>> alex perez again tonight. thank you, alex. >>> we're going to turn now to the dangerous series of storms on the move tonight. two systems headed for the east with snow and dangerous driving, after slamming the west already and into tonight, as well. heavy snow trapping drivers for hours on interstate 5. this is north of los angeles. rain causing dangerous mudslides, forcing evacuations in encino, california. let's get right to meteorologist rob marciano with the new track of all of this tonight. rob? >> reporter: hi, david. these are two dynamic storms that are going to power through the rockies. look at the map of california tonight. just lit up with advisories. high wind and blizzard warnings just added to no-cal. so-cal dealing with tonight's storm, but tomorrow's going to be bigger and broader, the entire west coast. 60-plus-mile-per-hour winds in the bay area. maybe over 100 in the mountains. tonight's storm, by thursday night, gets to the east coast with a wintry mix and then over the weekend, the bigger,

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> i am thinking about all those working outside, alex perez, our crewlk out there that is supposed to work outside during these frigid temperatures, please be careful. >> absolutely. bundle up. i won't call you folk, but any people who are out there in the bone chilling -- who says folk? is that what they say in south carolina? >> i don't think she knows there are other people from other parts of the country that work here or watch us. >> folk. stay warm, guys. >>> let's get more on the forecast. >> paul williams has the latest. paul, good morning. >> good morning, janai and kenneth. this front continues to push its arctic muscle right over the entire east coast and putting everybody into a situation where record challenging cold throughout the night will affect so many people in the midwest and east coat. we are looking at 40 to 50 below as the real feel for us. from chicago, milwaukee toward detroit, feeling like 40 below throughout a good portion of the ohio valley region and the northeast and challenging record lows, minneapolis, international falls

he's facing murder and kidnapping charges. >> alex perez on this story. alex, thank you. >>> moving now on to that bombshell report in "the new york times." about the fbi and president trump. "the new york times" reporting that the fbi launched a secret counterintelligence investigation into the president after he fired fbi director james comey. the goal -- to determine whether the president of the united states was a national security threat working for the russians. tonight, president trump is responding, blasting comey and the fbi, and tying the report to what he calls the russia investigation witch hunt. here's abc's white house correspondent tara palmeri. >> reporter: tonight, a bombshell report in "the new york times," claiming the fbi opened a secret investigation into whether the president was working on behalf of russia when he fired fbi director james comey. comey had been investigating whether trump's campaign had h 6 according to the paper, the fbi became suspicious after these comments directly following the firing. >> when i decided to just d

>> alex perez on the story from the get go. alex, thank you. >>> now to the police tragedy in birmingham, alabama. a sergeant killed, an officer critically wounded during a shooting outside of a night club. the officers saluting the procession carrying the body of sergeant carter, a husband and father. police say they were investigating a rash of car break-ins, catching two suspects in the act and one opened fire. here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: tonight, birmingham police reeling from a shootout that took an officer's life. >> medical aid on a gunshot wound reportedly involving police officers. scene secure. >> reporter: sergeant wytasha carter and another officer were investigating a burglary around 2:00 a.m. when they approached two suspects at a vehicle. >> the officers approached one suspect. he armed himself and fired upon our officers. >> reporter: both officers and a suspect hit in an exchange of bullets. 44-year-old sergeant carter died at the hospital. police still looking into the possibility of a third suspe

>> alex perez tonight leading us off. a horrific case. alex, thank you. >>> we also have new details coming in right now after a dramatic hostage standoff at a u.p.s. building in logan township, new jersey. a gunman storming the facility, holding two women at gunpoint. police swarming the scene. three hours into the standoff, gunfire suddenly erupting as officers moved in. and tonight, what we've just learned just now about the gunman. abc's gio benitez is on the scene. >> reporter: tonight, a dramatic standoff in southern new jersey. a gunman taking two female employees hostage at a u.p.s. facility. >> possible active shooter situation. >> reporter: police helicopters, armored trucks and ambulances racing to the scene in a massive show of force. witnesses describing the chaos, hearing rounds of gunfire outside. >> shots. >> everybody was scared and crying and, like, shoving each other and some people that were falling, you know, trying to get out of the building and evacuate the building. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows heavily-a

