Jayme Closs kidnapper and her parents’ murderer identified as Wisconsin man

The man in custody for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs, 13, and the October 15 murder of Jayme’s parents has been identified as 21-year-old Wisconsin native Jake Thomas Patterson. At the Friday morning televised press conference held the day after Jayme was found alive in the town of Gordon, Douglas County Sheriff Thomas Dalbec said that Jayme was found not far from where Patterson lived – after she escaped her captor and sought help from a stranger walking her dog on the streets of Gordon, Wisconsin, around 5 p.m. yesterday.

Police said that one possible motive for Patterson murdering Jayme’s parents, is that his primary goal was abducting Jayme.

Last night, the Barron County Sheriff’s Department released a statement saying that “Jayme Closs has been located.” The 13-year-old girl has been missing since October 15. Police went to her home in Barron, Wisconsin, after receiving a 911 call around 1 a.m. that morning and found the door to her home kicked in and both of her parents shot dead.

Jayme was missing and there weren’t any solid leads on her whereabouts. Police believed she was at the house when her parents were killed. Hours later, local authorities said the girl was in danger and asked the public for help finding her. An Amber Alert was also issued. ~ per USA Today

Police say that Patterson is unemployed and has no criminal record. He was charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide for the murder of Jayme’s parents and one count of kidnapping, according to CBS News. His first court appearance is expected sometime next week.