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The suspect arrested in the kidnapping of Jayme Closs and the murder of her parents is a 21-year-old man

jayme closs
  • Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who went missing after her parents were killed in October, was found alive on Thursday.
  • Suspect Jake Thomas Patterson, from Gordon, Wisconsin, was taken into custody shortly after Jayme was found.
  • He is being held on homicide charges for the murder of her parents, and kidnapping.

The man suspected of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs three months ago is a 21-year-old named Jake Thomas Patterson, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at a press conference on Friday.

Fitzgerald said that Patterson, who is from Gordon, Wisconson, is being held on homicide for the murder of her parents, and kidnapping.

The press conference came a day after Jayme was found on Thursday night, on a street in the small town of Gordon , about 70 miles north of Barron County.

Jayme was reported missing on October 15 after her parents were found murdered in their Barron County, Wisconsin, home.

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Detectives received thousands of tips, and recruited 2,000 volunteers to search of Jayme in October, but found no leads.

The Douglas County Sheriffs Office confirmed that Jayme was found at 4:43 p.m. on Thursday, and a suspect was taken into custody 11 minutes later, according to The Associated Press .

Residents of Gordon told The Star Tribune that Jayme was skinny, dirty and wearing shoes too big for her feet, when she was found banging on a homes door shouting "This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!"

Gordon resident Kristin Kasinskasand her husband, Peter, brought Jayme into their home, where she told them she didnt know where she was or anything about the town.

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When Jayme first went missing, the Barron County Sheriffs Department described her as likely abducted, after her parents, James and Denise Closs, were found fatally shot.

Investigators said Jayme was quickly ruled out as a suspect in her parents' murder.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald in November compared the case to that of Elizabeth Smart , who was 14 when she was taken from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 and rescued nine months later.

Upon hearing the news that Jayme was found, Jayme's aunt, Sue Allard, expressed joy to the Star Tribune.

"Praise the Lord," Allard said. "It's the news we've been waiting on for three months. I can't wait to get my arms around her. I just can't wait."

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