Barron Co. Sheriff holds another news conference

Barron County Sheriff Fitzgerald addressed the press at 4 p.m., his second news conference of the day to update the public on the case.

He said Jayme has since left the hospital and she is now at home with her aunt.

“Jayme is the hero in this case; there’s no question about it,” said Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald says they have recovered a shotgun, they believe could have been the same weapon used to shoot down the door of the Closs home back in October. He also said the suspect, Jake Patterson, shaved his head to avoid leaving hair and the crime scene.

Patterson is due in court on Monday afternoon in Barron County. WEAU 13 News will have a team in Barron County to cover Patterson’s initial appearance in court.

Cabin's ownership changed days after abduction

Ownership of a remote cabin where a Wisconsin teenager was apparently held during a nearly 3-month disappearance passed to a credit union soon after the girl's abduction.

Records show that defendant Jake Thomas Patterson's father transferred the title of the cabin near Gordon to Superior Choice Credit Union on Oct. 23, eight days after the Oct. 15 attack at the Closs family's home near Barron, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Gordon. It was appraised at $79,300.

The circumstances of the transfer weren't clear. The credit union didn't immediately return calls seeking comment Friday and The Associated Press couldn't find a working phone listing for Patterson's father, Patrick Patterson.

Jake Patterson was arrested Thursday after authorities say 13-year-old Jayme Closs managed to escape from the cabin and approach a neighbor, who sought help. Authorities believe he killed Jayme's parents to abduct her. He is jailed on homicide and kidnapping charges. Jail records don't list an attorney for him.

Suspect worked with teen's parents for a day

The company that employed the slain parents of a Wisconsin teen who was kidnapped says the man accused in the attack worked at the plant for one day nearly three years ago.

Steve Lykken, president of the Jennie-O Turkey Store in Barron, issued a statement Friday saying 21-year-old Jake Patterson was hired one day but quit the next, explaining that he was moving away from the area.

An obituary for James and Denise Closs says they worked at the turkey processing plant for 27 years.

Lykken says the company and the Hormel Foods family are "overjoyed at the news of Jayme's safe return."

Authorities say Jayme escaped from a cabin in Gordon on Thursday and they arrested Patterson on homicide and kidnapping charges.

People who helped Jayme Closs after she escaped speak out

The people who brought Jayme Closs in after she escaped from her captor's home are speaking out.

A woman who called 911 to report that a missing 13-year-old Wisconsin girl had been found says the girl told her that the man arrested in the case "killed my parents and took me."

Kristin Kasinskas told The Associated Press on Friday that Jayme Closs said she didn't know why she was targeted.

A 21-year-old Gordon man, Jake Thomas Patterson, was arrested Thursday on homicide and kidnapping charges. Authorities say Jayme managed to escape from a cabin in Gordon where Patterson was holding her and that she encountered a woman walking her dog, who knocked on Kasinskas' door.

Kasinskas says she doesn't really know Patterson even though he lives three doors down from her. She says she taught him middle school science but only remembers that he was quiet.

Kasinskas says she didn't see Patterson during the months that Jayme was missing.

The woman who was the first to encounter a missing Wisconsin girl who vanished after her parents were killed says the teen called out to her for help, said she was lost and grabbed onto her before telling her who she was .

Jeanne Nutter tells The Associated Press her many years as a social worker in child protection helped her keep Jayme Closs calm as they sought help.

Closs is the 13-year-old girl who vanished Oct. 15 after her parents were fatally shot at their home about 60 miles to the south in Douglas County.

Nutter says Jayme had walked away from a cabin not far from her place where she had been held. Nutter says her goal was to get Jayme to a safe place where the police could be called, so they went to a neighbor's house.

A timeline of events in the Jayme Closs disappearance case

Notable events in the disappearance and discovery of Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who went missing after her parents were killed in the family home. Investigators say she was found alive on Thursday and that a suspect is in custody.

