Missing Barron, Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs found alive in town of Gordon
BARRON, Wis. (FOX 9) - Missing Barron, Wisconsin 13-year-old Jayme Closs has been located alive, the Barron County Sheriff's Department confirmed Thursday night.
Closs was found in the town of Gordon, Wisconsin at 4:43 p.m. by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office after they received a tip from a citizen. Family members told FOX 9 Jayme was found by a woman, who then called 911.
"I heard she escaped and found a woman walking with a dog and asked for help and that's all I know," Sue Allard, Jayme's aunt, said.
A town official told FOX 9 she was found in the area of South Eau Claire Acres Circle in Gordon.
A suspect was taken into custody at 4:54 p.m., also in Gordon. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told FOX 9 he believes more people may be involved. The Closs family was told the name of the suspect, but the suspect was not known to them.
A press conference is planned for 10 a.m. Friday morning in Barron County.
Jayme has been missing since Oct. 15 after her parents, James and Denise, were found shot to death in their Barron home.
OCT. 15 MURDERS
Neighbors reported hearing two high-powered gun shots at the Closs family home around 12:30 a.m., but they did not call 911.
At 12:56 a.m., the Barron County sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call from Denise’s cell phone inside the Closs family home. According to the 911 call log, the dispatcher noted they “could hear a lot of yelling.” Deputies tracked the phone to the Closs home.
When officials arrived, they found James Closs near the door. He appeared to have answered the door, which was kicked in. Officers found multiple spent rounds. About five minutes later, police found Denise Closs. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says both James and Denise Closs were fatally shot.
The 911 audio helped investigators determine that Jayme was in the house at the time of her parents’ murders. She was listed as a missing child at 3:57 a.m.
FAMILY MEMBERS DEVASTATED, THEN ELATED
Jayme’s extended family said she will say in the hospital overnight, but they have been told she is okay spirits. She is currently rotating between sleeping and debriefing with investigators.
Family is hoping to reunite with Jayme Friday afternoon.
A false alarm from Walworth County, Wisconsin earlier in the day on Thursday got some family members’ hopes up for a while. Sue Allard, another one of Jayme’s aunts, said she was “devastated” so she took a nap and woke up to 15 phone calls telling her Jayme had truly been found.
“I was devastated, but now, for this to be true, and Jayme, I cannot wait to give her a hug," Allard said. "I cannot wait to see her."
Tom Allard, another family member, said the family never gave up hope that Jayme would come home.
“We never give up hope, you know? You just have to get up every day and keep that hope alive and stick together as a family and pray that everything is going to work out,” said Tom, a family member.
BARRON COUNTY SHERIFF: 'WE'RE GOING TO BRING JAYME HOME'
In the nearly three months since Jayme first went missing, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald never gave up hope she would be found alive
In an interview with FOX 9 on Oct. 30, Fitzgerald said, “The hope is out there. That’s what we run on, hope every day and we’re going to bring Jayme home.”
The sheriff's office and the FBI received and investigated more than 2,000 tips in the first few weeks of the investigation, but had no solid leads. By Nov. 1, authorities had dropped their 24/7 ground operation.
But, in a statement regarding the decision, Fitzgerald said the search for Jayme remained ongoing.
“None of us are done until we bring Jayme home,” he said.