Jayme Closs: kidnapped teenager to get reward money

A company that offered a $25,000 (£19,000) reward for the return of kidnapped Jayme Closs says it will give the money to the teenager after she "rescued" herself.

The 13-year-old was held captive for 88 days by alleged kidnapper Jake Patterson, who is accused of shooting dead her parents, James and Denise Closs, at their home in Barron, Wisconsin.

US chain Jennie-O Turkey Store, which employed the murdered couple, contributed resources to search and rescue efforts, including the reward money, reports the Daily Mirror.

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The money will now be put in a trust fund for Jayme, who managed to escape on 10 January after being held in a cabin about 70 miles from her home, says CNN.

Jim Snee, president and chief executive officer of Jennie-O’s parent company, Hormel Foods, said: “We are overjoyed at the news of Jayme’s safe return. Her bravery and strength have truly inspired our team members around the world.”

Steve Lykken, president of Jennie-O, added: “While we are still mourning the loss of longtime family members Jim and Denise, we are so thankful for Jayme’s brave escape and that she is back in Barron.

“Our hope is that a trust fund can be used for Jayme’s needs today and in the future.”

Patterson, 21, has been formally charged with the killings and abduction.

He told investigators that he had spotted Jayme boarding a school bus and “knew that was the girl he was going to take”, according to documents filed in court.

Court documents suggest the killings and kidnapping were “elaborately planned, gruesome and terrifying”, reports The New York Times.

Investigators say that Patterson revealed the lengths he went to in order to carry out the double murder and abduction, including shaving his head and face so that he would not leave DNA evidence, and using stolen number plates on his car.

The suspect apparently said he drove out to the Closs family home twice to kidnap the girl. However his plans were interrupted on both occasions by family members moving inside the house, or by the presence of a number of cars in the driveway.

Investigators claim Patterson confessed to killing Jayme’s father at the front door of the family home, before forcing his way into a bathroom where Jayme was hiding with her mother, Denise.

Patterson then forced Denise to help tie up her daughter, before he shot her and took the girl to his home, 65 miles away, say the court documents.

Jayme told police she was forced to “hide under his bed when friends or family visited” and was told “bad things would happen to her” if anyone found out she was there, reports the BBC.

Patterson has been formally charged with the killings and abduction, but did not enter a plea when he appeared briefly in court on 14 January.