A 13-year-old girl from Wisconsin, US who went missing in October after her parents were murdered has been found alive.
BARRON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Jayme Closs whose parents were discovered shot dead in their family home last year was located on Thursday evening. Officials have said a suspect believed to be linked to the case has been arrested and remains in custody.
Local news media said Jayme has escaped from a rural home near Gordon, Wisconsin and was found in a mess by local residents. A teacher at a local school said a neighbour was walking her dog knocked on the door after finding her. The teacher said Jayme was skinny, dirty and wearing shoes that were too big for her.
“This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!” the neighbour told the teacher, according to the Star Tribune.
A local sheriff was told to have arrested the suspect minutes later after arriving, and Jayme was taken to hospital.
In a police statement Barron County Sheriff Department said:
“On Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Douglas CO WI Sheriff’s Department that they had located Jayme Closs alive.
“Shortly after this a suspect was taken into custody in regards to this case. We do not any other details at this time as this is a very fluid and active investigation. We will not be answering any questions or taking calls on this tonight.
“We are planning a press briefing approximately 10 am tomorrow at the Sheriff’s Department in Barron. We are receiving support from the FBI and WI DCI agents as this investigation continues.
“We want to thank the Douglas Co Sheriff’s Department and agencies assisting them tonight. We also want to thank all the Law Enforcement agencies across the state and county that have assisted us in this case. We also could not have endured this case without the support of the public and I want to thank them for all the support and help.
“Finally we want to especially thank the family for their support and patience while this case was ongoing. We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!
“This case has been very trying on the family so please respect their privacy and we reunite them later tonight.
“Sheriff Fitzgerald.”
On Monday 15th October 2018, emergency services had a call at the family address at the family home from a mobile phone and heard a disturbance in the background, but no-one spoke to them directly. Four minutes later police arrived, no gun or suspect were found at the scene and there was no sign of Jayme. The following Wednesday the deaths of James and Denise Closs were officially ruled as homicide by a medical examiner. Police said they had received 400 tips from the public since 13-year-old disappearance and there was an amber alert for her.
