Sheriff praises girl, 13, who fled alleged kidnapper after 88 days
POLICE have praised the bravery of Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old girl who was held captive for 88 days, saying it was her will that broke the case.
Photographs also emerged of the rural house in Wisconsin, US, where she was held prisoner.
Her alleged kidnapper, Jake Patterson, 21, was expected to be charged today. He is alleged to have broken into her home in Barron, Wisconsin, before murdering Denise and James Closs, her parents, and abducting her.
She escaped last week and was found, skinny and dishevelled, about 60 miles away. Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, who led the investigation, said: “The will of a 13-year-old girl is what broke this case. We’ve actually been able to bring her home to Barron County. That’s been the goal of mine for 88 days.”
He said the 911 call made at the time of the murder and kidnapping was 48 seconds long.
“You can’t hear words. You hear yelling or maybe a scream,” he said. “The time from the 911 call until our deputies arrive is less than four minutes. We think this was well planned.”
He said Patterson had fired a shotgun through the family’s front door to get in and had “targeted” Jayme for kidnapping. He left no fingerprints at the scene.
The sheriff told CBS’S 48 Hours crime programme: “He prepared himself to try to beat the forensics. Things like he cut his hair all off so that he wouldn’t leave trace evidence. We believe the first time they met was the night of the incident.”