Jake Patterson, 21, reportedly threatened to kill Jayme if she made any noise or tried to escape.
The man accused of imprisoning Jayme Closs after murdering her parents hosted family for Christmas while keeping the terrified 13-year-old girl captive in another room of the house, according to a local report.
Relatives of Jake Patterson had gathered together at their former family home in Gordon, Wisconsin, known as the “Patterson Retreat,” to celebrate the holiday. The family was apparently unaware Jake had forced Jayme to hide under a twin bed in the home he now lived in, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Guests Patterson had over for Christmas included two members of his immediate family, whom the Journal Sentinel identified as his father and sister, and their dates. There was no indication the guests knew Jayme was imprisoned in the house.
“All I care about right now is Jayme’s family,” Patterson’s father, Patrick Patterson, told CNN as he dropped off a note for the Closs family at the Barron County Courthouse.
Jim Moyer, who was identified as Patterson’s grandfather, told ABC News the family had no idea he had allegedly kidnapped Jayme.
“Something went terribly wrong. ... We are absolutely heartbroken. It's wrenching to deal with," he said.
Patterson, 21, threatened to kill Jayme if she made any noise or tried to escape, one source told the Journal Sentinel.
Patterson surrounded the bed with heavy containers so Jayme couldn’t be seen or escape, according to the criminal complaint filed in Barron County Circuit Court. He also played music in the room Jayme was kept in while others were in the home to drown out any noise she may have made, the complaint said.
Jayme was held captive for 16 more days before she was able to escape and run for help on Jan. 10. She encountered a woman walking her dog, who brought Jayme to a neighbor’s home to call police.
Patterson allegedly broke into Jayme’s home Oct. 15, about 70 miles from where he kept her. Authorities said he shot and killed her parents, James and Denise Closs, before dragging her out and forcing her into his car. He is accused of plotting her abduction after seeing her at a school bus stop.
He is charged with kidnapping, armed burglary and two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. If convicted of all charges, Patterson would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. He has not entered a plea.
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