The man suspected of kidnapping a Wisconsin teenager and killing her parents more than two months ago appears to have led an unremarkable existence until then.
Investigators believe 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson gunned down James and Denise Closs in their home near Barron in October and abducted their 13-year-old daughter, Jayme .
Jayme escaped Thursday from a cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin, where she said he had imprisoned her. Police arrested Patterson minutes later.
He graduated from high school in Minong, about 10 miles south of Gordon, in 2015 and participated on the quiz bowl team. He has no apparent online presence.
Patterson’s older brother was convicted of sexual assault in 2013, but only a handful of people in Gordon have heard of his family.
Charles Glynn and Richard Jones, attorneys Patterson, said in a statement late Friday that there’s a lot of emotion surrounding the case.
Patterson faces kidnapping and homicide charges and has a court appearance Monday. Glynn and Jones say they’re relying on “the integrity of our judicial system” to treat him fairly.
