48 Hours - Jayme Closs: Hometown Hero

Episode Date: June 9, 2019

CBS News journalists explore the courage of Wisconsin teenager Jayme Closs, held captive for 88 days before escaping, and how she and her community have bonded to help her heal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. On behalf of the state of Wisconsin, I am so proud to present our Hometown Hero Award to Miss Jamie Kloss. It's amazing. It's amazing. and she is an extraordinary child

i cannot wait to see what she becomes she's i hope she has a chance to be a kid again for 88 days i have stood before you and said we would work tirelessly to bring Jamie Closs home. Today, I can report we have done just that. 13-year-old Jamie Closs, who disappeared the day her parents were murdered in October, has been found and she is alive and she is safe. I was crying and talking, and he's like, what is wrong? I go, Jamie's found him. It's unbelievable. It is miraculous.

Jamie is the hero in this case. There's no question about it. She's the one that helped us break the case. It's amazing, the will of that 13-year-old girl to survive and escape. I was finishing my walk right at the end of my driveway, and Jamie was coming towards me. She just said, I'm lost. I don't know where I am. I knew she needed help, so I knew I needed to get her out of the cold.

I knew I needed to get her to a safe place. Hi, I have a young lady at my house right now, and she says her name is Jamie Closs. Okay, have you seen her photo, ma'am? Yes, it is her. I 100% think it is her. Okay. I've got multiple deputies headed out there. Just hearing the story, my heart's beating a little faster, just because I can't imagine what it was like for this young girl who's gone through who knows what to finally see somebody that can help her.

Whatever it took, I was not going to let anything happen to her. The sheriff showed up and they gave us that news and we cried in happy tears and cried. This is truly a community, a country coming together for one purpose. Solving this is the will of a 13-year-old girl. Solving this case and coming home and saying enough is enough. Think of the positive impact this child has already made on our world. The talk of hope, the talk of love, the talk of faith, the talk of family. Jamie has already made such an impression on this world. This is the suspect. He targeted Jamie. Jake Patterson is a 21-year-old male with no criminal history.

This guy tried to do his best to beat us, and he just didn't. Mr. Patterson will never terrorize her again. He's not sorry for kidnapping Jamie and murdering her parents. He's sorry that he got caught. Exhibit 7, Your Honor, shows where the defendant confined Jamie for 88 days. This was her prison. They're grown people, I think, that would have been paralyzed in fear. Yes, yes.

We don't know what she went through. But to beat him in his own game and to survive and get out of there, I mean, yes. We don't know what she went through, but to beat him in his own game and to survive and get out of there, I mean, wow. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly. Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bolder

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In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reached the age of 10 that was still a virgin. It just happens to all of them. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for

justice that has brought a unique, lonely, Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Two innocent people were murdered and a young girl taken. After 88 days in captivity, that young lady found her way to freedom. Ladies and gentlemen, that young lady, Jamie Closs, is with us here today. Last month, Jamie Closs appeared in public for the first time since her kidnapping. Wisconsin State Representative Romaine Quinn.

On behalf of the state of Wisconsin, I am so proud to present our Hometown Hero Award to Miss Jamie Closs. Jamie looked out over the chamber, her family by her side, her aunt, Jennifer Smith. Speaking for her entire family, I have to say that Jamie is totally deserving of the hero part of this award. Her courage, her bravery, and her spirit are things that inspire us and make us stronger and better. Just like you, we want Jamie to know how much we love her. Thank you. Jamie Claus went missing in the early hours of October 15, 2018, when a man the family did not know pulled into their driveway.

Jamie's father, Jim, was murdered, shot at point-blank range at the front door. Her mother, Denise, barricaded herself with Jamie in the bathroom and called 911. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald described the call, which was recently released. The 911 call is very inaudible.

You can't hear words. You hear yelling or maybe a scream. And it ends by getting hung up. and it ends by getting hung up. By the time police arrived, Denise Claus had also been shot to death in front of her daughter. The killer drove away with 13-year-old Jamie in the trunk of his car. The time from the 911 call until our deputies arrive is less than four minutes. The timing is just, it has to be perfect on his part.

So we think this was well planned out. We are asking for about 2,000 volunteers to walk specific areas. There was a massive search. But no one had seen any trace of Jamie Closs until January 10th, 2019. It was a little after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I was at the end of my driveway, and then I saw a young woman who appeared to be in distress. All I knew is whoever this child is, she's in trouble.

