DOJ releases new documents concerning the abduction of Jayme Closs
Thousands of pages reveal new information about the 88 days Jake Patterson held Jayme Closs captive.
The kidnapping of 14-year-old Jayme Closs from her parent's Wisconsin home more than a year ago captured the nation's attention for weeks but left more questions than answers.
For the first time since Jayme returned home on Jan. 10, investigators have released a trove of documents, which are shedding new light on her parents' brutal murder in their home and her 88-day captivity. Up until this point, her ordeal remained a mystery to anyone outside the Closs family and law enforcement.
Thousands of investigative reports released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on Friday revealed disturbing details about the three-month period where Jayme was being held hostage by her parents killer, 22-year-old Jake Patterson.
The newly released transcripts from police interviews with Patterson following his arrest showed the psychological manipulation that Jayme underwent.
This Friday, Jan. 11, 2019 photo shows Jayme Closs, right, with her aunt, Jennifer Smith in Barron, Wis. Jake Thomas Patterson, a 22-year-old man killed a Wisconsin couple in a baffling scheme to kidnap Jayme Closs, their teenage daughter, then held the girl captive for three months before she narrowly managed to escape and reach safety as he drove around looking for her, authorities said. (Jennifer Smith via AP)
“I know that she was just (expletive) terrified of me," Patterson, who is serving a life sentence for the shooting deaths of James and Denise Closs, said. “I just trusted her and that, she wouldn't try to get out.”
The transcript of Patterson's interview paints a picture of a man who acted on impulse and controlled Jayme's movements around the cabin where she was held more than an hour away from her family home.
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Patterson believed he had restrained Jayme with fear, telling police he never put extra locks on the doors or windows, because he thought she'd never leave. He said he was counting on “mind things” to keep her from running.
Patterson also admitted to having sexual thoughts about the then-13-year-old girl but refused to act on them because of the guilt he had from killing her parents. He said they slept in the same bed.
Much of the documents are heavily redacted.
Jake Patterson appears for a hearing at the Barron County Justice Center, Wednesday, March 27, 2019, in Barron, Wis. Patterson pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months. (T'xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)
Patterson said he became drunk one night and let Jayme write a letter to her aunt but he never sent it. He also told police that he allowed Jayme out of the house on rare occasions to walk in the yard with him but never off the property.
The documents also revealed Patterson’s train of thought during the killings and his desire to kidnap anyone: “If it wasn't Jayme, it would probably be someone else,” he said.
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Officials also released the horrifying 911 call Jayme’s mom placed, seconds before she was killed and another video from a police dashcam that showed responding officers pass right by Pattersons car on the way to the initial crime scene.
Jayme was in the trunk of that car.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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