Jayme Closs' Aunt: 'We Are Family Strong And We Love This Little Girl So Much'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- More photos of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, with her aunt Jennifer Smith and her dog Molly, were shared on social media Saturday morning.
Twenty-year-old Jake Patterson is accused of kidnapping Jayme on Oct. 15, 2018, after killing her parents -- James and Denise -- in their Barron, Wisconsin home.
Authorities say if it wasn't for Jayme's act of courage on Thursday, she would still be missing. Now the investigation into the murder of her parents and her kidnapping continues.
Two bridges in Minneapolis -- the Lowry and 35-W-St. Anthony Falls bridges -- were lit up blue and green overnight marking the return of Jayme. It's the same colors the community of Barron used to decorate a tree of hope over the holidays for Jayme.
The 13-year-old was missing for 88 days before escaping a cabin Thursday in Gordon, Wisconsin, about an hour north of her hometown.
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Earlier Saturday morning, her aunt made a post on the "Healing For Jayme Closs" Facebook page, saying, "Jayme had a pretty good night sleep, it was great to know she was next to me all night."
On Saturday, the cabin where Jayme was held and escaped from, and the road leading up to it, continues to be blocked off by Wisconsin state troopers. They will keep the road closed while local, state and federal authorities continue to process the scene.
Jayme, wearing only a sweatshirt and ill-fitting shoes, ran into the arms of Jeanne Nutter Thursday, who was walking her dog. Nutter took Jayme to her neighbors, Peter and Christine Kasinskas, to call for help. Peter told WCCO-TV that they knew exactly who Jayme was when she was standing in her kitchen. Jayme told them Patterson killed her parents, kidnapped her and held her against her will for 88 days in a Douglas cabin that had been owned by his father.
"She had said when [Patterson] would have friends or people over, he would hide her somewhere so they didn't know she was there," Peter said.
RELATED: 'My Jaw About Hit The Floor': Neighbors Dialed 911 After Finding Jayme Closs At Their Door
Patterson was found minutes after police were notified that Jayme was safe. They found him driving around the area of Gordon, and they believe he was looking for Jayme after realizing she had escaped.
Authorities are saying Patterson had no social media contact with Jayme before the kidnapping, and did not know her parents before he murdered them. There are still a lot of questions, but there is now a big sigh of relief coming from law enforcement, as well as her friends and family.
A PO box has also been created by the "Healing For Jayme Closs" group for the public to send cards, gifts and well-wishes to Jayme Closs and her family.
Send, attention to:
PO Box 539
Rice Lake, WI 54868