What did you see that made you think she was in trouble? Well, because it was 19 or 20 degrees outside, and she only had a sweatshirt on and maybe some black leggings. Did you recognize her right away? Right away, because her pictures are everywhere. Yeah. And she just sort of fell into me and said, I'm Jamie, and I said, I know. Jeannie Nutter was out walking her dog that afternoon on a remote road in the tiny town of Gordon, Wisconsin. That's about an hour north of Jamie's home.

This girl, whatever it took for her to get out of that house, I was not going to let anything happen to her. As fate would have it, Jeannie is a retired trauma counselor. She focused on getting Jamie to safety and keeping her calm. I just kept saying, don't worry, Jamie. Everything's going to be all right. You're going to be fine. You know, just hang on to me, because we were walking

on like three inches of glare ice. Jamie immediately told Jeannie who had been holding her captive, the man who killed her parents. His name was Jake Patterson. So she named him right then? Yeah, she named him right away. Jeannie was afraid to take Jamie back to her cabin, knowing Patterson's property with these two cabins touches the back of her land.

Jamie even asked me, do you live around here? And I said, no, I'm just walking my dog, because I didn't want her to know that I didn't think our cabin was safe. You stayed calm? I was not calm inside, so I did't want her to know that I didn't think our cabin was safe. You stayed calm. I was not calm inside, so I did not want her to know that. In fact, she was terrified Patterson might find them out on that road. Did you start to get concerned that maybe Mr. Patterson is following her? That was in my head.

I just wanted us to be moving, moving in a direction to safety, because literally that word was going through my head, safety, safety, safety. Luckily, Jeannie found neighbors at home, one of the few families who live here year-round, Kristen and Peter Kaczynskis. She just opened the door and said, this is Jamie, call 911 right now. Douglas County 911. I have a young lady at my house right now, and she just says her name is Jamie Closs.

I mean, we've been seeing her for so long. Billboards, commercials, all this stuff, and it was like I was seeing a ghost in front of me. Peter loaded a gun and went to the front door. I was pleading with the person on the line, saying, this is not fake, this is real. Kristen is the neighbor that walked her up. Is she still there? Kristen passed the phone to Jeannie. Ma'am, so how did she come up upon your cabin?

I was walking my dog, and she was walking towards me, crying, saying, you've got to help me, you've got to help me. And she thought, I am Jamie Closs? Yes. She said, he killed my parents, I want to go home, help me. As the minutes ticked by, Jeannie told police all she could about Jamie's captor. His name is Jake Patterson. Do we know what type of vehicle or if he works anywhere? Does he work? after. where he went or what he does. He might come. Yep. So if the cops could get here soon, we would...

I have many deputies headed that way. I'm going to keep you on the line. Okay. Peter and Kristen's two young children were also home. They were telling us to get away from the windows and get the kids downstairs, so the kids were pretty freaked out.

20 minutes into that phone call, their fears were mounting. Are they close? We're nervous. They're close. Hang on a second. And then finally, 29 minutes into the call, they're in the house. The cops are in the house. Police arrived. Are they in there with you? Yes, they just came in. arrived. At long last, Jamie Closs was safe after the brutal murder of her parents, after 88 days in captivity, and after her incredible escape. There was at least for the moment relief. I didn't believe she was alive. I can't imagine the parent, I mean the parents aren't gone, but they still have family. But, I don't know.

It just gets to me when I talk about it. Sheriff's deputies secured Jamie and went looking for Patterson. And they found him, just 11 minutes later, driving around looking for Jamie. It was less than an hour since Jamie found Jeannie on that road. Honestly, I feel privileged that I had this little piece of, you know, the puzzle of finding Jamie, and I just happened to be a social worker.

I happened to be there at that time. Sounds like it was meant to be, Jeannie Netter. If Jamie hadn't escaped when she did, if she had not met Jeannie, things could have ended very differently. I think it was God. It was no doing of any man that did this. I mean, our neighbor was late doing things, walking her dog late.

I happened to be home. Everything happened. I mean, nobody could have planned this. It happened for a reason. Whatever happened that day, it started with Jamie. What 13-year-old has it in them to endure what she has and then find the courage and just to get out? For her Aunt Jennifer back at home,

those last hours waiting for Jamie were perhaps the longest. It's driving me crazy. I just got to see her. I just got to give her that hug. The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to

talk to the people who were there, and we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty, representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets,

the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop.

Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. I was crying and talking, and he's like, what is wrong?

I go, Jamie's found, Dad. She's found. She's safe. And he just started crying and crying. And he's just like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe it. This was the news they had all been waiting for those three long months. We spoke to some of Jamie Claus' family just days after her escape. It was the most amazing, fabulous thing. We spoke to some of Jamie Closs' family just days after her escape. It was the most amazing, fabulous thing in the world. Lynn Closs is Jamie's aunt.

We've all been wearing Jamie bracelets, you know, bring Jamie home. And we all took them off and threw them in the kitchen. It was like, you know, we've got her. We don't have to wear our bracelets. You just feel lighter. You just feel so unbelievable. So you get the news that everybody has been praying for, hoping for, longing for for the past 88 days.

Tell us how you each heard the news that she was okay. Dad had to call my neighbor, and she comes screaming in my door. Jamie's aunt, Sue Allard. I'll never, ever forget her screaming. Sue, Sue, they found Jamie. And her cousin, Lindsay Smith. And then my brother called me and he's just screaming on the phone. We have Jamie. We're getting Jamie home. And I burst into tears. I'm so excited. It's like you're covered in goosebumps. You're so excited. You can't breathe. You can't think. You can't. It's just incredible.

Jennifer Smith is not just Jamie's aunt. I was her daycare provider. That's why this has been so hard on me. I watched her every day for 12 years. Jennifer was living as they all were, with the unbearable mix of pain and hope ever since that terrible October night. My heart was shattered. Left a hole in her heart.

And we just wanted to find her. And I just had hope that she was alive out there somewhere and we'd get her home. You know, we went to day 88. And normally when these type of stories come, they do not have this ending. Please help us understand how you all, all of you say, we never gave up hope. Never. We had this little girl that we couldn't find.

We kind of said, okay, as horrible as that is, we got to put it here. And we got to find her. Jamie spent the first night after her escape in the hospital. The next day, Jennifer and her husband Bob could finally bring Jamie home. I get to reunite with her today. It's driving me crazy. I need to see her.

First inside the door waiting was Jamie's grandfather. Grandpa Rudd first. Yep, grandfather. Grandpa Rudd first. Yep, Grandpa. Grandpa Rudd was standing there at the end of the hallway crying before she even come in the door. But he got to be the first one to hug her, so. Her grandfather. It was just so good just to really see her, you know, and just to give her a hug. She had, you know, I said a couple things to her quietly, and she had a little giggle.

And, I mean, it's like you want to record it and take it with you. But even as their eyes filled with happy tears, there hung the shadow of their loss of Jamie's parents, Jim and Denise. Have you had time to grieve? No, no, all we've done is search for Jamie. My hope for Jamie is that she will recover and we'll get through this together. We will grieve together because we have not grieved as a family for my sister and brother-in-law. And we will grieve together for her mom and dad.

Jamie is Jim and Denise Kloss' only child. They were people of faith who worked side-by-side for 27 years at the Jenny O. Turkey plant here in Barron. And they doted on Jamie, known for her love of volleyball, ice skating, and her dog, Molly. Jamie was Jim and Denise's life. Oh, man. Everything they did, they worked for Jamie. Yep. For Jamie.

Jamie will now be living with her Uncle Bob and Aunt Jennifer. I will never take her mom's place. Her mom will always be her mom and I'll let her know that I will be her aunt but yet I'll be like a mom to her. The thing I wanted to express to her immediately and we all do is

the pride we have in her for doing this. For getting out. For making it. For the power that she has. You know, I mean that she took the power away from this man, that she did this. Are you all surprised by the strength? Because we keep hearing her described as shy and quiet. I am. I think there was the power of God behind it. All these people in this whole nation, the prayers that were said. She's a survivor, yes. She's our little survivor.

Now the long road of healing lies in front of this family and a set of hard truths they will have to face together. So there are many questions, and I know you want answers. Everybody wants answers. How will you go about getting the answers to all of the questions that so many people have and yourself included? In due time. We can't. We have to take little steps. Jimmy, when she's ready to talk she will. We ask her, can we hug you? We ask her, you know. We're just not going to take her and, you know, be gentle with her. One question her family could not help asking themselves since the day Jamie was taken was why.

