Criminal complaint reveals horrifying new details in Jayme Closs kidnapping case

BARRON, Wisc. — Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs has told police she tried to hide from the man accused of killing her parents and kidnapping her, but that he dragged her out of her home and threw her in the trunk of his vehicle.

Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint Monday charging Jake Thomas Patterson with two counts of intentional homicide, kidnapping and burglary.

Investigators believe Patterson broke into the Closs home near Barron, Wisconsin, in October, killed Jayme's parents and kidnapped her.

The complaint states that Jayme and her mother hid in the bathroom as Patterson came to the front door. They heard a gunshot and knew Patterson had killed her father.

Patterson then broke down the bathroom door, shot her mother and taped Jayme's hands and ankles. He then dragged her to his car and threw her in the trunk.

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Patterson allegedly made Closs hide under a bed for hours at a time and warned her that "bad things could happen to her" if anyone found her there.

The criminal complaint filed Monday says Jayme was forced to go under a bed in Patterson's remote cabin and that he would stack totes, laundry bins and barbell weights around her so she couldn't move without him noticing.

The complaint says Jayme was kept up to 12 hours at a time with no food, water or bathroom breaks.
Jayme escaped Thursday after Patterson made her go under the bed and told her he was going to be gone five or six hours.

She pushed the bins away, crawled out, put on a pair of his shoes and fled the house.

COURT APPEARANCE

Patterson made his first court appearance Monday via video conference.

A judge set Patterson's bail at $5 million. He's due back in court Feb. 6.

Watch the entire appearance below:

MORE BACKGROUND

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson spotted Closs getting on a school bus one day and made up his mind to take her.

The criminal complaint says Patterson told investigators he was driving to his job at a cheese factory one day near Almena, Wisconsin, when he stopped behind a school bus and watched Jayme get on.

The complaint quotes Patterson as saying when he saw Jayme, "He knew that was the girl he was going to take."

The complaint says Patterson went to the Closs home twice with the intent of taking Jayme but was unable to do so because too many people were around before he was able to kidnap her.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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