'She is doing as well as circumstances allow': Jayme Closs reunited with aunt as investigation continues

Jake Thomas Patterson shaved his head to avoid leaving DNA evidence behind when he blasted open the door of Jayme Closs' home with a shotgun in October, authorities said Friday.

Authorities have recovered a shotgun consistent with the weapon that was used to kill Jayme's parents, James, 56, and Denise, 46, during their daughter's kidnapping. Testing on that weapon continues.

There is no evidence that Jayme, 13, or her parents knew Patterson before the crime was committed, police said. Investigators have found nothing to indicate that any of them communicated on social media. 

Patterson's goal was kidnapping Jayme — not killing her parents, police said.

Patterson, 21, was familiar with the city of Barron, where Jayme's family lived, and targeted her specifically, police said. Police did not provide details of how he became fixated on Jayme, why he targeted her or how he became aware of her family's address.

She was missing for 88 days. She escaped Thursday from a home in a wooded neighborhood near the Town of Gordon, and was rescued by neighbors, who called police. The euphoria over finding her alive has been tempered by questions about the motive, and awareness that the girl has relatives, but no parents, to welcome her.

"I know all of you are searching for why," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at a Friday afternoon news conference. "Believe me, so are we."

The shotgun was not the only firearm recovered during the search of the home in a wooded neighborhood near the Town of Gordon, which was expected to continue into Friday evening. Jayme fled the home Thursday afternoon after Patterson went out.  

"Jayme is the hero in this case," Fitzgerald said. "There’s no question about it."

On Friday afternoon, Jayme was reunited with her aunt, who has taken custody of her for now, according to Fitzgerald. She planned to rejoin additional family members Friday evening.

"She is doing as well as circumstances allow," he said.

Michelle Saffert of Rice Lake said there was lots of screaming and crying when Jayme’s aunt first contacted her with the news. The family is ecstatic, said Saffert, a family friend. Relatives spent Friday preparing so Jayme feels safe and comfortable when she comes home. 

“It was miraculous,” Saffert said. “Just miraculous.” 

Fitzgerald would not share details of what happened to Jayme during her confinement. Nor would he answer the question of whether she had been assaulted, saying he didn't want to release details that might hinder her recovery.

Patterson had no criminal history and was unemployed, authorities said. 

Neither Patterson nor the Town of Gordon, where Jayme was found, were the focus of the kidnapping investigation until Jayme escaped, Fitzgerald said. Gordon, in Douglas County, is about an hour's drive from the Closs' home in Barron.

Patterson, of Gordon, was being held in the Barron County Jail on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Patterson was arrested after Jayme provided the Douglas County Sheriff's Department with his name and a description of his vehicle. Police believe Patterson may have been driving around looking for her when an officer spotted the car, pulled it over and arrested him, authorities said. 

Fitzgerald said he did not know whether anyone else had been inside the home where Jayme was held. There is no evidence "at this time" that anyone obstructed the investigation, the sheriff said.

Neighbors helped after escape

Jayme, who was dirty and skinny with matted hair, was saved after Jeanne Nutter heard her yelling for help as the girl hurried down street about 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

“I went to her and she just sort of grabbed onto me and she told me who she was," said Nutter, who was walking her dog.

Nutter's background in child protective services kicked into high gear. She rushed Jayme to a nearby home and banged on the door.

Kristin Kasinskas opened it.

"This is Jayme Closs! Call 911 right now!" Nutter said.

Jayme didn't have a sense of how long she had been kept in the home in Gordon.

Based on what Jayme said, Kasinskas said she believes she had been there for most of the time she’d been missing. 

Jayme didn't want anything to eat or drink, but she was cold and wrapped herself in the blanket Kasinskas offered.

Overall, she was calm and able to talk, Kasinskas said. 

“She’s a traumatized child. I believe she was just maybe in shock,” said Nutter, a social worker.

Nutter choked up as she told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin about finding Jayme.

“I’m just so glad that she’s safe,” said Nutter, who retired as a social worker with Child Protective Services but still works as an adviser to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s social work program.

She and her husband, who live south of Eau Claire, had arrived at their cabin in Gordon on Thursday, just hours before Jayme approached her for help. Nutter said she’s thankful her dog, Henry, wanted to go for a walk.

“I’m just happy that she’s safe. I feel like it’s sort of a miracle that she’s still alive. I’m glad my dog wanted to go for a walk and we did and there she was,” she said. “My goal was to get her to a safe place and I did. The police were amazing.”

Community's prayers answered

News of Jayme's escape was an answer to their prayers, members of the Barron community said.

Steve Lykken, president of the Jennie-O Turkey Store in Barron, where Jayme's parents worked for years, said people there were “overjoyed” at Jayme’s return.

“We are still mourning the loss of longtime Jennie-O family members Jim and Denise, but our entire team is celebrating with the community, and the world, that Jayme has been found,” he said. 

Lykken added that Jake Patterson was employed by the turkey processing plant for one day nearly three years ago. Patterson quit the next day, saying he was moving from the area. 

“He has not been employed with Jennie-O since then,” Lykken said. 

Diane Tremblay, superintendent of Barron Area Schools, called Jayme "an extraordinary young lady.”

"It has been 88 days of hope for her safe return; 88 days of prayers for Jayme, her friends, our students, staff and community; 88 days of holding onto the faith that our authorities would never give up," Tremblay said at the news conference.

Less than 24 hours after the news broke that Jayme had been found alive, businesses and local churches around Barron posted signs saying, “Welcome home, Jayme.” A smile came to the face of Aaron Weber, the branch president for Barron’s Sterling Bank, as he talked about the “surprising good news.” 

“The whole community and the morale of the community is just uplifted. … A lot of prayers have been answered,” he said. 

Weber knew Jayme’s parents from his days working at the local community center, where the couple met, he said. 

“Great, hardworking, honest people,” he said. “Just kind of salt of the earth, good people.” 

Gordon is about 40 miles south of Lake Superior and about 65 miles north of Barron, Jayme’s hometown. The town is home to about 645 people in a heavily forested region where logging is the top industry.

Gordon Town Chairman Denny Kline said Jayme was found about six miles east of town in a small forested area. He described the neighborhood as a small-town development with single-family, cabin-like homes. During the winter, the area where Jayme was found is not heavily populated.

Jayme's disappearance, which drew national attention, was shrouded in mystery. Although police authorities received more than 2,000 tips, they had few leads. 

A reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Jayme, a student at Riverview Middle School, surged to $50,000 from an initial $25,000.

Elizabeth Smart, who in 2002 was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City at knifepoint by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell and held captive for nine months, said on Instagram she was thrilled to hear Jayme was found.

“What a miracle!!! Jayme Closs has been found!!!! I’m so thrilled to hear the news. What has been such a heart wrenching tragedy finally has some happiness in the story.”

D. Kwas and Mike Johnson of the Journal Sentinel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.