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The search continues: Jayme Closs missing after parents found dead in Wisconsin home

FBI asks for public's help finding girl

Jayme Closs has been missing from her Wisconsin home since Monday Oct. 15, 2018.

BARRON, Wis. – Police are still looking for information, days after a teen went missing in the wake of a shooting that took the lives of her parents in their Wisconsin home.

UPDATEThe search is over: 13-year-old Jayme Closs found safe, connection to suspect still a mystery

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The Barron County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the home at 1 a.m. Monday after a 911 call was made from a cellphone. Authorities are not saying who they believe placed the call. They did say the only discernable sounds were background noise.

When officers arrived at the home they discovered two adults dead in what they called a "violent crime scene." Jayme Closs, 13, was missing. She is not listed as a suspect.

Officials searched the area but did not come up with any leads. As of Monday, police wouldn't say much about the crime scene, just that the weapon used was a gun.

Jayme Closs was described as 5 feet tall, weighing 100 pounds with green eyes and blond or strawberry hair.

Police later identified the deceased as Jayme's parents: James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46. As of Monday at 5 p.m. an Amber Alert was issued for the missing teen. Police provided a phone number on their Facebook page, asking for tips 1-855-744-3879.

A girl matching Jayme's description was spotted at a gas station in Miami, Florida Monday afternoon, according to authorities in Florida. However, Barron County Sheriff's officials have seen the video and did not consider it to be "credible information."

Tuesday

Barron County Sheriff's Department held a press conference and shared the video on Facebook.

At that time they were still searching and asking for tips regarding the case. They announced that the FBI was assisting in the investigation and providing resources.

Ed Downing Sr., who is married to the sister of one of Jayme's grandmothers, spoke to NBC News and said the family was in "disbelief" over the deaths and the teen's disappearance.

"It was just unbelievable, unbelievable. How can this be happening to us? To a small community like that, you know. It's unreal," NBC News reported he said.

He reportedly does not believe Jayme ran away from home.

Wednesday

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald hosted a local town hall for Barron County residents only. Media was not allowed access.

"This is to offer me the opportunity to connect with the citizens of Barron County, and have a private dialogue about how our community is doing. We will have victim assistance personnel available to address wellness concerns," the Sheriff's Department posted on its Facebook page.

The search for Jayme Closs "has continued to intensify," according to officials.

Thursday

Officials requested the public's help in conducting a "routine search for evidence." They asked for 100 volunteers to assist in the search. Officials said they have received over 800 tips since Monday.

The Barron County Sheriff's Department is expected to share updates on their Facebook page.

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About the Author
Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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