MADISON - The Gordon woman Jayme Closs ran to after escaping from 88 days of captivity received a statewide social work award Thursday for her role in reuniting the 13-year-old with her family.

Jeanne Nutter was walking her dog on the afternoon of Jan. 10 when she saw a young girl walking toward her, yelling for help. Nutter, who has been a social worker her whole life, said her social worker personality "just turned on" and she helped get Jayme safely to a neighbors house to call 911 and kept her calm until police arrived, Nutter told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin the day after Jayme escaped.

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Because of her actions that day, and her lifelong dedication to "bettering the children and families across the state," Nutter was one of six child welfare professionals from around Wisconsin who won a 2019 Caring for Kids award, according to a news release from the state Department of Children and Families.

Nutter is an academic adviser with the University of Wisconsin’s school of social work. She was nominated by a former intern, who said in the news release that Jayme Closs "couldn't (have) come across a better person to help her to safety in a trauma-informed manner."

The day Jayme escaped, police arrested 21-year-old Jake Patterson. He was later charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, kidnapping and armed burglary in Barron County Court. Before Patterson abducted Jayme from her Barron home on Oct. 15, he shot her parents, James and Denise Closs to death. He then hid the teen under his bed in his rural Douglas County home for nearly three months, according to a criminal complaint.

Contact Natalie Brophy at (715) 216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie or Facebook at facebook.com/bynataliebrophy.