abc's alex perez reports. >> mr. patterson, you are charged in count one. >> reporter: outfitted in an orange prison jumpsuit and glasses, 21-year-old jake patterson stared straight ahead as the charges against him were read. the man accused of kidnapping jayme closs and murdering her parents did not enter a plea. >> the prosecution team that you see assembled here today wants justice for james and denise closs and for jayme closs. >> reporter: according to the criminal complaint, the 21-year-old told police one day on his way to work he saw jayme ther hid in the bus outside her orbaitthtub. patterson alledly telling police he shot j f'smer heat through the door then broke into wreayme mom jae to pole paro her mom hang up with 911 then shot her in the head. prosecutors say patterson duct taped jayme's hands and ankles and dragged her to the trunk of his car. for 88 days police believe she was held captive inside patterson's home. this image showing the inside of his rural cabin. jayme finally making her escape on thu

here is abc's alex perez. >> reporter: an explosion of chilling headlines today detailing the brutal3-year-old jayme closs. spotted at her school bus stop. mom made to tape her mouth shut. her parents murdered in cold blood. crawled out of captivity after months of alleged abuse. >> he found her all on his own, seemingly randomly. that's very scary. >> mr. patterson, is your name, address, and date of birth correct on the complaint? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: the first glimpse of the man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old jayme closs since the wisconsin teen escaped a harrowing 88 days in captivity. 21-year-old jake thomas patterson appeared via video link before a judge today and was formally charged with two counts of intentional homicide, one count of kidnapping, and one count of armed burglary. >> i will set bail at $5 million. >> reporter: prosecutors today releasing a criminal complaint containing patterson's alleged confession, laying out what they say are the details into the planning of jayme's kidnapping, the murder of her parents, and how patterson hid and terrorized the tee

alex perez has the latest. >> reporter: 21-year-old murder and kidnapping suspect jake patterson set in court today as investigators work to figure out what happened to jayme closs during those terrifying 88 days she was held captive. the teen reunited with her family on friday, one day after escaping this isolated home in gordon, wisconsin. >> i was the first one she gave a hug to. tears in my eyes. so happy for joy to see her. >> reporter: now home with her family, jayme's long road to recovery begins. >> my biggest concern is, she was real close to her mother. you can tell she's not quite the same. >> reporter: suspect jake patterson's motive remains a mystery. police allege the unemployed 21-year-old kicked down the clo closs' front door last october and killed her parents so he could take jayme. >> i can't discuss my specific conversations with him. >> reporter: his attorneys saying mr. patterson's legal team will rely on the integrity of the judicial system to ensure everyone's rights are protected and respected. >> it's too early for us to determine what our defense is. we hav

>> alex perez tonight. thank you. >>> there is new reporting after the deadly avalanche in new mexico. the news broke just as we came on here last night. those two skiers buried under the snow? taos and a desperate scramble to get them out. we now learned one of those skiers, a young man from boston, has died. the urgent effort to perform cpr. here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: this is the moment rescuers desperately performed cpr, trying to save a life. >> they're trying to get this guy to breathe. >> reporter: fellow skiers and first responders raced into action after the avalanche hit, burying matthew zonghetti and another man. it took an agonizing 22 minutes to dig them free. >> i actually watched a guy get buried in the avalanche. >> reporter: zonghetti, 26 years old, did not survive. he was on a ski trip with his dad. >> my husband went down one trail, and matt went down the other trail. and they were gonna meet at the bottom, but matt didn't show up. >> reporter: the ski resort in taos, new mexico

>> alex perez tonight. alex, thank you. >>> we're going to turn now to the teacher charged with assault after surveillance showing her dragging a 9-year-old boy with autism through the halls of the school. tonight, that teacher in kentucky facing possible charges. and here's abc's steve osunsami now. >> reporter: the elementary school teacher from eastern kentucky seen in this security camera video dragging a child with special needs up and down a hallway will appear in court tomorrow. >> you want to walk? >> no. >> get up. >> no. >> get up. >> no. i'm not leaving here. >> reporter: police have charged trina abrams with assault in the fourth degree. her former student, 9-year-old alan jackson, was diagnosed with autism and doesn't speak very well. when his mother saw this, she says it broke her heart. >> i saw all of his new classmates and his friends along the wall, watching him being dragged down the hallway. >> reporter: she posted the video on her facebook page looking for justice. >> i feel like i need

all right, alex perez leading us off tonight. thank you. as i mentioned, these temperatures sweep in and they last for some time. let's get right to sam champion, tracking it all for us tonight. hey, sam. >> reporter: hey, good evening, david. and yeah, you're right. we've got about three days below this arctic blast. but let'e wppg this front. the front drops all the way in the deep south. you've seen the great lakes. now look at the south. we've got a good, solid hit of snow, and that's why states, southern states like alabama, have issued a state of emergency. there's a freezing mix and sno land. when that snow, that one to three moves into the mid-atlantic or the northeast, that's not so much a problem. the problem is the brutal cold that comes in behind it, and those numbers you've been talking about. 41 below, 50 below. those are the wind chills. david, i got to tell you this. thursday morning, the real temperature in chicago will be close, within two degrees, of their coldest temperature ever that's actually the coldest day for the n

