Authorities have arrested a man on kidnapping and murder charges in the October disappearance of Wisconsin teenager Jayme Closs and the fatal shootings of her parents.

James Thomas Patterson, 21, of Gordon, Wis., was identified as the suspect during a news conference Friday morning (Jan. 11, 2019). Barron County (Wis.) Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Patterson had been concealing 13-year-old Jayme Closs from his friends and family.

The girl was found in Gordon, Wis., on Thursday afternoon, 88 days after her parents were found shot to death in the family home about 60 miles away. (Story is posted below).

Officials said Closs escaped Patterson's home, but they didn't reveal any other details about her getaway. A woman, walking her dog, stumbled across Closs and went to a neighbor's house to contact authorities.

Fitzgerald said Closs spent the night at a hospital, where she was taken for evaluation. He confirmed that she had been medically cleared to be released Friday morning and returned to her family.

Investigators are now in the process of gathering more information about the abduction. They want to know what happened to Closs during the three months she was missing.


Jamie Closs / Courtesy: Barron County (Wis.) Sheriff's Dept.
Jamie Closs / Courtesy: Barron County (Wis.) Sheriff's Dept.
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ORIGINAL STORY:

A missing 13-year-old Wisconsin girl has been found alive, nearly three months after her parents were found murdered in the family home outside Barron. Authorities confirmed that a suspect has been arrested in the case.

Authorities have been searching for Jayme Closs since Oct. 15, 2018, when sheriff's deputies discovered that James and Denise Closs had been fatally shot. When the teenager couldn't be found, officials believed she had been abducted.

Thursday evening, Barron County sheriff’s officials were notified by sheriff's officials in Douglas County, Wis., that they had located Jayme Closs. The Associated Press reported that a woman called authorities after she stumbled across the teenager in the small town of Gordon, which is about 40 miles south of Lake Superior. Jayme Closs was skinny and dirty, but appeared to be OK when she was discovered, the news report said.

No other details were released regarding the girl's discovery. Authorities are expected to release more information on Friday during a 10 AM press conference.

Barron County sheriff's officials posted an update about the case on Facebook Thursday night.

Source: Associated Press

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