14166 S Eau Claire Acres Cir, Gordon, WI 54838
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Author: Jewls Krueger
Shortly after midnight on October 15, 2018, 21-year-old Jake Patterson parked his red sports car at the Closs family’s modest, single story home in Barron, WI. Patterson was wearing a ski mask and gloves and carried a shotgun. Patterson forcefully banged on the front door of the house, which woke up James and Denise Closs, and their 13-year-old daughter Jayme.
Scared by the banging, Denise and Jayme hid in the bathroom of the home while James went to the front door to see what was going on. As James was standing at the front door, Patterson fired his shotgun, killing James immediately. Patterson then forced his way inside the home and checked every room to be sure would leave no witnesses. When he tried the door for the bathroom where Denise and Jayme were hiding, he found it locked.
Inside the bathroom, Denise called 911 while Patterson worked on gaining entry into the bathroom. He eventually succeeded in shooting the door in, and 911 dispatchers heard a commotion and crying before the call was disconnected. When they called back, they reached Denise Closs’ voicemail.
Patterson tied Jayme’s hands and ankles together with duct-tape, then shot Denis Closs in front of Jayme. He then carried Jayme out to his car and placed her in the trunk before driving away from the home. Police arrived within 4 minutes of Denise’s 411 call, but Patterson was able to make a clean getaway with Jayme in the trunk of his car.
The home was immediately sealed as a crime scene and the case quickly became national news. People speculated as to what had happened to Jayme and who could’ve killed her parents, who had no known enemies and lived relatively quiet lives. At one point after the murders, the home was broken into and pieces of Jayme’s clothing were stolen, but the robber was caught and determined to be unrelated to the murders or the kidnapping.
On January 10, 2019, Jayme Closs was found by a neighbor of Jake Patterson wandering the snowy landscape in clothes meant for much warmer weather. The neighbor brought Jayme to another neighbor's home and called the police who responded immediately.
Further Reading
Jayme told them how she'd been kept under the bed in Jake Patterson's room unless no one else was at the house. He would push heavy boxes around the bed when he left to make it more difficult for Jayme to escape. But on that January day, Jayme waited until he was gone and made a run for it, luckily running into the neighbor who helped save her. If not for Jayme's immense bravery, she may not have survived.
Jake Patterson was pulled over near the home shortly after the police were called and he immediately confessed. He went on to plead guilty to one count of kidnapping and two counts of murder, and he expressed regret for his actions which he said he did "mostly out of impulse". Jake Patterson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders. He also received an additional 40 year sentence for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs.
The house where Jake Patterson kept Jayme Closs is in a rural area of Gordon, WI, off of County Road Y. The home is set back from the road and may not be visible from there. The home is private property and based on sales records it is still owned by the Patterson family. Be respectful of neighbors and never enter onto private property, stay on public roads and walkways at all times.
Jayme Closs' parents were murdered and she was abducted from this Barron, WI home.
The first "Milk Carton Kid" Johnny Gosch went missing from near his suburban Iowa home
Twelve-year-old Courtney Sconce was abducted from this corner in 2000.
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