>> alex perez leading us off on a friday night. thank you. >>> we are also following another story before we came on the air. images coming in from a school shooting, a middle school. authorities say gunfire erupting during a custody dispute. the suspect allegedly pulling his gun as officers were trying to escort him from the school. there was a lockdown and children in classrooms. will carr has the images tonight. >> reporter: tonight, terror ripping through a middle school in eugene, oregon. >> we got a report of a dispute here at the school. officers arrived and we were dealing with the subject. >> reporter: cascade middle school students on lockdown for hours after authorities say a custody dispute led to a man pulling a gun while he was being escorted by police out of the school. >> the suspect has been shot. >> reporter: with frantic parents lined up outside. >> scary, it's the real thing. i'm still nervous even though my daughter is okay. it's just really scary. >> reporter: students eventually allowed to leave through the b

abc news reporter alex perez says investigators still do don't have an answers. >> reporter: a first look at jayme closs's return home. a posing with her dogs. a beaming smile. love her so much reads another post with her aunt. >> we said we'd never give up and now we got her. >> reporter: and new details that brave young girl's harrowing escape after 88 days in captivity at this isolated home in wisconsin. the alleged captor jake patterson left the house before she took off rubbing into the jamie nutter who was out walking her dog. >> crying and said "i need help. i don't know where i am. i'm lost. please help me". >> reporter: investigators say the 21-year-old is unemployed and has no criminal record. patterson killed her parents last december and then kidnapped the girl. >> saved his head. so there was no hair left behind. he tried cover up his forensic footprint by concealing things on his body. >> reporter: but the motive, a puzzling mystery. why do we think this suspect target targeted jayme and her family? >> the why is the big question. i just know that jayme was the target o

patterson's legal team will be rights are protected. >> that was alex perez reporting. they say paterson is the only sus sfekt in the case. >>> investigators in indiaonesi crashed moments after take off. they say human remains were found at the end of jaf va sea. lion aircraft 610 crashed in october. all 189 people on board died. the boeing 737 was returning to jakarta after pilots asked to make an emergency landing. tws a brands new jet liner. >>> massive teacher strike tomorrow in los angeles is looking more likely after failed negotiations. the teachers union rejected new offer friday from the l.a. unified school district trikt after hours of talks. united teachers los angeles called the proposal, quote, woefully inadequate. no new talks were scheduled. pick kits start at 7:00 tomorrow morning. teachers are arguing for a raise and smaller class sizes. >>> now our local teachers face many challenges right now. and as part of our commitment to building a better bay area, we are taking a closer look. sky rocketing housing prices. health care costs. student loans. and mo

abc news reporter alex perez has details. >> in the gma first look, 21-year-old murder a pattern t to today as investigators work to figure out what happened to jayme closs during the 88 days she was held captive. the teen reunited with her family friday one day after escaping from this isolated home. >> jayme was the target of mr. patterson. he had no contact with the family that we've been able to uncover at this time. >> patterson's attorney telling abc news in part, this is a very tragic situation. mr. patterson's legal team will be relying on the integrity of our judicial system to ensure that everyone's rights are protected and respected. now home with her family, jayme's long road to recovery begins. coming up, we'll talk live with anothe elizabeth smart. with your gma first look, i'm alex perez, barron, wisconsin. >>> never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. i'll show you where there's possible sprinkles. around half moon bay. across san mateo to hayward. 580 to livermore, even the dumbarton bridge. they're just sprinkles right now. in san rafael, pre

alex perez is in wisconsin with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning. authorities are working to see what the suspect's motive may have been. this community, taking a moment to celebrate jayme and her courage. this morning, a loving community celebrating the homecoming of 13-year-old jayme closs. >> bringing jayme home was the greatest feeling i've ever had. >> i wanted to come back to church last night and ring the bells but i didn't do that. >> reporter: jayme seen posing here with her dog and smiling with family. one post showing jayme and her cousin reads, my heart. and another from her aunt that says, love her so much. >> the support from the community and so many people not giving up hope on her, i'll never forget that from everybody. i thank them from the bottom of my heart. >> reporter: also, new details about the brave young girl's harrowing escape after 88 days in captivity. authorities are searching this isolated home in gordon, wisconsin. they say jayme's alleged captor, jake patterson, had left the house before she took off. one of patterso

