Hormel Foods and its subsidiary Jennie-O Turkey Store said they will donate $25,000 to Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old girl who was recently found after being kidnapped last October following a shooting that left both her parents dead.
Closs’ parents, James and Denise Closs, were both longtime employees of the Jennie-O Turkey hatchery and processing plant in Barron, Wisconsin. After Closs went missing, Hormel foods offered a $25,000 reward for any information that might lead to her recovery.
Jayme Closs escaped from her kidnapper earlier this month. Photo: Barron Country Sheriff’s Dept.
“While we are still mourning the loss of longtime family members Jim and Denise, we are so thankful for Jayme’s brave escape and that she is back in Barron,” said Steve Lykken, the president of Jennie-O. “The company has expressed its wishes to donate the $25,000 to Jayme. Our hope is that a trust fund can be used for Jayme’s needs today and in the future.”
Closs was found alive January 10th in Gordon, Wisconsin, which is about 70 miles north of where she’d been last seen. Closs reportedly managed to escape from the house where she was being held and sought help from the first person she encountered.
Soon after, Closs provided authorities with information about her captor, leading to the arrest of 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson. Patterson has since been charged with kidnapping and murder.
