Two years after teenager Jayme Closs escaped from captivity, her case remains a source of hope for missing children. 

According to Jim Walters, program administrator for the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Jayme's case is an example of why family members and investigators should never give up hope when children go missing. “(Jayme) is living proof that you can’t write off missing children,” Walters said. 

The college's program is nationally recognized for criminal justice training, especially on how to find missing people and investigate those cases. The center provides training in the Amber Alert system, human trafficking, missing persons response and preventative tactics, and Internet Crimes Against Children.

---

Full text from Post-Crescent:

Jayme Closs' escape from captor still has deep impact two years later (Post-Crescent) >>

BARRON - As the days, weeks and months passed with no trace of Jayme Closs — the Barron teenager kidnapped from her home in October 2018 by an intruder who murdered her parents — the anxiety level in the tight-knit community grew.

The then-13-year-old girl's fate was the subject of widespread intrigue and fear. But her relatives, schoolmates and the entire Barron community held out hope that Jayme would someday come home. 

The community's prayers were answered two years ago, on Jan. 10, 2019, when Jayme escaped from her captor and ran to nearby residents for help. 

The dramatic case was viewed across the country as a shining example of hope for families of abducted and endangered children. Jayme's daring escape to freedom remains a beacon of hope to this day, and is likely to stay in the public’s consciousness for years to come.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, who with state and federal officials played a key role in the investigationinto Jayme's kidnapping and her parents' murders, said the outcome of the case remains an inspiration two years later. 

“I think it still resonates with people," Fitzgerald said. "You never give up hope, and that was a message we were able to provide.”

Among the multitude of people across the country who closely followed the Closs story was Mary Wegner, whose daughter, Laurie Depies, disappeared without a trace on Aug. 19, 1992, after driving to her boyfriend's apartment in the town of Menasha, now the village of Fox Crossing.

Depies is among 89 Wisconsin residents who are considered missing by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children lists 44 missing children in Wisconsin. 

Wegner said the Closs case had "an absolutely fabulous" ending because she escaped against all odds.

"I give her all the credit in the world for getting away," she said.

The Closs case is a dramatic reminder that "you never give up hope" for missing children, she said.

"Even to this day — after 28-plus years — I still think that maybe there is hope," Wegner said.

Horrifying series of crimes

Jayme's harrowing ordeal began early in the morning on Oct. 15, 2018, when then-21-year-old Jake Patterson broke into the Closs family's home, killed her parents, James and Denise Closs, and then took Jayme. He put the kidnapped teen in the trunk of his car and drove her 70 miles to his childhood home in Gordon.

She was missing for 88 days. 

During that time, local, state and national law enforcement officials descended on her small northern Wisconsin hometown in an effort to find Jayme. Police investigated hundreds of tips, volunteers came together to search for the teen and her parents' employer offered reward money for information leading to Jayme's return. 

The community never stopped looking for Jayme. They didn't give up hope. 

Fitzgerald vividly recalls a mid-December 2018 tree-lighting ceremony at Riverview Middle School in Barron to honor Closs. Jayme's family, friends, classmates and residents of Barron gathered in the cold, bringing light to their community and showing hope was still alive two months after she was taken. 

Back then, Fitzgerald said it was heartwarming to witness the show of community support.

“Nights like tonight and this community coming out … you can’t not believe, because those kids depend on us,” he said at the time.

Jayme didn't give up on herself, either.

On Jan. 10, 2019, after her abductor told her he would be leaving the house for several hours, Jayme pushed away the weighted bins trapping her under a twin bed in his room, slipped on a pair of his sneakers and left the house. 

She ran up to Jeanne Nutter, a neighbor who was walking her dog, and said, "I'm Jayme Closs" and told her she needed help. Nutter took Jayme to a the nearby house of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas, where they called 911. 

Police quickly found her kidnapper driving through the neighborhood and arrested him. He admitted to kidnapping Jayme and killing her parents. He also told authorities that he meticulously planned to kidnap the teen after he saw her getting on the bus one morning. He had never met Jayme before. 

On May 24, 2019, Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and kidnapping and was sentenced to life in prison. In July 2019, Patterson was transferred to a New Mexico prison due to concerns about his safety if he remained in Wisconsin. 

Just over a month later, Patterson was involved a fight with another inmate who questioned him about his case, according to records obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Prior to his transfer to New Mexico, Patterson was disciplined for disruptive conduct at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, records revealed.

As of Monday, the 23-year-old Patterson was still in a New Mexico prison, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections said. 

'What she did was amazing'

Jayme's case is an example of why family members and investigators should never give up hope when children go missing, said Jim Walters, program administrator for the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

“(Jayme) is living proof that you can’t write off missing children,” Walters said. 

The college's program is nationally recognized for criminal justice training, especially on how to find missing people and investigate those cases. The center provides training in the Amber Alert system, human trafficking, missing persons response and preventative tactics, and Internet Crimes Against Children.

In 2019, more than 421,000 children were reported missing in the United States, according to the FBI. That same year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was involved in more than 29,000 cases of missing children and found that fewer than 1% were abducted by non-family members. 

Jayme's kidnapping and the murder of her parents was shocking and violent from the outset, Walters said, and "any time violence surrounds the case, that risk level (to the kidnapped victim) rises dramatically.”

“Everything you see at a crime scene like that makes you believe the worst; that it is a hopeless situation," he said. 

It would have been easy to give up hope that Jayme would ever be found, let alone alive. But the fact that she escaped, Walters said, is "reaffirming to others (in similar situations).”

“What she did was amazing. He kept her locked down and he watched her all the time. And the fact that she escaped, that’s truly courageous.”

In a statement written by Jayme and read by an attorney at Patterson's sentencing hearing, Jayme said she watched her assailant's routine to plan her escape. 

"He thought that he could own me but he was wrong," Jayme wrote. "I was smarter. I watched his routine and I took back my freedom."

Fitzgerald said it’s vitally important in missing children and kidnapping cases to stay positive, even when things look bleak. 

Today, he still gets choked up talking about Jayme escaping from her captor.

"Jayme was the real hero and we were the runway lights for her to come home,” he said.

Fitzgerald said he continues to get calls from people wanting to give Jayme Christmas gifts. Interest in the case always piques when a news program like “48 Hours” re-airs a story about Jayme and her incredible display of courage.

In a statement released Saturday, Jayme's aunt and guardian, Jennifer Naiberg Smith, said Jayme is doing well. She spends her time dancing, enjoying school activities and is surrounded by loved ones. 

"We are very thankful for everything that happened on this day two years ago; for Jayme's bravery and for Jeanne (Nutter), Peter and Kristen (Kasinskas) for all being in the right place, at the right time and keeping Jayme safe," Naiberg Smith wrote. "We’re still very thankful for the community, to the whole world for all caring and being there, and to law enforcement who worked tirelessly to seek justice."

"We always want to say and remind others never take life for granted. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Always remember to take the time to tell your loved ones you love them."