abc news reporter alex perez has more. >> reporter: in first look, patterson stared straight ahead as charges were read. the man accused of murdering her parents and kidnapping jayme closs did not enter a plea. newly released court documents. patterson said he held jayme captive in his home where jayme told investigators he barricaded her under his bed up to 12 hours at a time with no food, water, or bathroom breaks. in the complaint he said he stacked totes with laundry bins and barbells to detect if she tried to escape. she did escape. she made her move. escaping to find jeannie nutter a few miles away. >> i have many deputies headed that way. >> coming up at 7:00 a.m. john walsh joins us live to tell you how to keep your child safe. with "gma" first look i'm alex perez, abc news, wisconsin. >>> only about a third of students showed up to school in los angeles during the first day of a teachers strike yesterday. more than 30,000 teachers walked out after contract talks broke down. teachers are demanding smaller class sizes, more support staff and higher pay. los angeles is the secon

she's going to be so excited to see her. >> and that was alex perez reporting.thorities believe the suspect was trying to find jayme when he was apprehended. he is now facing murder and kidnapping charges. he's due in court on monday. >>> now to president trump and the fbi. "the new york times" reports the bureau opened up an inquiry about whether the president was secretly working on behalf of russia. abc news white house correspondent tara palmieri has the latest. >> reporter: the fbi opened a counterintelligence investigation into the president of the united states to see if he was a national security threat working on behalf of the russians against american interests. now, according to this report, the fbi was unsure if the president was even knowingly acting on behalf of the russians. at the time former fbi director james comey was overseeing fbi's investigation into campaign collusion. special counsel robert mueller has since taken over that case, but in addition he's been investigating whether the president obstructed justice by firing comey to end the in

abc's alex perez has the story now from chicago. >> reporter: jason van dyke learning his fate in a chicagoan appropriate sentence would be 81 months in the illinois department of corrections. >> reporter: a nearly seven-year prison sentence for the former chicago police officer who was convicted of second degree murder back in october after killing 17-year-old laquan mcdonald. the 2014 incident all captured on police dash cam took place when van dyke responded to a call of someone breaking into cars. it shows the cop shooting the teen 16 times as he appears to be walking away with a three-inch knife in his hand sparking months long protests. during the trial van dyke rebuked prosecutors' allegations of racism testifying he believed mcdonald was lunging at him with the knife. >> i was yelling at him drop the knife. i yelled it i don't know how many times. >> reporter: laquan mcdonald's uncle delivering a message to the former cop on friday in the voice of his dead nephew. >> why should this person who has ended my life forever be free when i'm dead forever. >> reporter: van dyke's wife also

alex perez, abc news, barron, wisconsin. >>> some big trouble for a former world series most valuable> now, john wetteland was arrested monday at his home in dallas. he's now charged with child sex abuse. the 52-year-old former relief pitcher was the mvp of the 1996 world series with the yankees. he's also a member of the texas rangers hall of fame. wetteland is free this morning on $25,000 bond. >>> well, rihanna has filed a lawsuit against her father. >> she claims her dad, ronald fenty, and his business partner have been exploiting her name to benefit his own entertainment business. she accuses her father of misleading the public and hurting her own fendi beauty brand by creating an entertainment company named fenty entertainment, trying to solicit business acting as her agents. >> neither the star's father nor his company have made any public comment. this is always tough to see when you see obviously a celebrity like this or anyone having an issue with their parent like that. >> yeah. you think she told him you better have my money? >> you just had to. >> i did have to. >> i was

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> poor alex. looks like a frozen river behind him.uweather says it's feeling like 20 below overnight here in new york. >> let's get the details from paul williams. good morning, paul. >> good morning. we are looking at temperatures 15-35 degrees below the norm. dangerously cold weather in place once again from the midwest, great lakes, ohio valley region, mid @lan tick and the northeast. we are watching for snowstorms that will produce 1-4 feet of snow in some areas as we go into friday. very cold for the northeast. as far as the accuweather real feel, we are looking at 30 below in syracuse, detroit, chicago, up to minneapolis. kenneth, janai? >> paul, thanks for that. >>> remember earlier i said what did the puritans do when it was so cold? how did they survive. i said some of them likely did not. how did they survive? >> i don't know. >> with these cold temperatures. >> and animals. >> speaking of that, schools in louisville and elsewhere will be closed again today because of the extreme cold. kentucky's governor says that's a sign

