Missing Teen Believed to Be in Danger; Parents Found Dead

An Amber Alert has been issued for Jayme Closs
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 15, 2018 4:18 PM CDT
Girl, 13, Missing After Parents Found Dead at Home
This undated photo provided by Barron County, Wis., Sheriff’s Department, shows Jayme Closs.   (Courtesy of Barron County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

Authorities searched Monday for a 13-year-old girl they believe is in danger after her parents were found dead in their western Wisconsin home, the AP reports. Deputies went to the home in Barron after dispatchers received a 911 call from an unknown person at around 1am Monday, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said. He said they found the bodies of Jayme Closs' parents, though he didn't release their names. He also said there had been gunshots, but he stopped short of saying that's how the couple died. 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. "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. Officers also were at Jayme's middle school talking with her friends and acquaintances, hoping to develop some leads, officials said. An Amber Alert was issued Monday. Jayme is described as 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes. (There are still few answers in the death of Maddox Ritch.)

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