What we can learn from the Jayme Closs case.

Frank speaking to a full house at the Rockford library on The I-94 Murders. Frank answering forensic questions to a great large group at the Paynesville library. Jake Patterson had gone to the Closs home twice before following through with murder and abduction.  The third time, at 1:00 a.m., Jayme noticed the car in the driveway and told her father.  Her father, James Patterson, confronted him.  Jake blasted him with a shotgun.  Jayme's mom Denise took Jayme and hid with her in the shower.  Denise had grabbed her phone and dialed “911."  Patterson found them and ordered Denise to duct tape Jayme, but when she fumbled with the tape, he did it himself.  Patterson then shot Denise and dragged Jayme to his trunk.
 
Missed opportunity:  As Jake Patterson was leaving the Closs home, with Jayme bound and gagged in the trunk, he met 3 squad cars with the lights on.  Patterson pulled over and watched them drive on.  The officers noted the car was an old red Taurus.  It was the only car the officers met on their way to the Closs home.  Jake Patterson was still driving the same red Taurus when he was arrested 88 days later.
 
While officers were doing their best to get to the crime scene, maybe protocol needs to be changed so some officers search cars leaving the area.  It’s important that we get the names of people leaving a crime scene.  Serial killer Ted Bundy acknowledged (after he was finally caught) that he was once pulled over leaving a murder scene, but they didn’t take his name.
 
For me it’s not about criticizing what happened.  It’s about handling the next situation better.  1500 children are abducted every year in the U.S., with most being girls between the ages of 12-17.  We need to get better at rescuing these girls.
 
Jake Patterson stated he only knew Jayme by watching her get off a school bus when he was driving to work (where he worked 2 days).  I believe he may have first seen her this way.  From completing thousands of interviews with sex offenders, I don’t believe it was just that simple.  It could be—but I doubt it.  When an offender’s caught they give you some truth, and as the interviews progress over the course of time you get more and more information.  At the present time, Patterson is likely trying to minimize the information he reveals regarding premeditation, knowing it effects how he is charged, so the total story is likely yet to come.
 
Complaint:  Why the hell is Jake Patterson granted bail?  They set the bail at $5 million, assuming he will never come up with this.  The truth is you only have to pay 10% of the bail to be released.  So if some crazy person puts up ½ a million, he could be released.  I realize it’s not going to happen, but it seems that a man who will kill 2 strangers so he can kidnap and rape their 13-year-old daughter shouldn’t be granted bail, no matter how much we set it at.  This is a sticking point for me as I’ve seen it go bad.

​Below is a gravestone in Grey Eagle, Minnesota. In 1996, Robert Juetten was incarcerated in Little Falls, Minnesota, after brutally assaulting his wife, 19-year-old Tabitha Lila Opsal-Juetten.  Bail was set high, thinking he wouldn’t be able to come up with the money.  A family member remortgaged their house and came up with the bail money.  On May 20, 1996, Robert Juetten found his wife Tabitha Lila Opsal-Juetten and held her hostage, along with Robert Eugene Selbitschka and a 16-month-old child. Selbitschka and the child were released, although Selbitschka had been stabbed by Robert Juetten in the leg. Jeutten repeatedly raped Tabitha and stabbed her before officers forcibly entered to remove her, and arrest Juetten. Tabitha died at the hospital. Juetten was charged with one count of second degree murder, one count of second degree murder of an unborn child, one count of second degree attempted murder, one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first degree assault. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Tabitha and her unborn child.  I think if we believe someone’s a risk, we should simply say “no bail.” Jayme Closs smiles with the family pets at her aunt's home Saturday, two days after escaping from a cabin in Gordon in Douglas County. Authorities say Jayme was kidnapped 88 days ago when her parents were murdered in her Barron home. (Photo: Jennifer Smith) Refocus:  Jayme Closs is alive and that’s a plus!  When people comment, “They may be better off dead,” it’s not true.  Believe me, I’ve counseled people who have been through horrible trauma and they are damn glad to be alive.  Kudos to the people who helped her, and the officers who made a quick arrest of Jake Patterson after.  It’s easy to criticize after the fact.  I am sharing as I want us to keep learning and handle these situations better in the future.
 
I had the opportunity address numerous forensic questions at both Rockford and Paynesville Public libraries in the last few days.  Great questions and amazing people!  Thank you!  I enjoy discussing how we can perform forensic work better, and I am blessed over the excitement and popularity of my latest mystery, The I-94 Murders .
 
Thanks for listening,
 
 
Frank