BARRON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities issued an Amber Alert Monday for a 13-year-old girl they believe is in danger after her parents were found dead in their western Wisconsin home.
Early Tuesday morning, Miami Police tweeted that the teen — Jayme Closs from Barron, Wisconsin — may have been seen sometime Monday afternoon in the city in a black Ford Explorer with possible Wisconsin license plates.
Endangered Juvenile, Jayme Closs from Barron, WI, may have been seen in the afternoon of 10/15/18, in the area of N.W. 27 Ave and 11 St. If it was her, she was in a black Ford Explorer with a possible WI plate of I60WER. If you have any information please call 911 immediately. https://t.co/BX6ouqPDKi
— Miami PD (@MiamiPD) October 16, 2018
Parents found dead, 13-year-old goes missing
Deputies went to the home in Barron after dispatchers received a 911 call from an unknown person at around 1 a.m. Monday, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said. He said they found the bodies of Jayme Closs’ parents, who were later identified by the sheriff’s department as 56-year-old James Closs and his 46-year-old wife, Denise Closs. Fitzgerald also said there had been gunshots, but he stopped short of saying that’s how the couple died.
“At the end of the day, I want a 13-year-old here safe and sound. That’s our goal. That’s our only goal right now,” Fitzgerald said at a news briefing.
Jayme was last seen at a family gathering Sunday afternoon, said Fitzgerald, who said Monday that investigators don’t consider her a suspect in her parents’ deaths. On Tuesday, he declined to elaborate as to why investigators believe Jayme is not a runaway, saying that disclosing more information would compromise their investigation.
“I’m telling you, Jayme is missing and endangered,” Fitzgerald said.
Investigators don’t have any leads or suspects, but they have enlisted the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI, which has agents who specialize in missing children cases, the sheriff said. He said Jayme is not considered a suspect in her parents’ deaths.
Deputies searched the area around the family’s home with drones and infrared equipment, but they didn’t find any clues as to her whereabouts. Fitzgerald said investigators are frustrated they haven’t developed any leads and asked for the public’s help with any information about what could have happened to the girl.
Officers also were at Jayme’s middle school talking with her friends and acquaintances, hoping to develop some leads, officials said.
Jayme is described as 5-feet (1.5 meters) tall and 100 pounds (45 kilograms), with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.
Barron is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.
If you have any information about Jayme or her whereabouts you are urged to call 911 immediately or report tips to the Barron County Sheriff's Department's tip line, which is open 24 hours a day, at 1-855-744-3879.