Jayme Closs, Wisconsin teen who went missing in October, found alive
Minneapolis — Jayme Closs, who went missing almost three months ago from her Wisconsin home, was located alive Thursday evening, according to the Barron County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said a suspect is in custody.
The office said on Facebook that it didn't have any other details it could release "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." A news conference was scheduled for Friday morning.
Jayme Closs has been located On Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Douglas CO...
Posted by Barron County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, January 10, 2019
CBS Minnesota spoke to Jayme's aunt Sue Thursday evening. She said her niece was in a hospital.
"There was rumors earlier today, and I prayed and prayed and they come to not be true," Sue said. "And I just shut myself totally down. I thought today was going to be the day, and then I find out two hours later that she's found and I just cannot believe this."
CBS Minnesota also reached a woman over the phone who confirmed she was the one who first encountered Jayme.
She said she was walking her dog and nearing her cabin when she saw the 13-year-old walking down the road. Closs approached her and told her that she needed help.
"I was at the right place at the right time," she told CBS Minnesota. The woman did not want to be identified by name.
The Associated Press quotes Barron Mayor as saying Thursday night he was overjoyed that Jamie is alive.
"There was a lot of discouragement because this took quite a while to play out," Fladten said. "A lot of people have been praying daily, as I have. It's just a great result we got tonight. It's unbelievable. It's like taking a big black cloud in the sky and getting rid of it and the sun comes out again."
"I hope that she's in good shape," the mayor continued. "She's no doubt been through just a terrible ordeal. I think everybody wishes her a good recovery and a happy life going into the future."
Closs, 13, disappeared Oct. 15, 2018, the same day her parents — James and Denise Closs — were found shot to death inside their Barron home.
CBS Minnesota reports that up until Thursday, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said, investigators hadn't received any credible leads in this case, despite thousands of tips.
A 911 call with garbled audio was made from Denise Closs' cellphone at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 15. Police arrived four minutes later and found the bodies of James and Denise. There was no sign of Jayme inside the home.
News that Closs had been found came hours after Fitzgerald debunked a report she had been found alive near Walworth County — which is hundreds of miles away from Douglas County where Closs was found.