Why this crime, this family, this child? Nothing made sense. It still doesn't. Yeah, it still doesn't make any sense. A lot of questions. Why? With Jamie's captor due in court, they were about to get some answers. When Jake Patterson was pulled over by police on January 10th, looking for Jamie in that red car, he told deputies he knew why they were stopping him, saying, quote, I did it.

We're still in the active stages of the investigation. We're still serving the search warrant. All right, please. Four days later, on Monday, January 14th, Patterson appeared in court by videophone to be charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. Mr. Wright, the state's recommendation regarding bail? The state is asking the court to set cash bail in the amount of $5 million.

By this time, Patterson had given a detailed confession. He was going to shoot anyone inside that home, including children, because he could not leave behind any eyewitnesses. Details that didn't help his defense. I will set bail at five million dollars. Back in Patterson's hometown of Gordon, Wisconsin, the community was in shock. You can't believe it. Your own neighbor, you know, doing something like that and here she's been in this house all this time, and we had no idea whatsoever.

Daphne Ronning lived next door to Jake Patterson, who is the youngest of three siblings. We see him all the time working in the yard, working on cars. They were typical teenagers, typical kids. When Patterson's parents divorced in 2008, he and his brother continued to live with their father in the family cabin. Eventually, he would live there alone. Over the past few years, Daphne saw less and less of Jake. I haven't seen him in quite a while. Kristen Kaczynskas, who made the 911 call after Jamie's escape, had been Patterson's middle school teacher.

This wasn't a kid that I ever would have thought would be involved in something like this. He graduated high school in 2015, voted the most quiet person in his class. In this photo, he sits removed from his classmates in a corner by himself. It is up to you! Yes, sir! After high school, Patterson enlisted in the Marine Corps, but he was dismissed after five weeks of basic training. He returned home to Wisconsin and had two very short-lived jobs. Wisconsin and had two very short-lived jobs. There were no other clues as to why he decided to commit these violent crimes.

Why? Why did Mr. Patterson pick Jamie? Why did he feel he had to kill her parents? Those are really key questions that we want to address during this investigation. After two months in the Barron County Jail, Patterson pleaded guilty to all charges. How do you plead guilty? Mr. Patterson, do you understand that by pleading guilty, you give up your right to a trial? Yes. Two weeks ago, on May 24th, Jamie Closs' friends and family packed the courtroom on the day of Jake Patterson's sentencing.

Waiting for answers and justice. Investigators learned Patterson had plans to kidnap multiple girls and kill multiple families. Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright explained how Patterson targeted Jamie. He had been thinking about kidnapping a girl for several months and was just waiting for the right opportunity. In early October 2018, the defendant got a job working at Saputo Cheese. As he was driving to work on the morning of his first day, he saw Jamie getting on the school bus that stopped in front of the Kloss home. His thoughts immediately turned to how he could kidnap her. Patterson made elaborate plans to take her and avoid detection.

He prepared himself to try to beat the forensics of law enforcement. Things like he cut his hair off so that he wouldn't leave trace evidence of his hair. That night he wore steel-toed boots, a black ski mask, two pairs of gloves. He brought with him a knife, black gorilla tape, a flashlight, and his father's 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun that was later recovered from the defendant's residence in Gordon. Attorney Wright told the court what Jamie endured for almost three months of captivity. Jamie went

into survival mode. He kept her in constant fear by yelling at her and threatening her. He physically hit her with a curtain rod. Exhibit 7, Your Honor, shows where the defendant confined Jamie for 88 days. This was her prison. No bathroom breaks, no movement, no sound out of her for up to 12 hours at a time. Those were the defendant's rules. Rules she better follow or something really bad would happen to her. Patterson also addressed the court. I would do, like, absolutely anything to take back what I did, you know.

I'm just so sorry. The prosecutor wasn't buying it. He's not sorry for kidnapping Jamie and murdering her parents. He's sorry that he got caught. But the most powerful statement came from Jamie herself, read by her court-appointed lawyer, Chris Gramstrup. Judge, this is the statement of Jamie Closs. Okay. Last October, Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me.

But there are some things that Jake Patterson can never take from me. He can't take my freedom. He thought that he could own me, but he was wrong. I was smarter. I watched his routine, and I took back my freedom. He thought that he could make me like him, but he was wrong. Jake Patterson will never have any power over me. I feel like I have some power over him, because I get to tell the judge what I think should happen to him. For 88 days, he tried to steal me, and he didn't care who he hurt or who he killed to do that.