Oct. 15, 2018 -- James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, are found shot to death in their home in Barron, a town in western Wisconsin. Authorities issue an Amber Alert for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, and the search for her begins.

Oct. 16, 2018 -- Investigators say they don't consider Jayme a suspect in her parents' deaths. Authorities also dismiss a tip placing Jayme's whereabouts in Miami as "not credible," and say they believe the girl is in danger.

Oct. 17, 2018 -- Authorities announce that investigators believe Jayme was in her family's home when her parents were fatally shot.

Oct. 18, 2018 -- About 100 people join a ground search for Jayme after Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald requests the help of volunteers. The search turns up nothing useful. The Wisconsin Department of Justice announces it is sending therapists, comfort dogs and school resource officers to help students at the school Jayme attended.

Oct. 23, 2018 -- About 2,000 volunteers from as far as Minneapolis help with another ground search . Several items are found and taken for assessment.

Oct. 24, 2018 -- The FBI offers a $25,000 reward for information leading to Jayme's location. The amount is later doubled to $50,000 by the Jennie-O Turkey Store, where James and Denise Closs worked.

Oct. 27, 2018 -- Funerals are held for James and Denise Closs in Cameron, a village next to Barron.

Oct. 29, 2018 -- Prosecutors announce they have charged a man with burglarizing the Closs home but say he's not a suspect in the case.

Dec. 12, 2018 -- Hundreds of people attend a "tree of hope" lighting ceremony in honor of Jayme in Barron.

Jan. 10, 2019 -- Jayme is found alive in Gordon, a rural community about an hour from her home. A suspect is taken into custody.

Jan. 11, 2019 -- Investigators say the suspect, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, is jailed on homicide and kidnapping charges.

UW-Stout celebrates Jayme Closs' safe return

UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer has ordered a celebratory peal of the James Huff Stout Bell in Bowman Hall at 1 p.m. Friday for Jayme Closs.

"Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Jayme, as well as her family members and the Barron community as they reunite and begin to heal from this tragic crime," said Doug Mell, Executive Director of Communications and External Relations.

Jayme's aunt speaks out

Jayme Closs’ aunt talked to WEAU 13 News about the moment when she found out about Jayme being found alive.

Kelly Closs Engelhardt was at a basketball game in Barron when she heard the news. She said Barron County Chief Deputy Jason Leu approached her and took her to a private room and told her the good news.

“He told us they had found her and, luckily, there was a bench there and I cried. I cried and then I got up and hugged him,” said Jayme’s aunt.

Kelly Closs Engelhardt told WEAU 13 News that she hasn’t seen Jayme yet, because of the investigation and not wanting to overwhelm her right away.

“I’m excited for her to see her dog, Molly. I’m excited for her to see her Grandpa and my mother, her Grandma. It’s just so exciting,” said Kelly Closs Engelhardt.

Suspect identified in Closs case

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- The sheriff confirmed that Jayme Closs was found shortly after 4:30 Thursday afternoon. She is currently safe, with law enforcement.

She was taken to a hospital in the Duluth area and held overnight for observation.

The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, from Gordon.

He's facing multiple charges including kidnapping and first-degree homicide.

Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald made it clear that Jayme was held against her will and escaped before she was found. He also said there will be another news conference held around 4 p.m. on Friday.

We have crews on the story in Barron and Douglas Counties and will have more on our later newscasts and online.

Stay with WEAU for the latest on Jayme Closs' safe return.

Barron County Sheriff to hold press conference

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. (AP) -- Investigators are expected to explain how they located a Wisconsin teenager missing for three months alive and took a suspect into custody.

WEAU 13 News will be live streaming the event, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in Barron County. To watch that live stream when it happens, click here.

Authorities say 13-year-old Jayme Closs was found Thursday afternoon in Gordon in Douglas County, Wisconsin. A suspect was apprehended minutes later. Jayme was taken to a hospital for an evaluation.

