Jake Patterson, suspect in Jayme Closs case, ordered to stand trial



BARRON  -- The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 6.It was a brief hearing in court. This was the first time Patterson, 21, faced a judge in person. He made his initial appearance via video.

Patterson is charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of burglary.

Jake Patterson



He is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home, taking her to a cabin in Gordon. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days.



Patterson, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and restraints, fidgeted during Wednesday's proceeding that lasted less than five minutes, with Patterson speaking only to give "yes" or "no" answers to the judge's questions.

Jake Patterson



Jake Patterson's family



The case moved forward, with Patterson scheduled for arraignment on March 27.

Members of Closs' family were in attendance on the opposite side of the courtroom from the suspect's supporters.

As he was leaving the courtroom, Patterson smiled and nodded at his father, Patrick Patterson, and said, "I love you." The elder Patterson responded, "I love you." His family left the Barron County Justice Center visibly emotional.

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson told investigators he knew Jayme "was the girl he was going to take" after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home. He made two aborted trips to the family's home before carrying out the attack in which he killed Jayme's mother in front of her.

Barron homicide scene



Jake Patterson



In the days that followed, thousands of people volunteered to search for Jayme. Investigators believe Patterson hid Jayme in a remote cabin in Gordon, about 60 miles north of Barron, before she escaped and got help from a woman walking her dog.

Jayme told police that on the night she was abducted, she awoke to her dog's barking, then woke her parents as a car came up the driveway. Her father went to the front door as Jayme and her mother hid in a bathtub, according to the complaint. Jayme told police she heard a gunshot and knew her dad had been killed.

Gordon home where prosecutors say Jake Patterson held Jayme Closs



Gordon home where prosecutors say Jake Patterson held Jayme Closs



Patterson — dressed in black and wearing a facemask — broke down the bathroom door. He taped Jayme's mouth, hands and ankles before pulling her out of the bathtub and shooting her mother in the head, the complaint said.

He dragged Jayme outside, threw her in the trunk of his car and drove off, according to the complaint.

Patterson took her to a cabin and said no one could know she was there or "bad things could happen to her," the complaint said.

Jayme Closs enjoys steak with her grandfather



Jayme Closs



When he left or had friends over, he sealed her under the bed with tote boxes and weights so she couldn't crawl out, sometimes for hours, according to the complaint. When his father visited, Patterson told investigators, he turned up the radio to conceal any noise she might make.

She escaped Jan. 10 when Patterson was away. He was arrested minutes later.