Sheriff: Missing Teen Was Home When Parents Killed

He says 'every second counts' in search for Jayme Closs
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2018 6:29 AM CDT
Sheriff: Missing Girl Was Home When Parents Shot
This undated photo provided by the Barron County Sheriff’s Department, shows Jayme Closs.   (Courtesy of Barron County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

The parents of a missing 13-year-old western Wisconsin girl were shot to death, and Jayme Closs was apparently home at the time, the sheriff says. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Wednesday that the deaths of James and Denise Closs early Monday have been ruled homicides, USA Today reports. He said their daughter, who is not a suspect in the killing of her parents, is in danger, but he has a "100% expectation that she's alive." He said the bodies were found after a 911 call from the home in the small city of Barron in which nobody spoke directly to the dispatcher, CNN reports. He said investigators don't know whether the attack was random or targeted.

Fitzgerald said a disturbance could be heard in the background during the 911 call—but there was nobody at the scene and no vehicles to be found when emergency responders arrived four minutes later. The sheriff urged residents to come forward with any information they had on possible suspects, including people with "behavioral changes" like missing work or suddenly leaving town, the Daily Beast reports. Every second counts in this case," he said. "When a child like Jayme is missing, we ask you to observe this behavior and report it to us." Jayme, who was last seen with her mother at a family gathering Sunday, is described as 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes. Read more on the case here. (More Wisconsin stories.)

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