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> unbelievable shock there with alex in the snow just coming down.w, it's freezing. >> i was going to say, you remember a week ago, i was in chicago for news coverage. it was cold. it was only about 25 degrees i think. >> right. >> especially compared to this. that was nothing. >> right. >> but i was cold, and i was complaining. . >> it was awful. >> and the crew, i'm sure, it's the same crew that alex had for that shot right there. they even said to me, this is nothing. >> nothing. >> and now they're in it right now with that cold. it's brutal. >> i'm an hour outside of chicago the buses wouldn't start. >> oh my gosh. >> miserable, miserably winter. >> speaking of schools in chicago, they will be closed wednesday due to the cold. >> accuweather paul williams joins us with the forecast. good morning. >> good morning, jenay, kenneth. hey, all chilling aside, this is the dangerous, brutal cold. we're looking at that time cold that will threaten the lowest temperatures in some places ever. you can look at the real calculation, minneapolis, 50 below or w

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: this milwaukee bus driver being hailed a hero.old streets barefoot in a diaper and a onesie. driver irena ivic wastes no time, stops the bus, dodges traffic and gets to the girl. the terrified driver cradling the girl back on the bus. >> oh, my god. >> oh, my god. >> oh, my god. i'm shaking. >> i am too. >> reporter: a passenger giving up her coat on this cold day back in december to cover the girl until police arrived. the child one of nine lost or missing kids milwaukee bus drivers have gotten to safety in recent years. ivic honored for her quick thinking. >> to find myself in same situation, i will of course again help. always. >> reporter: now, luckily, the girl was not injured. authorities say her mother, who was watching her, may suffer from mental health issues. alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> thanks, alex. >>> a woman in china is suffering from a rare and bizarre ear condition. she can only hear women's voices. she can't hear the men's. >> is that what heaven's like? doctors say one night she felt nauseous and heard ring

abc's alex perez has the latest from wisconsin. >> reporter: jayme closs wrapping up her first weekendfamily after three months in captivity. the 13-year-old all smiles and posing with loved ones, and across town signs of support every where you look. the suspect, jake patterson's motive remains a mystery. police allege the unemployed 21-year-old kicked down the closs's door last october and shot and killed her parents so he could take jayme, but authorities don't know why. >> jayme was the target of mr. patterson. he didn't know the closs'. he had no contact with the closs'. we have been able to uncover that at this time. >> reporter: he held jayme captive at this home in gordon, retreat, hanging above the front door. this is the property where authorities say jayme was held captive for 88 days. the home can't be seen off the road, it's behind that garage there, and neighbors that live in the area say there was always something different about this house. did you ever see anything weird or suspicious there? >> no. it's not a place i ever felt comfortable walking by. i never saw anybod

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: newly released police videos capturing the heart-racing momentso face with death. >> what are you doing parked back here? >> reporter: early morning in the chicago suburbs last july officer brianna tedesko approaches a suspicious suv parked on a gravel path. >> i just have to make sure you don't have any warrants or anything. which i'm sure you don't. >> reporter: the driver gives a phony name but he's actually kenneth martell, wanted in pennsylvania for the murder of an 88-year-old man. >> do you have anything in the vehicle with your name on it? >> reporter: martell hands over a slip of paper but quickly reaches for a gun and pulls the trigger. >> no! no! the gun jams and for 20 agonizing seconds she tries to disarm him, pleading for her life. >> no! don't touch it! no! don't! please! >> a backup officer racing to the scene. [ gunshot ] >> shooting and killing martell. >> shots fired by the police. one suspect down. >> reporter: authorities discovered the suspect actually had a number of weapons. the officer involved was not hurt. alex perez, ab

here's abc's alex perez tonight. >> reporter: tonight, this milwaukee bus driver is being hailed a heroas before 8:30 a.m. when this sight made her heart drop. a baby girl wandering the cold streets, barefoot in a diaper and a onesie. the driver wastes no time, stops the bus, dodges traffic and gets to the girl. the terrified driver cradling the girl back on the bus. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. i'm shaking. >> oh, i am, too. >> reporter: a passenger giving up her coat on this cold day back in december to cover the girl until police arrived. the child, one of nine lost or missing kids milwaukee bus drivers have gotten to safety in recent years. she was honored for her quick thinking. >> if i find myself in same situation, i will, of course, again help. always. >> reporter: david, luckily, the girl was not injured. authorities say her mother, who was watching her, may suffer from mental health issues. david? >> all right, alex. we're just glad she's okay. >>> when we come back here tonight, the airline sickened in midair. that flight from philly, two pilots, three flight aten hands rushed