He should stay locked up forever. Thank you. The judge had the last word. Not only were you a danger to the Kloss family, you are an extreme danger to the public in general. He sentenced Patterson to two consecutive life sentences for the two murders and 40 more years for kidnapping. District Attorney Brian Wright. I hope the result in this case will give Jamie some measure of comfort in knowing that Mr. Patterson will never terrorize her again. On behalf of Jamie, I would like to thank everyone involved in helping us through this very difficult time. Today was a very important step in the process of helping Jamie to move forward. Jamie will very likely have more to say in the future, but we are grateful for you allowing her to do that on her own

terms. Thank you to that 13 year old girl, Jamie, who led us with her strength and the will to not give up. Your smile is now contagious across the world. When we were confirmed it was her, you know, my legs started to shake, man. It was awesome. When the news first spread that Jamie Closs was alive and safe. 88 days of holding on to the faith that our authorities would never give up, and they certainly did not. Thoughts turned to another celebrated case.

When we hear that, you know, a Jamie has been found, how wonderful. What another miracle. Ed Smart knows the anguish of waiting for a child to come home. You know, night after night, you just want to wake up, and this is a bad dream, and it's going away. It was 2002 when Ed's 14-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Smart, was snatched from her Utah bedroom. It was one of the most publicized and memorable child abductions. We have not given up on you, Elizabeth. We're going to find you. It took nine months of searching and sorrow before the Smart family could celebrate Elizabeth's safe return. They took me to this room, and when they opened the door and she was there,

I just, I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it. Elizabeth had been abducted by this man, Brian David Mitchell, whom the Smarts briefly hired to do work in their home. Mitchell and his wife held Elizabeth captive, hiding and disguised. Mitchell is now serving a life sentence. His wife was released after 15 years. Today, Elizabeth Smart is 31. She has three children, is a network news commentator, and has authored two books. These stories are indelible, and while rare, still too frequent for those involved. There was the case of John Paul Getty III, the grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty,

who was kidnapped in 1973 at the age of 16. The story was told in the movie All the Money in the World. If I start paying ransoms, I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren. Held by the mafia in Italy, his ear was chopped off. Eventually, a ransom was paid, and he was released five months later. Mom, Dad, I'm okay. I just hope that you'll do what they say, Dad, and just do it quickly. I just hope that you'll do what they say, Dad, and just do it quickly. In 1974, 19-year-old newspaper heir Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the California radical terrorist group the Symbionese Liberation Army.

I have chosen to stay and fight. A year and a half later, after being involved in a bank robbery, she was found during an FBI raid. Hurst served a two-year prison sentence as questions swirled about whether she had willingly committed violent acts. I'm a soldier in the People's Army. Or was brainwashed. I think about, you know, what it was that I had to do in order to survive. It's amazing what people can do to you. Today, she's a philanthropist, mother, and grandmother.

Another missing child made news in 1991. Eleven-year-old J.C. Dugard was abducted on her way to school in California. She was hidden for nearly two decades by a couple, Philip and Nancy Garrido. Philip Garrido was a registered sex offender. Jacey lived behind a series of fences and tents, even giving birth to two children fathered by her abductor in this ramshackle backyard compound. Dugard was found when she was 29, when a campus police officer noticed Garrido acting strangely. She now heads a foundation for families in trauma. When Jamie Closs escaped, Jacey sent her a message, writing,

The road ahead will have many ups and downs. Allow yourself to grieve and move forward. October 6, 2002 was a Sunday. It was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Sean was bored and asked if he could go out to play. He wanted to ride his bike to his friend's house, something that we had let him do, you know, hundreds, maybe thousands of times before.

To me, he was just my sweet little boy. The parents of Sean Hornbeck also know the pain of waiting after a child goes missing. Sean was 11 when he vanished in Missouri in 2002. It would take four and a half years before Sean's parents learned what happened. I didn't really know it was behind me. Next thing you know, I was in the ditch.

