Photo: FBI MILWAUKEE
She was missing for 87 days.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Jan 12, 2019
A 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who disappeared after both of her parents were murdered in their home last October was found alive.
Jayme Closs was located Thursday afternoon in Gordon, Wisconsin, about 70 miles north of where she was last seen, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
"For 88 days I have stood before you and said we would work tirelessly to bring Jayme Closs home," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at a news conference Friday. "Today I can report we have done just that. Jayme is safe."
Barron County Sheriff's Department
Jayme emerged from the woods Thrusday and asked a woman walking her dog for help, Fitzgerald said. The pair went to a nearby home, where they frantically knocked on the door until Peter and Kristin Kasinskas opened it.
"This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!” the neighbor said.
The Kasinskas let them into their home and called the police. Kristen Kasinskas offered Jayme food and water but she did not want any. The girl found comfort in their new puppy, Kristen Kasinskas said.
"I think [Jayme] looks thinner than what her pictures showed," Kristin Kasinskas told ABC News. "She definitely looked unkempt, kind of -- she didn't have shoes that were hers. She was wearing really big shoes that she obviously took from wherever she came from. She looked, overall, in good condition, just a little unclean, like she'd been held captive."
Barron County Sheriff's Office
Jayme was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated but was not injured.
Authorities arrested Jake Thomas Patterson about 10 minutes after Jayme was found. The 21-year-old Wisconsin man, who has no criminal history, is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Jayme's parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise, 46, Fitzgerald said. He is also charged with kidnapping Jayme from her home on Oct. 15.
"Jayme was taken against her will and escaped from a residence in which she was being held and found help," Fitgerald said, adding that authorities believe she was his only target. "I can tell you that the subject planned his actions and took many proactive steps to hide his identity from law enforcement and the general public."
Jayme has been reunited with her family, who ask for privacy in this emotional time.
"There was rumors earlier today, and I prayed and prayed, and they come to not be true," Jayme's aunt, Sue Allard, told WCCO. "And I just shut myself totally down. I thought today was going to be the day, and then I find out two hours later that she's found and I just cannot believe this."
Jayme vanished on Oct. 15 following the fatal shooting of her parents in their Barron home in northwestern Wisconsin. Police responded to a 911 call from the residence and when they arrived at the scene, the front door was kicked in and the girl's parents were dead. Jayme was nowhere to be found.
An intense 87-day search and investigation that involved over two thousand members of law enforcement, volunteers, and first responders, ensued that thankfully ended in Jayme's safe return. Thousands of tips were pursued and a $50,000 reward was offered for any information regarding Jayme's whereabouts.
"Jayme is an example of why we never lose hope and never stop searching," says the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Fitzgerald said that he never lost hope that Jayme was alive.
"My thank you's will never be enough," he said, listing off the names of every group and agencies, including the public and media, that helped bring young Jayme home safely. "Thank you to Jayme for having the will to survive. Jayme's family for their patience and keeping their faith in us."
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and