abc's alex perez leading us off from chicago. >> reporter: tonight, that arctic air firing up the lake effect snow machine, bringing several feet of snow to western new york. vehicles crashing in whiteout conditions in the buffalo area. snow squalls in pennsylvania causing multiple pileups on highways, including this one outside reading. >> motor vehicle accident. injuries reported. anywhere between 20 and 40 vehicles involved. >> reporter: this, as the midwest is gripped by record-breaking cold.>> chica i. ths marking one of n chico, wm city beso help get o workers handing out blankets, gloves and socks. >> i think regardless of all our efforts, we're still going to see a lot of people that are not going to make it. >> reporter: the 50 below wind chill means frostbite can take hold in just five minutes. for severe cases, northwestern memorial hospital using this device called a bear hugger. so, what's happening now? >> so, what you're seeing here is basically warm air is circulating over the patient, and that way, maintaining this warmth, getting their core body temperature back up to

abc's alex perez leads us off from chicago. >> reporter: tonight, whiteout conditions from lake effect snow sending drivers sliding all over a michigan highway. >> m-6 westbound at kalamazoo reported multiple semis. at least ten vehicles involved. >> reporter: this multi-car wreck pinning some inside their vehicles. at least seven taken to the hospital. that blinding lake effect snow is supercharged by arctic air that's pouring into the lower 48 like it hasn't in decades. chicago forecasting a wind chill of 50 below zero tomorrow. frostbite can begin in five minutes. >> your extremities, your fingers, your toes, your ears, your nose, those are the areas most affected and in a short amount of time. we're talking minutes. >> reporter: anyone who has to work outside, like these minneapolis firefighters, at risk. >> just to give you an idea of how cold it is, look at this. they take off their helmets and the steam just pours off of them. >> reporter: our eva pilgrim is also in minneapolis. >> right now, the feels like temperature is minus 38 degrees. it's so cold that it's hard to even tal

our alex perez is there. >> part of what makes this cold so dangerous is that it is lingering. when it's all said and done, chicago will have been under this brutal cold for more than 80 hours. >> reporter: energy companies in minnesota and michigan urging customers conserve natural gas. >> we are appealing to all michiganders to consider reducing your thermostat as much as you can. >> reporter: back in the north country, even hearty ellisburg residents caught offguard. you knew the snow was coming, but did you expect it to be this bad? >> no, definitely not. >> and whit johnson with us live tonight from sandy creek, new york, where the sub-zero wind chills and lake effect snow have been relentless all day. not surprising tonight, whit, authorities are urging everyone to stay indoors? >> reporter: david, that's right. and that's because of the treacherous driving condition and severe threat of frostbite. some parts of upstate new york already got 20 inches of snow. 30-mile-per-hour winds, and it's not done yet. david? >> central new york, my neck of theed woos. say hi to everyo

we'll go to alex perez. he's there in the middle of all that snow. od morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. the snow is actually slowing here, but the deep freeze is now beginning the lake front. you can hear the crunch sound, that's the ice beneath my feet. take a look at the water here. you can see it's freezing. the ice already building along the lake here. a dangerous polar plunge creating a travel nightmare across the midwest. the subzero freeze the coldest in a generation. >> it doesn't take long, 20, 30 minutes out and your motor skilsz won't really work really well. >> reporter: a state of emergency declared in wisconsin. >> kind of a nightmare for us parents. >> reporter: more than a foot burying streets. these semis shutting down part of interstate 43. in minnesota more than 130 crashes and these people pushing a car out of the mess. plows working double time. a pedestrian killed after being struck. airports crippled. nearly 1200 flights canceled in chicago alone. with over 1800 nationwide. the toledo airport in ohio shut d

. >> that was alex perez reporting. patt patterson is due in court tomorrow. >>> a massachusetts boy a hero after he called 911 to save his sister's life. >> my sister, we she's not breathing. she not talking. >> he was in his home when his six-year-old sister collapsed. his grandmother was babysitting. joshua tried to help his sister. >> i touched her and i felt her shaking. >> i think she had a seizure. i said okay. i'm not home. let's call 911. >> that's what joshua did, staying on the phone until help arrived. a high fever is what caused her seizure. >>> time now is 9:36. missing doctors appointments could lead to an early death especially if you have chronic conditions. the team examined more than 500,000 patient appointment histories in scotlandment they tracked the appointments between 2013 and 2016 and compared them to patient medical histories and death records. the dee is missing more than two appointments a year. people with long-term physical conditions. researchers found patients with mental health conditio

let's go right to alex perez there in wisconsin, alex, they've got a suspect in custody. >> reporter: hey, good morning, cecilia. this is the moment jayme's family has been waiting for. she's been found safe and sound. authorities now working to figure out what she may have endured the last few months. this morning, a family's prayers answered. 13-year-old jayme closs found alive as she vanished three months ago after her parents were killed. the teen located in douglas county, wisconsin, nearly 70 miles away from where she was last seen in barron. according to abc affiliate kstp closs ran up to a woman walking her dog screaming for help, saying she had been abducted and that her captor murdered her parents. that good samaritan then running to a neighbor's home for help. those neighbors telling "the minneapolis star tribune" that jayme was skinny with matted hair, wearing shoes too big for her feet. the couple offering her food and water and introducing her to their puppy while they waited for police. her family telling abc news she was taken to a hospital overnight. her emotional gra

