Jayme Closs To Receive $25,000 Reward After Saving Herself From Kidnapper

Feb 08, 2019 by apost team

The story of the kidnapping of Jayme Closs captivated the nation in the final months of 2018. The 13-year old girl was kidnapped from her home in Barron, Wisconsin on October 15. When police responded to her mother Denise’s frantic 911 call, they found Denise and her husband, James, shot to death and Jayme nowhere in sight.

As hundreds of volunteers and dozens of law enforcement agencies combed the woods of Wisconsin looking for Jayme, her kidnapper, 21-year old Jake Thomas Patterson, took the girl to his home in Gordon, Wisconsin, nearly 80 miles from Barron. Patterson kept Jayme in horrific conditions during her confinement.

Jayme was forced to sit under Patterson’s bed, unable to eat, drink, or even use the bathroom for hours on end.

When the kidnapper had guests over, Jayme was warned that making noise or trying to get help would result in severe punishment.

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On January 10, Jayme decided that she had had enough. As Patterson told her that he would be gone for several hours because of a job interview, Jayme decided that she would no longer be a victim and planned to escape her imprisonment. Putting on the kidnapper’s shoes, Jayme ran out the front door, flagging down a woman walking her dog.

Explaining to the bystander who she was and what happened to her, Jayme was soon in contact with local law enforcement, who arrested Patterson without incident.

Those police officers working Jayme’s case hailed the teen as a hero, saying that she rescued herself. Reunited with her family, Jayme regularly posts to social media, showing the world that Patterson did not win and that she will once again live a normal life.

As mentioned previously, dozens of law enforcement agencies participated in the 88-day search for the teen. One of the agencies was the FBI, who offered a $25,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Jayme. Jennie-O Turkey Store, the company that employed Jayme’s parents, matched the FBI’s reward, also offering $25,000 for information on her location.

The company recently announced that since Jayme saved herself, they would be giving her the $25,000 reward.

In the statement announcing that Jayme would receive the reward, Steve Lyken, the president of Jennie-O Turkey Store, says that he hopes that the money will be used to establish a trust to meet any needs Jayme might have in the future.

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