Jayme Closs is 'doing good' 2 years after escaping kidnapping by a man who killed her parents, her aunt says

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Jayme Closs is 'doing good' 2 years after escaping kidnapping by a man who killed her parents, her aunt says
Jayme Closs, 13, was reported missing in October 2019 when her parents were found dead in the family's Wisconsin home. She escaped captivity 88 days later.Barron County Sheriff's Department/Facebook
  • Jayme Closs, who escaped an abductor who killed her parents and held her hostage for 88 days, is "doing good," two years after the ordeal, her aunt said in a statement to NBC News.
  • "She is enjoying dance, school activities, and many other things as much as is possible in regards to now dealing with the COVID restrictions. She is surrounded by lots of loved ones," her aunt said.
  • Closs was abducted from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, in October 2019 by Jake Patterson, who is now serving life in prison for his crimes.
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Jayme Closs is "doing good," two years after escaping an abductor who killed her parents and held her hostage for nearly three months, her aunt said in a new statement.

Closs' aunt and guardian, Jennifer Naiberg Smith, gave an update on the 15-year-old's life in a statement to NBC News on Monday.

"Jayme is doing good," she said. "She is enjoying dance, school activities and many other things as much as is possible in regards to now dealing with the COVID restrictions. She is surrounded by lots of loved ones."

Closs was 13 years old when she escaped the home of Jake Patterson in Gordon, Wisconsin, on January 10, 2019.

Patterson, who's serving life in prison for his crimes, had kidnapped Closs from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, on October 15, 2018.

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He then then held Closs hostage for 88 days, during which she was forced to live under his bed and was barricaded in the home by storage boxes and weights.

Closs was eventually able to escape the home while Patterson was out, and ran into a neighbor who was walking her dog.

The neighbor, Jeanne Nutter, brought Closs to the home of Kristin and Peter Kasinskas and called 911.

In the aftermath, Patterson told investigators that he had no connection to the Closs family, but saw Closs boarding her school bus and deciding to kidnap her.

Investigators later said Patterson killed Closs' parents, James and Denise, to get to the teen, and had thoroughly planned for the kidnapping.

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In Naiberg Smith's statement to NBC News, she thanked Nutter and the Kasinskas family for their help in rescuing Closs.

"We are very thankful for everything that happened on this day two years ago; for Jayme's bravery and for Jeanne, Peter and Kristen for all being in the right place, at the right time and keeping Jayme safe," she said. "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."

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