. >> that was alex perez. >>> police are calling a 9-year-old ma boy a hero after he called 911 stoich1-1 to o sisters life. >> he's not really talking. >> joshua joseph was in his rockland home when his 6-year-old sister joann collapd. he tried top his sister while calling his dad at work. >> when i touched her i felt her shaking. >> i think she has a seizure. i was ike okay son. i'm not home. let's call 911. >> and that is exactly what joshua did. staying on the phone until help arrived. a high fever caused the seizure. he recovered in the hospital and is alive this morning thanks to her big brother. still ahead on abc 7 mornings. an unexpected turn put the brakes on an unforgettable experience. how 7's michael finney helped green light a day driving around a race car track. sthoo and a look outside. cool to start. no rain for now but changes are (slurping, kiss) (crunch) a lot happens in a day. outlast happens once. outlast all-day lipcolor with 24-hour stay power. from covergirl. with 24-hour stay power. oh, wow. you two are going to have such a great trip. yeah, have fun! thanks t

abc's alex perez joins us from barron, wisconsin. alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, adrienne. this is the first morning in three months that jayme is waking up next to her family. her captor is behind bars and >> reporter: this morning, 13-year-old jayme closs is finally reuniting with her family 88 days after she vanished from her home where her parents were both brutally murdered. >> give her that big hug that i haven't had for 88 days. >> reporter: 70 miles from where she first disappeared, jayme stumbling upon jeanne nutter thursday. >> she was crying and said, i need help. i don't know where i am. i'm lost. please help me. and she said, i'm jayme, and then i am this close to her, so i knew it was jayme. >> reporter: jayme appearing disheveled, thin with no coat. >> she had somebody else's shoes on that were too big for her. she was just wearing like black sweats or leggings and a baggy sweatshirt and that was it. >> reporter: nutter rushing to a neighbor's house to call 911. >> it was like seeing a ghost. i mean it took my breath away, you know. i'm still -- it's kind of

abc news reporter alex perez shows us just how cold it is. >> reporter: this is a clear piece of glass you can see. i've got water in my hand. i'm going to pour it. it freezes instantly. it crystalized. this cold is no joke. >> i'm surprised he can talk there. mike, the coldest you had been in was minus 40. >> 40, 42. it constricts everything when you breathe in. it freezes up inside your nose also when you don't breathe with a mask on. yes, it is brutal. the funniest experiment we did was the brownest, mushest banana, stuck it outside and it was hard as a rock. we drove nails into a board with it. that's what that cold does. >>> let's take a look at our windchill. it feels like 53 here. it feels 98 degrees colder in chicago and minneapolis with that 45 below windchill. we're even 25 below in st. louis. my sister lives there. she happens to give me an update every hour. thanks, cheryl. hope you're enjoying it. >> this is the high. 14 below. they're going to be, look at that, nearly 61 degrees warmer by sunday. what a whiplash there. for us, let's look at what's going on. clouds and sun

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: the man accused of kidnapping jayme closs and murdering her parentsfacing a judge. . >> stashlg cash bail is necessary. >> jake patterson held on a billion cash bail. >> the prosecution team that you see assembled here today wants justice for james and denise closs and for jayme closs. >> reporter: prosecutors laying out in chilling detail patterson's alleged confession. according to criminal complaint, the 21-year-old told police one day on his way to work, he saw jayme get on a school bus outside her home and decided she was the girl he was going to take. prosecutors described his meticulous plannings. first, he shaved his hair to avoid leaving dna and armed with a shotgun and a mask in all black 13-year-old jayme telling the fbi investigator, her dog started barking. she woke her parents. they saw a man at the door with a gun. patterson shot the father through the door and broke into the bathroom where jayme's mom was holding her in a bear hug. she said patterson made her hang up with 911 and shot her in the dead. he duct taped jayme by her hand an

