Jayme Closs was abducted from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, after her parents' murder on October 15th, 2018.
She was found alive almost three months later, on January 10, 2019.
Jake Thomas Patterson is suspected of Jayme's kidnapping and her parents' murder. He was taken into custody shortly after she was found.
Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec described Jayme's escape to KARE11:
"...shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday a resident of the Town of Gordon was out walking her dog when a thin, disheveled girl approached and said she was Jayme Closs. That woman hustled Jayme to the door of a nearby home and told the resident to call 911."
Closs has a long road of healing ahead of her, after the dual traumas of losing her parents and being abducted. Child safety activist Elizabeth Smart, who was also kidnapped as a teen, had some words of comfort and encouragement for Jayme.
Smart praised Closs for her bravery and will to survive in an Instagram post, saying:
"What a brave, strong, and powerful survivor!!!! No matter what may unfold in her story let's all try to remember that this young woman has SURVIVED and whatever other details may surface the most important will still remain that she is alive."
Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, who was investigating Closs' disappearance, said that he kept the case of Smart's kidnapping in 2002 in mind during his investigation. He says he had a gut feeling that Closs would be found alive as well.
Jayme has been reunited with her aunt, Jennifer Smith, who will become her legal guardian. Smith kept hoping her niece would be found. In an interview with CBS that was part of a 48 Hours special Smith said:
"I knew she was close and I never gave up that hope."
Many people expressed similar statements on social media, happy that Jayme was found alive and reunited with her family.
Others wanted to emphasize Jayme's part in her own survival.
Her strength and resilience should not be overlooked.
It is also important to remember to give Jayme and her family space and time to grieve and process what happened.
Jayme Closs is a strong, resilient young woman, and she will get through this with help from her family and respect and encouragement from everyone else.
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