Jayme Closs Says She’s ‘Hanging Out With Friends’ and Doing ‘Activities’ 1 Year After Kidnapping
Adjusting to her new normal. It’s been one year since Jayme Closs was kidnapped at 13-years-old after Jake Patterson murdered her parents. Today, the brave young lady, 14, says she is feeling more empowered each and every day.
“I really want to thank everyone for all the kindness and concern that people all over the country have shown me,” Closs said in a statement to ABC News. “I am very happy to be home and getting back to the activities that I enjoy. I love hanging out with all of my friends, and I feel stronger every day!”
Patterson, 22, pleaded guilty to killing James and Denise Closs back in March, in addition to kidnapping the teen. Closs was found after 87 days, 70 miles from her home in Wisconsin.
Since being found in January, Closs has been living with her aunt Jennifer Smith. “Jennifer’s over-the-moon happy, very happy to be with Jayme. She’s an extremely strong woman. She never lost hope in finding her,” Michelle Saffert, close family friend, told In Touch exclusively.
“The community has really pulled together just to bring hope to each other, but I don’t think anybody’s trying to see Jayme at this point. Everybody’s allowing her to do whatever it is she needs to do. And the family will reach out when they’re ready and they need to,” Saffert said at the time. Although Closs said in her recent statement that she is starting to see old friends again, she was not ready to see her captor in the flesh at his sentencing back in March.
On the day Closs escape captivity, she flagged down a dog walker who called 911. “It was a split-second decision,” a source close to the investigation told Radar Online. “It was live or die. Jayme found an opportunity to escape captivity and she did.”
During the 87 days Closs was missing, she endured the unimaginable. “The things Jayme went through are so disturbing, so demented and sickening that the most twisted horror director couldn’t recreate it,” the source added.
What’s worse, the man behind the horrific crime seemed to have enjoyed his time with Closs. “It’s weird. I went from never committing a crime or really doing anything bad to doing the worst thing a human can do,” Patterson reportedly wrote to a friend from prison in a letter obtained by Radar Online. “Just one big f–k up haha.” Giving insight into Closs’ routine, he wrote, “Me and Jayme cooked a bunch of stuff. Cooking is another thing I like doing a lot.” After such a horrible series of events, we are happy to hear Closs is on her way to recovery.
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