abc's alex perez is there with the latest. orning to you, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. authorities have been hunting for that gunman since this all started. now, this happened at a busy time, the mall packed with people milling around. now, take a look at some of these surveillance images. you can see people scrambling to get to safety seconds after hearing gunshots near the food court here inside the mall. police say officers from across the area responded here to this scene. frantic employees hiding in back rooms as they tried to figure out what was happening. the shooting victim staggered near a clothing store where he collapsed. he was taken to a hospital where later died. investigators have been working this case through the night trying to catch up with that suspect, authorities say they believe this was an isolated incident. that the gunman and the victim knew each other. george. >> okay, alex, thanks very much. >>> now, we have new developments in that viral confrontation that showed high school studen

alex perez is there. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. that's right.e're getting ready for the brutal cold. you can see it's already snowing here which means that the morning commute will be a complete headache. take a look behind me. underneath all of that snow and ice is actually lake michigan. the deep freeze is headed our way. overnight, dangeus weather across the country as life-threatening cold gets ready to move in. parts of the midwest bracing for some of the coldest temperatures in years. in north dakota, strong gusts combined with heavy snow creating treacherous and worsening road conditions. and freezing rain and slippery road conditions causing this car to spin out of control and into an embankment. snow blowing across minnesota's highway 75 north creating blizzard-like conditions. in the east, a multicar accident shutting down pennsylvania's i-90 like these cars, going off the road. this car crashing under this tractor trailer. whiteout conditions not helping emergency crews and plows clear the roads. in vermont, a combination of snow and

now we go to wisconsin where alex perez has more. ning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, michael. jake patterson's family says he never had mental health issues growing up. his mother shocked after learning of his arrest, initially hoped authorities had confused him with someone else. this morning, a new look at the man accused of kidnapping jayme closs and murdering her parents, new images from thedailymail.com showing him in high school isolated while classmates take a group photo. yet, seen in this photo roughhousing with a friend. dylan fisher, a childhood friend of patterson, shocked. >> everybody liked him. he was a good student. he was pretty happy for the most part. >> reporter: the family of the man police say is a cold-blooded killer breaking their silence. his grandfather telling abc news, something went terribly wrong. nobody had any clue. we are absolutely heartbroken. it's wrenching to deal with, adding that his grandson was shy and quiet. he backed off from crowds but a nice boy, polite. computer games were more of a pr

thousands of cancelled and delayed flights, even shutting down an airport because of icy runways, alex perez is in chicago with the very latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. from snow to ice and now rain, it has been a relentless week of winter weather that has made getting around almost impossible. a deep freeze pummeling the plains creating chaos across the midwest. frozen roads too dangerous to travel littered with crashes. trucks swerving off roads jackknifed. cars stuck in snow banks. this morning, new video showing the dangers of icy conditions from the storm over the weekend. watch as this oncoming car spins out in wisconsin. this deputy leaping into the median, narrowly escaping. dangerous travel conditions shutting down roads. in colorado, parts of i-70 shut down in whiteout conditions. 100-mile stretch of i-80 closing in wyoming. in kansas, a 19-year-old woman killed in an icy wreck after losing control of her car on the highway. the investigating trooper making an emotional plea. >> it's devastating. i mean, please consider your safety in your trave

alex perez is in baron, wisconsin, with the latest details. ood morning, robin. that initial hearing will take place in a second floor courtroom in this building behind me here. jayme just finished her first weekend with family since her courageous escape. this morning, a first look at the cabin where jayme closs was kept during her three-month ordeal. in photos as seen on the dailymail.com a basement room shown with a dirty mattress and bedding on the floor, children's toys and backpacks seen piled up. overnight, closs' family speaking out. >> you can tell that she's not quite the same. >> reporter: the teen reunited with her family on friday, one day after escaping from this isolated home in gordon, wisconsin, 70 miles away from where she first disappeared. >> i was the first one she gave a hug to. i was standing in my daughter jennifer's hallway. she come up to me and gave me a big hug and i gave her a big hug. >> reporter: details of her harrowing escape emerging. thursday afternoon, jeanne nutter was out walking her dog. when jayme approac

alex perez is there. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george.he first thing i want to tell you, i am bundled up from head to toe and i have warming devices all over me. same goes for my crew and we have warm cars standingy r us to jump into. i want to show you how dramatic the cold is. take a look at this shot from above. you can already see all of that ice floating on the chicago river. now, back down here i want to show you what happens. i'm spraying it. if you take a look, you can already see it's crystallizing. freezing instantly. this cold is no joke. over 90 million waking up to life-threatening, subzero temperatures this morning. states of emergency across the midwest as the coldest arctic outbreak in a generation holds the region in a choke hold. look at these blinding, whiteout conditions. roads nearly invisible wreaking havoc on highways across the area. over 190 crashes reported in minnesota. in michigan, near zero visibility sending drivers sliding all over a highway, blustery conditions from lake-effect snow causing a crash. in wisc