Skip to main contentSkip to main content
Register for more free articles.
Log in Sign up
Back to homepage
Subscriber Login
Keep reading with a digital access subscription.
Subscribe now
You have permission to edit this collection.
Edit
Arizona Daily Star
90°
  • Sign in
  • Subscribe Now
  • Manage account
  • Logout
    • Manage account
    • e-Newspaper
    • Logout
  • News
    • Sign up for newsletters
    • Local
    • Arizona
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Nation & World
    • Markets & Stocks
    • SaddleBrooke
    • Politics
    • Archives
    • News Tip
  • Arizona Daily Star
    • E-edition
    • E-edition-Tutorial
    • Archives
    • Special Sections
    • Merchandise
    • Circulars
    • Readers' Choice Awards
    • Buyer's Edge
  • Obituaries
    • Share Your Story
    • Recent Obituaries
    • Find an Obituary
  • Opinion
    • Submit a Letter
    • Submit guest opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinion & Editorials
    • National Columnists
  • Sports
    • Arizona Wildcats
    • Greg Hansen
    • High Schools
    • Roadrunners
  • Lifestyles
    • Events Calendar
    • Arts & Theatre
    • Food & Cooking
    • Movies & TV
    • Movie Listings
    • Music
    • Comics
    • Games
    • Columns
    • Play
    • Home & Gardening
    • Health
    • Get Healthy
    • Parenting
    • Fashion
    • People
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Faith
    • Retro Tucson
    • History
    • Travel
    • Outdoors & Rec
    • Community Pages
  • Brand Ave. Studios
  • Join the community
    • News tip
    • Share video
  • Buy & Sell
    • Place an Ad
    • Shop Local
    • Jobs
    • Homes
    • Marketplace
    • I Love A Deal
  • Shopping
  • Customer Service
    • Manage My Account
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Subscribe
    • Contact us
  • Mobile Apps
  • Weather: Live Radar
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
© 2026 Lee Enterprises
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Arizona Daily Star
News+
Read Today's E-edition
Arizona Daily Star
News+
  • Log In
  • $1 for 3 months
    Subscribe Now
    • Manage account
    • e-Newspaper
    • Logout
  • E-edition
  • News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Wildcats
  • Lifestyles
  • Newsletters
  • Comics & Puzzles
  • Buyer's Edge
  • Jobs
  • 90° Clear
Share This
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS
  • Email
Photos: Tracking the Jayme Closs case from the beginning
Share this
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS
  • Email
  • Print
ALL ACCESS. NO PAYWALL.
Tucson Appliance Co.
Enjoy FREE UNLIMITED ACCESS to local news this 4th of July weekend! From us to you, presented by Tucson Appliance Co.
Tucson Appliance Co.

Photos: Tracking the Jayme Closs case from the beginning

  • Jan 17, 2019
  • Jan 17, 2019 Updated Jun 6, 2025
Prefer us on Google

Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old Barron County girl who was kidnapped last year after her parents were shot to death, managed to escape her captor after nearly three months. Jake Patterson was sentenced in May to life in prison for killing James and Denise Closs and kidnapping Jayme. Jayme was later honored by state legislators for her bravery. Here's a look back at the case.

Two parents found dead; child still missing

Two parents found dead; child still missing

A group of volunteers on Thursday search the ditches along Highway 8 in Barron, near the home where missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs lived with her parents, who were found dead early Monday. 

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteers line up along Highway 25 just north of Barron Tuesday to help in the search for Jayme Closs, a missing teenage Wisconsin girl whose parents were killed in the family's home. Jayme has been missing since Oct. 15, when deputies responding to a 911 call found that someone had broken into the family's home in Barron and gunned down James and Denise Closs.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Hundreds of volunteers gather Tuesday in Barron to assist in the search for Jayme Closs, a missing teenage Wisconsin girl whose parents were killed in the family's home.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

A Barron County sheriff's vehicle sits Tuesday outside the home where James Closs and Denise Closs were found fatally shot on Oct. 15. A search was being organized to find the couple's missing 13-year-old daughter, Jayme.

