Police say Jake Thomas Patterson murdered James and Denise Closs with intention of abducting their daughter Jayme Closs
The 21-year-old suspect is under arrest after the Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs was found alive three months after her disappearance; Matt Finn reports from Barron, Wisconsin.
The man accused of keeping Jayme Closs locked up in his house for three months reportedly held a family gathering Christmas Day in the same home in which he was keeping the teen imprisoned.
Jake Patterson, 21, hosted the gathering, which was attended by his father and sister, at the home in Gordon, Wisconsin, sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While Patterson and family and friends partied upstairs, Closs, 13, was forced to hide under a twin bed, the report stated. There was no indication the family members knew Closs was being imprisoned in the home.
A law enforcement source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Patterson told the teen “he would kill her” if she made any noise.
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Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald did not immediately confirm the gathering.
Patterson forced the teen to hide under the bed if people visited the home and played loud music to drown out any noise, according to a criminal complaint.
On Jan. 10, Closs escaped from the man accused of holding her captive for nearly three months. Patterson was charged with kidnapping Closs and fatally shooting her parents – James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, after breaking into their home near Barron on Oct. 15. Patterson is due back in court for a preliminary hearing Feb. 6. If he’s convicted, he could face life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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