Our live coverage has ended. Go here or scroll through the posts below to read more about the kidnapping of Jayme Closs.
Jayme Closs has been reunited with her aunt Jennifer Smith and her dog Molly, one of Jayme’s aunts told CNN.
Her aunt Carla Closs said “it is awesome and the best news” that Jayme is back with her family.
This photo of Jayme, Smith and her dog was taken today:
Jake Patterson, the 21-year-old man accused of kidnapping Jayme Closs, shaved his head so that he wouldn’t leave behind physical evidence in the Closs home, Barron County Sheriff Christopher Fitzgerald said.
Investigators now believe Patterson shot Jayme’s parents — James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46 — dead at their home in October and abducted Jayme.
Fitzgerald said it appears he went there with the precise intention of taking the girl.
Authorities are also working to build a connection between Jayme and Patterson.
Investigators don’t believe they had interactions on social media and they are working to see if he worked at another job in the area.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald heralded 13-year-old kidnapping victim Jayme Closs’ bravery during a news conference Friday.
Jayme, who was reported missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found shot dead in their home near Barron, was discovered walking alone Thursday afternoon two counties to the north, outside the rural community of Gordon, authorities said.
She is out of the hospital and speaking to authorities. Jayme will be reunited with her aunt this afternoon, Fitzgerald said.
Authorities found a shotgun during their investigation that is “consistent with the gun used” in the murders of James and Denise Closs, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said.
A shotgun was used to shoot a door at the Closs home in October so the suspect could gain entry, Fitzgerald said. Authorities found James and Denise Closs dead in the home on Oct. 15. At that time, they also discovered that their daughter Jayme was missing.
Fitzgerald said authorities recovered the shotgun and other guns at the arrest site in Gordon, Wisconsin.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said investigators believe that suspect Jake Thomas Patterson acted alone in the murders of Jayme Closs’ parents, as well as her kidnapping.
At least 30 investigators are currently searching a home in Gordon, Wisconsin, where the 13-year-old was believed to have been held captive.
Fitzgerald believes investigators will be on the scene for several hours.
The 21-year-old suspect who allegedly kidnapped Jayme Closs after killing her parents was captured by police while out scouring the streets looking for the 13-year-old after she escaped, Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told reporters at an afternoon press conference.
“While I don’t know how she escaped at this time, we believe that the suspect was out looking for her when law enforcement made contact with him,” Fitzgerald said.
He was not at home when she escaped, he added.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said suspect Jake Thomas Patterson was targeting 13-year-old Jayme Closs for kidnapping when he entered her family home and killed both her parents.
Patterson, the 21-year-old man accused of kidnapping Jayme Closs, will be charged Monday with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping.
“At this time nothing in this case shows the suspect knew anyone at the Closs home or at any time had contact with anyone in the Closs family,” Sheriff Fitzgerald said.
Patterson was not at home when Jayme escaped, the sheriff said.
While Patterson briefly worked at the Jennie-O Turkey Store, it appears he did not have any contact with Jayme’s parents who also worked there.
Jake Patterson, the 21-year-old man accused of kidnapping Jayme Closs, worked at the Jennie-O Turkey Store in Barron, Wisconsin, for one day, according to a statement from the President of Jennie-O Turkey Store Steve Lykken.
Jayme’s parents, Jim and Denise, also worked at the Jennie-O Turkey Store, the statement said. However, it is unclear if they actually worked together.
Jim and Denise were found shot dead in their home the same day Jayme went missing.
Jeanne Nutter, the woman who Jayme Closs approached while she was out walking her dog, told CNN she offered the teen a blanket when she noticed she was only wearing a sweatshirt and pants on the cold Wisconsin day.
Nutter went on to say, “I’m just so thrilled for her family and her grandfather and that she is home safe and it’s a happy ending. This is a great day for her and her family.”
Jeanne Nutter, the woman who found Jayme Closs while walking her dog yesterday in Gordon, WI, says the 13-year-old approached her and said, “I’m lost, and I don’t know where I am, and I need help.”
Nutter says Jayme “wasn’t dressed for the weather,” was out without a coat or gloves, and “when she told me who she was, I figured she must have left in a hurry.”
Nutter lives South of Eau Claire, WI. She and her husband have a cabin in the area where Jayme was held captive by suspect Jake Patterson. Yesterday was the first day of her visit, and she was taking her dog Henry for a walk when she came upon Jayme, who had just escaped.
“I just held onto her and I said we’re going to find somebody who’s home, we’re going to call the police. You’re going to be ok you’re going to be safe, you’re going to be fine, you’re going to be fine.”
Nutter took Jayme to the home of Kristin and Peter Kasinkas, where she was later met by authorities.
Here’s what authorities revealed today about the man who was arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping in the Closs case:
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Jayme Closs was kept in a “home in a remote area” of Douglas County, Wisconsin.
“There isn’t a lot of houses in that area,” he said.
The sheriff added that the suspect concealed her while she was in the home.
Fitzgerald did not give more details about the dwelling.
Watch more:
Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald confirmed that Jayme Closs was the suspect’s target, and authorities are now trying to figure out why.
They do not believe the suspect, who has no criminal history, had contact with Closs and her family. However, they believe he had planned his actions.
“Jayme was taken against her will and escaped from the residence at which she was being held in. We also don’t believe at this time the suspect had any contact with the family. We do believe that Jayme was the only target,” Fitzgerald said.
“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,” he added.
The sheriff also said it is still unclear who made the 911 call.
Hear more:
The suspect in the abduction of Jayme Closs has been identified as Jake Thomas Patterson. He is 21.
He had did not have a criminal history with local or state agencies.
Diane Tremblay, the administrator for Wisconsin’s Barron County School District, thanked law enforcement as well as the businesses and families that came together during the search for Jayme Closs.
“Most importantly, we want to thank Jayme for being so courageous and for achieving an opportunity to find her way back to us,” she said.
She added: “What an extraordinary young lady.”
“Jayme we missed you, and we are so grateful you are home,” Tremblay said.
Watch:
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Jayme Closs escaped from a home where she was being held and was able to find help yesterday.
Police do not believe that the suspect had “any contact with the family.”
“We do believe Jayme was the only target,” he said.
Fitzgerald added: “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.”
Here’s more:
The suspect, who was arrested shortly after Jayme Closs was found yesterday, has been identified as Jake Thomas Patterson.
He is 21 years old and is from Gordon, Wisconsin.
Police pulled him over after Closs described his vehicle.
He is currently being held on two counts of first degree intentional homicide for the murder of Closs’s parents and one count of kidnapping.
Hear more:
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald is speaking at a news conference giving an update on Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who was found alive yesterday.
“For 88 days I have said we would work tirelessly to bring Jayme Closs home. We have done just that,” he announced.
“Jayme is safe,” he added.
She was taken to a local hospital where she was looked over and examined and was held overnight for observation.
Here is the latest:
Kristin Kasinskas, the Wisconsin woman who helped Jayme Closs after she was found yesterday, said the 13-year-old girl identified her abductor — and disclosed that the same person killed her parents.
Kasinskas was at home Thursday evening when someone pounded on the door. When she opened it, her neighbor was standing next to Closs.
Kasinskas said she offered Closs food and water, but the teen didn’t want anything. Closs also got to meet Kasinskas’ new puppy, which helped her feel more comfortable.
Watch more:
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