Vigil held for missing Wisconsin teen as community waits for answers

CAMERON, Wis. (KMSP) - Community members gathered for a vigil as the search continues for a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who went missing after the death of her parents.

Family and friends of Jayme Closs attended a night of prayer at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Cameron, Wisconsin. Out of respect for the family, organizers asked the media to keep cameras outside the church. Inside, the community prayed for the 13-year-old's safe return.

"People in the community and surrounding communities just feel like they're a little helpless right now and they need something to do, somewhere to be and so it's just a way to bring everyone together in prayer," said Melissa Salmonson, a family friend.

Federal authorities are assisting the Barron County Sheriff's Office in the hunt for Jayme as investigators continue to examine the crime scene where her parents were found dead in at their rural Barron County home. The Barron County Sheriff discredited a tip out of Miami, Florida of a possible sighting of Jayme with two Middle Eastern men. He's asking his community to stay alert to anything out of the ordinary.

"We are running a 24-7 operation,” said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. “We have teams ready to respond at a moment’s notice when a tip comes in. Support teams for whatever is needed and that's why we're begging, asking to look for behavioral changes in people, people that you don't really know that may have been involved in this crime."

Jayme's grandfather told Fox 9 she attended a family birthday party on Sunday with her mother and seemed her usual kind and shy self. Family members describe Denise as a woman with a huge heart who had an incredibly close relationship with her only child and they plead for her to come back home.

“Come home safe,” said an unidentified family member. “We want answers. That’s all. It’s very difficult. Jayme is the sweetest little girl. She wouldn’t hurt a soul.”