Jayme had been missing since Oct. 15, when police discovered someone had broken into her family's home in Barron, killed her parents and apparently abducted her. Gordon, where she was found, is about an hour's drive north of Barron.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Jayme approached a woman walking her dog but authorities have released no details. The Barron County Sheriff's Department has scheduled a news conference Friday morning.

Couple describes finding Jayme Closs

A Wisconsin couple is describing the dramatic moments when a neighbor pounded on their door to say she had stumbled across Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old girl who had been missing nearly three months.

Kristin and Peter Kasinskas say their neighbor had a skinny, dirty girl with matted hair standing next to her. The neighbor shouted, "This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!"

Peter Kasinskas says Jayme was quiet and showed little emotion. He says she told them she didn't know where she was or anything about Gordon, the small town near where she was found.

Jayme's parents were killed in October at the family's home near Barron and Jayme went missing. The place where she was found is a little more than an hour's drive to the north.

Authorities say they have a suspect in custody and planned to release more information Friday.

A town official says a Wisconsin girl who turned up safe after being missing nearly three months was found in a small forested area of cabin-like homes about 6 miles east of Gordon.

Jayme Closs was found Thursday afternoon in northwestern Wisconsin, about 65 miles north of where her parents were shot to death and Jayme vanished from their home in October.

Denny Kline, board chairman in Gordon, says he first learned Jayme was found while listening to a police scanner, which he has for work. He says he heard Jayme was walking down the road and someone stopped near her.

Kline says he heard on the scanner that Jayme told them who she was, and they brought her to their home.

The Associated Press was not able to verify Kline's account with authorities late Thursday.

Douglas County Sheriff makes statement

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec made the following post on Facebook Thursday night:

"I am very pleased to announce that Jayme Closs was located late this afternoon within Douglas County. I cannot release anymore details at this time as the investigation is ongoing. Great job to the members of the DGSO who helped in locating Jayme and the citizen who phoned in the information."

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) --The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Closs was located in Gordon, which is in the far southern part of the county, at 4:43 p.m. A suspect was arrested at 4:54 p.m., also in Gordon. Officials did not release any other information about how Closs was found.

Jayme Closs' cousin thanks law enforcement, community

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- The cousin of a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who was missing almost three months before being found safe Thursday is thanking law enforcement and the community for support.

Lacey Naiberg posted on Facebook after the Barron County sheriff reported that Jayme Closs had been found. Jayme went missing in October after her parents were killed at the family home in northern Wisconsin.

Naiberg wrote "there are no words to describe" the feeling of having so many people come together to help. She asks people to continue to pray for "Jayme's well-being and our families healing."

Authorities say a suspect is in custody, but say they won't release any more information ahead of a news conference Friday.

Stay with WEAU for more information as this story develops.

We will have a live report from Barron County during WEAU 13 News at 10 p.m.

WEAU will also live stream Friday's news conference at 10 a.m. on WEAU and weau.com.

Jayme Closs found alive

SHERIFF CHRIS FITZGERALD:

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- Jayme Closs has been located.

On Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Douglas CO WI Sheriff’s Department that they had located Jayme Closs alive.

Shortly after this, a suspect was taken into custody in regards to this case. We do not any other details at this time as this is a very fluid and active investigation. We will not be answering any questions or taking calls on this tonight.

We are planning a press briefing approximately 10 am tomorrow at the Sheriff’s Department in Barron. We are receiving support from the FBI and WI DCI agents as this investigation continues.

We want to thank the Douglas Co Sheriff’s Department and agencies assisting them tonight. We also want to thank all the Law Enforcement agencies across the state and county that have assisted us in this case. We also could not have endured this case without the support of the public and I want to thank them for all the support and help.

Finally, we want to especially thank the family for their support and patience while this case was ongoing. We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!

This case has been very trying on the family so please respect their privacy and we reunite them later tonight.

Sheriff Fitzgerald