By Shereen Siewert
A Wisconsin man serving life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents was moved to an out-of-state prison this week, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. In court, Patterson admitted he broke into the Closs family home in October, shot both of her parents, James and Denise Closs, made off with her and held her under a bed in his remote cabin for 88 days before she made her escape.
DOC Spokeswoman Clare Hendricks on Tuesday confirmed the move and said Patterson’s location is not being disclosed for safety reasons.
According to a criminal complaint, Patterson was driving to work in October when he spotted Jayme getting on a school bus. It was then that Patterson decided to kidnap the girl, police said.
Prosecutors say Patterson drove to the Closs home in the early morning hours of Oct. 15. He then shot James Closs through a window in the front door before bursting through the door. Inside, Patterson broke down a bathroom door to discover Jayme and her mother huddling together in the bathtub.
Inside the bathroom, police said, Patterson tied Jayme up before shooting her mother, Denise Closs, in the head while Jayme looked on.
Ultimately, Patterson stuffed Jayme into his trunk before driving to Gordon, about 50 miles northeast of Barron where he kept the girl trapped under the bed for months.
Jayme finally escaped on Jan. 10 while Patterson was away. She flagged down a neighbor, who found someone to call police. Patterson was arrested minutes later as he returned to the cabin.
Patterson was sentenced in March to life in prison without the possibility of release.