That's when he picked me up, tied my hands behind my back and put me in the truck. He had the gun. He had the power. He had the gun. He had the power. A random stranger, a child predator named Mike Devlin, abducted Sean. The thing that sticks out the most is he said he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sean's nightmare came to an end when Devlin kidnapped another boy, this time from a school bus stop. A witness helped law enforcement track down the vehicle Devlin drove, which led them to find both boys at Devlin's apartment. And then, the parents who didn't know if they'd ever see their son again,

laid eyes on Sean. And it was just the most wonderful feeling that you could have. And then it was like the waterworks were just on. There was no off button on it. It's like a water main broke. Since then, Sean has mostly stayed out of the spotlight. He was last reported to be working in a factory with hopes of obtaining a college degree in criminal law. Of course, it's too soon to know how Jamie Kloss will now move on. Unlike these other cases, her parents weren't there to welcome her home. I think it's going to be hard not having her parents there, but making the connections

she can and finding the love and support from the community. And the town of Barron has been giving Jamie exactly that. is small and tight-knit. They never gave up on Jamie Claus. And now that she's safely home, they're still coming together to show their support. This community just, if it wasn't close before, it is now. My heart is just in a new place. Last month, the town held a fundraiser for Jamie and her family in the high school gym.

We're at a beautiful benefit for the Kloss family. School superintendent Diane Tremblay. Just a lot of beauty and love wrapped around this event. People's true colors show in these times. A lot of love in this town? A lot of love in this town. The town of Barron showed the world the true meaning of community. Starting the day Jamie disappeared.

Day one. The town was left reeling in shock and horror. I've been doing this for over 20 years and it's a crime scene like you rarely see. It's going to take a toll on our people. Law enforcement launched a massive search. We all have the same goal in mind, and that is to bring Jamie home. The entire community joined in prayer and hope. We will overcome. The world began to learn a little bit about the eighth grader who disappeared without a trace.

Jamie wrote on one of her assignments. In response to the question, what would you do if you were given a million dollars? She said, feed the hungry and give the rest to the poor. Time was of the essence. Every second counts in this case. More than 100 officers combed through neighborhoods and searched for clues. Over 200 tips came flooding in. Jamie's Amber Alert webpage got 30,000 hits and friends like Melissa Salmonson organized a prayer vigil.

Everyone's feeling very helpless right now and being able to pray together and just feel like maybe those prayers are helping in some way. those prayers are helping in some way. Four days in, the sheriff asked for 100 volunteers to search the area. 300 people showed up. If you find something of interest, let your team leader know. The sheriff called upon more citizens to join in the investigation.

We are asking for about 2,000 volunteers to walk specific areas in or around the crime scene to help with our investigation. They came in droves. They swarmed the area in line formation, through the woods, across the streams, and into the cornfields. I believe she's still alive. I believe she's still out there. And the hope is what we're riding on, and that's what we're going to go with. But in the middle of all this hope came a solemn reminder of what was lost.

of all this hope came a solemn reminder of what was lost. Two people who were deeply loved. Jim and Denise, Jamie's parents. Why? Why? They're normal people. They go to work, they go home. They're about their families. As time passed, the leads dried up and the cold reality set in. Investigators who had set up shop in the command center started leaving town. You know, we were averaging sometimes between 100 to 250 a day. Now we're down to that 25-ish range. So we need to scale back the operation itself.

Life, for the most part, went back to normal. But the people of Barron never forgot Jamie Closs. On Day 77, people of all ages and walks of life called upon the spirit of Christmas to bring Jamie home. The sport's been overwhelming. Jamie's uncle, Mike Kloss, addressed the crowd. Our families, like you, we just want Jamie home. That wish came true.

That was a pretty great hug. When he got to tell the aunt, she's coming home. My phone does not stop ringing. If it's not somebody calling me, it's somebody sending me a message. All good things, but everybody's just so happy and excited that she's been found. She's got a whole huge family out there besides us. She's loved by everybody. What's your message, the best thing that we can all do to help Jamie, to help this family at this time?

Keep her in your prayers because she's got a long road. You know, she's got a lot of stuff to deal with. Patience, love, and keeping her, making sure she's feeling safe. Yeah, and kindness. Just be kind. Don't be nosy. Just be kind. Jamie's powerful statement, read by her lawyer at the sentencing, shows she is taking back her life. Jake Patterson can never take away my courage. I was brave, and he was not.

He can never take away my spirit. He can't stop me from being happy and moving forward with my life. I will go on to do great things in my life, and he will not. Friends say Jamie is doing very well since coming home. She is seeing family and friends and has started therapy. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.