JEFF BAENEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

A sign is seen Tuesday in the small town of Barron, where 13-year-old Jayme Closs' parents were found shot to death at their home on Oct. 15. Searchers were looking Tuesday for the girl.

JEFF BAENEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteers cross a creek and barbed wire near Barron on Tuesday on their way to a ground search for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home. The search for Closs was expanded Tuesday, with as many as 2,000 volunteers expected to take part in a search of the area.

JEFF BAENEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteers are given directions Tuesday near Barron before searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who went missing Oct. 15 when her parents were found fatally shot at their home. The search for Closs was expanded Tuesday.

EVAN FROST, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

A volunteer uses a stick to brush away dense leaf cover in woods near Barron on Tuesday while searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who went missing Oct. 15 when her parents were found fatally shot at their home.

EVAN FROST, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteer Tim Collins of Shoreview, Minn., and his dog Gretchen search near Barron on Tuesday for 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

EVAN FROST, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Louie Lauderdale of Lake Geneva searches near a cornfield along 15th Avenue near Highway 25 just north of Barron on Tuesday for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteers gather at a cornfield along 15th Avenue near Highway 25 just north of Barron on Tuesday as they search for 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Steven Fowler of Luck and his dog Cheeka search a cornfield along 15th Avenue near Highway 25 just north of Barron on Tuesday as they search for Jayme Closs.

Jerry Holt

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Steven Fowler of Luck and his dog Cheeka search a cornfield north of Barron on Tuesday for 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Search expands for missing girl

Search expands for missing girl

Volunteers search a field along north of Barron on Tuesday for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald holds up the booking photo of Jake Thomas Patterson, who allegedly kidnapped Jayme Closs, during a news conference Friday in Barron. Jayme, a 13-year-old girl who went missing in October after her parents were killed, was found alive in the rural town of Gordon, about 60 miles north of her home in Barron. Investigators believe Patterson, who was taken into custody shortly after Closs was found, killed her parents because he wanted to abduct her.

JEAN PIERI, PIONEER PRESS

Jake Thomas Patterson

Jake Thomas Patterson

Patterson

BARRON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

Two Dead-Child Missing

Two Dead-Child Missing

The sign outside Barron City Hall on Friday welcomes Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old northwestern Wisconsin girl who had been missing since her parents were killed in October. Closs was found alive Thursday in the rural town of Gordon, about 60 miles north of her home.

AARON LAVINSKY, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald speaks during a news conference Friday in Barron regarding the arrest of Jake Thomas Patterson, who allegedly kidnapped Jayme Closs, a 13-year-old girl who went missing in October after her parents were killed.

AARON LAVINSKY, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

Kristin Kasinskas, left, husband, Peter, and Jeanne Nutter and her dog Henry head back to their homes after speaking with the media Friday in Gordon. Kristin Kasinskas called 911 on Thursday to report that Jayme Closs, 13, had been found after Nutter, who was out walking her dog, encountered her and brought her to Kasinskas' house. Closs had been missing since her parents were killed in October.

RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

Kristin Kasinskas and her husband, Peter, who live on South Eau Claire Acres Circle, speak with the media Friday in Gordon. Kristin Kasinskas called 911 on Thursday to report that Jayme Closs had been found after another neighbor encountered her and brought her to the Kasinskas house.

RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

A thank you sign is displayed Friday after Barron teenager Jayme Closs was found alive.

Jeff Baenen

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald speaks during a news conference Friday after Jayme Closs, 13, was found alive after being missing for nearly three months.

Aaron Lavinsky

Two Dead Child Missing

Two Dead Child Missing

A "Tree of Hope" for teenager Jayme Closs is seen outside Riverview Middle School in Barron on Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson appears for his preliminary hearing Wednesday in Barron County Circuit Court. Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days.

T'XER ZHON KHA, APPLETON POST-CRESCENT

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson appears for his preliminary hearing Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Barron County Circuit Court in Barron, Wis. Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days. (T'xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

T'xer Zhon Kha

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson listens during his preliminary hearing Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Barron County Circuit Court in Barron, Wis. Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days. (T'xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

T'xer Zhon Kha

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson listens during his preliminary hearing Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Barron County Circuit Court in Barron, Wis. Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days. (T'xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

T'xer Zhon Kha

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson, 21, leaves the courtroom after his preliminary hearing Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Barron County Circuit Court in Barron, Wis. Patterson is accused of killing James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme Closs, from their Barron home. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10, after 88 days. (T'xer Zhon Kha/The Post-Crescent via AP, Pool)

T'xer Zhon Kha

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson appears for a hearing at the Barron County Justice Center on March 27. Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months.

RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER, STAR TRIBUNE

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Jake Patterson appears for a hearing at the Barron County Justice Center on March 27 in Barron. Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months.

T'xer Zhon Kha, Appleton Post-Crescent

Lynn Closs leaves courtroom

Lynn Closs leaves courtroom

Lynn Closs, aunt of Jayme Closs, leaves the courtroom March 27 after Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months.

MARK HOFFMAN, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL

Wisconsin Killings-Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings-Kidnapping

Patrick Patterson, right, and his daughter, Katie, arrive for the arraignment hearing of his son, Jake Patterson, on March 27 at the Barron County Justice Center in Barron.

MARK HOFFMAN, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL

Elizabeth Smart speaks in Barron

Elizabeth Smart speaks in Barron

Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped and held hostage at the age of 14 for nine months in 2002, speaks on the aftermath of the abduction of local teen Jayme Closs last October and the killing of Jayme's parents, at a town hall forum Friday at Barron High School.

RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER, STAR TRIBUNE

Two Dead-Child Missing

Two Dead-Child Missing

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald speaks during a press conference Wednesday about 13-year-old Jayme Closs who has been missing since her parents were found dead in their home in Barron early Monday.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Jayme Closs

Jayme Closs

Jayme Closs

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two Dead-Child Missing

Two Dead-Child Missing

Barron County sheriff's deputies remained at the scene of the home where 13-year-old Jayme Closs lived with her parents, James and Denise, on Oct. 17, 2018, in Barron. Investigators have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home.

JERRY HOLT, STAR TRIBUNE

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Closs family members react after Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months, during a hearing at the Barron County Justice Center on March 27.

T'xer Zhon Kha, Post-Crescent

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

A Closs family member react as she leaves the courtroom after Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs, killing her parents and holding her captive in a remote cabin for three months.

T'xer Zhon Kha, Post-Crescent

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings Kidnapping

Closs family members leave the courtroom after Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents.

T'xer Zhon Kha, Post Crescent

Wisconsin Killings-Kidnapping

Wisconsin Killings-Kidnapping

Sue Allard, center, Jayme Closs' aunt, leaves the courtroom after Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents.

Mark Hoffman, Journal Sentinel

Jayme Closs honored by Legislature

Jayme Closs honored by Legislature

Kidnapping victim Jayme Closs, second from left, appears with her family and supporters to receive a "hometown hero" award Wednesday from the state Assembly. Closs escaped in January after her parents were killed and she was held captive for three months in a remote cabin.

SCOTT BAUER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Locations

  • Madison

Related to this collection

'He killed my parents. I want to go home. Help me,' Jayme Closs told woman who found her

'He killed my parents. I want to go home. Help me,' Jayme Closs told woman who found her

A 911 call has been released providing details on the rescue of Jayme Closs, the Barron girl who was abducted after her parents were killed Oct. 15 and escaped last Thursday. 

Arizona Daily Star
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Bluesky
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Arizona Daily Star Store
  • This is Tucson
  • Saddlebag Notes
  • Tucson Festival of Books
Prefer us on Google

Sites & Partners

  • E-edition
  • Classifieds
  • Events calendar
  • Careers @ Lee Enterprises
  • Careers @ USA Today Co.
  • Online Features
  • Sponsored Blogs
  • Get Healthy

Services

  • Advertise with us
  • Register
  • Contact us
  • RSS feeds
  • Newsletters
  • Photo reprints
  • Subscriber services
  • Subscription FAQ
  • Licensing
  • Shopping
© Copyright 2026 Arizona Daily Star, PO Box 26887 Tucson, AZ 85726-6887
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Terms of Use | Do Not Sell My Info | Cookie Preferences
Powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com.
  • Notifications
  • Settings
You don't have any notifications.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Topics

News Alerts

Breaking News