48 Hours - Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero - Complete timeline of the teenager’s abduction and escape

48 Hours - Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero case (Image via YouTube|@48hours)
The Closs family was destroyed (Image via YouTube|@48hours)

Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero is one of the episodes of the CBS true-crime documentary series 48 Hours and it looks into the case of a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl. This is the story of how her disappearance began with the murder of her parents, and how it ended after 88 days in captivity when she escaped.

The episode also takes us through the timeline of the events, starting with her abduction and then the search that went on while she was being kept at a remote property. The teenager was taken right from her home after witnessing the end of her parents, and the case made headlines.

It took almost three months for investigators and volunteers to search for Jayme while she remained hidden from the outside world. Then on January 10, 2019, she was finally able to escape, which played a big role in the investigation.

Jayme got to a neighbor nearby and gave her identification. This enabled authorities to identify her kidnapper and bring an end to the long-running search.

Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero looks at the investigation, the evidence released after her rescue, the support Jayme received from her family and community and the legal case against Jake Patterson.

Explore the complete timeline of the case featured in Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero, below.


Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero reveals how the teenager was targeted and abducted

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As mentioned earlier, Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero is one of the episodes of the 48 Hours true-crime show, which tells the story of how a teenager was abducted after she saw her parents being murdered. It begins with Jake Patterson, a 21-year-old who had never met the Closs family.

He noticed Jayme while driving behind her school bus and later worked out where she lived. Later, his attack didn't look like he acted on impulse but on something that he had already planned.

Patterson reportedly tried to approach the Closs home twice before but backed off when lights or activity suggested someone was awake. Then, he prepared himself for the crime by shaving his head, wearing dark clothes and a mas and finally using his sister’s maroon Ford Taurus after altering its trunk-release mechanism.

The attack finally happened during the night of October 14 and into October 15, 2018. Jayme woke after hearing the family dog, Molly, barking and noticed an unfamiliar vehicle arriving at the house with its headlights turned off.

The teenager quickly informed her parents and her father, Jim, checked on the door. The moment he opened it, Patterson was outside and had a shotgun with him. He wasted no time in firing through the entrance, resulting in Jim's murder.

After realizing that they're in a deadly situation, Jayme and her mother, Denise rushed into the bathroom for safety. Denise called 911 at about 12:53 a.m., but the dispatcher mainly heard sounds of distress before the call ended.

As revealed in Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero episode, Patterson broke into the bathroom, restrained Jayme and fatally shot Denise before taking Jayme away in the Taurus.

When the police arrived, they found the Closs couple dead and their daughter missing. An Amber Alert was issued, after which everyone was searching for Jayme and it took three months to finally learn what happened to her.


Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero revisits the 88 days Jayme spent in captivity

Jayme was just a little girl when kidnapped (Image via YouTube|@48hours)
Jayme was just a little girl when kidnapped (Image via YouTube|@48hours)

After leaving Barron, Patterson took Jayme to a secluded family property near Gordon, Wisconsin which is roughly 70 miles away. It was a completely isolated place which made it easy for the kidnapper to keep Jayme away from people.

Patterson made the space beneath a twin bed her main hiding place. Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero also reveals that boxes, storage bins and heavy objects were arranged around it, making it difficult for Jayme to come out and allowing Patterson to notice if anything had been moved.

She was experiencing the worst time, as Patterson would keep her without food for some days and didn't even let her go to the bathroom. Jayme also had limited clothing while she was captured.

Patterson also used music to cover sounds when he was away or when other people were around. While she remained hidden, the search outside continued on a huge scale.

Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero explains how police investigated leads, volunteers joined the effort and media coverage kept the case in the public eye. But none of it initially pointed investigators toward Jake Patterson.

As the weeks passed, Patterson reportedly came to believe that he had escaped suspicion. However, Jayme remained confined until January brought an opportunity for her to finally get out.


A look into Jayme's escape, rescue and what happened next

Jake Patterson was the kidnapper (Image via YouTube|@48hours)
Jake Patterson was the kidnapper (Image via YouTube|@48hours)

It was on January 10, 2019 when Jake Patterson was out of that isolated property for a long time. He spent several hours away as he applied for a warehouse job. Before going, he placed Jayme beneath the bed and blocked her in as he had done before.

Thankfully, Jayme had a chance to escape. Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero reveals how the teenager pushed the objects aside, climbed out and hurried away from the house. She put on Patterson's oversized New Balance shoes, even getting them on the wrong feet, and walked into the snowy, freezing surroundings wearing only light clothing.

Later that afternoon, she came across neighbor Jeanne Nutter, who was out walking her dog. Jayme told her who she was, explained that she did not know where she was and said that the man holding her had killed her parents.

Nutter recognized her from the extensive coverage of her disappearance and immediately helped get her somewhere safe before calling 911. According to Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero, the teenager was in bad condition.

She looked thin, was wearing fewer clothes, but was able to give proper details. Police were able to track Patterson and once he was caught, he immediately took responsibility for the crime he committed.

The case went to the court and Jake Patterson was found guilty of killing the Closs couple and kidnapping their kid and more related crimes. He was given two consecutive life sentences without parole on May 24, 2019.

As for Jayme, her relatives and community members supported her. She was honored as a "Hometown Hero" and the Closs family home was eventually demolished.


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Edited by Alisha Khan