2,000 Volunteers Expected To Join Search For Missing Wisconsin Teen Jayme Closs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two-thousand people are expected to take part in a search Tuesday for Jayme Closs, the Wisconsin teenager who's been missing since police responded to a 911 call at her home last week and found her parents shot dead.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald says the search will take place over a seven-hour period in Barron, in northwestern Wisconsin. At 9 a.m., volunteers will begin combing the area, starting at Two Hungry Hollow Grounds, just north of the town.
Meanwhile, investigators are seeking the public's help in finding vehicles of interest – a red/orange car, believed to be a 2008-2014 Dodge Challenger/Charger, and a black SUV, believed to be a 2006-2010 Ford Edge or 2004-2010 Acura MDX.
The sheriff says these vehicles were seen on surveillance cameras of homes and businesses near the Closs family home around the time of the killings and the girl's disappearance.
Jayme has been missing since Oct. 15. Around 1 a.m. that morning, an inaudible 911 call led police to her family's home. The door was busted in and her parents, 46-year-old Denise and 56-year-old James, were dead with gunshot wounds. Their 13-year-old daughter was nowhere to be found.
The search for Jayme began that day, prompting an Amber Alert. She is currently on the FBI's list of kidnappings and missing persons. Investigators believe she may be in danger.
So far, more than 1,200 tips have been received in the case, investigators say. About 1,000 of them have been looked into. Still, there has yet to be a major break in the search for Jayme.
As search efforts continue, the community in Barron is struggling with fear and grief. On Monday night, a Gathering of Hope was held for Jayme at Barron High School, and hundreds attended.
"This this is our community," said Bud Moe, one of the attendees. "We care about people in our community. We didn't know this family at all, but that really doesn't matter."
The sheriff's office is encouraging anyone who sees suspicious activity, or remembers anything being out of the ordinary, to contact them at 715-537-3106.
Anyone who sees Jayme or has information on her whereabouts should call 911. She is described as standing 5-feet tall, weighing 100 pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes.
"We have hope," said Diane Tremblay, the superintendent of the Barron Area School District at the Monday night vigil. "We're going to bring Jayme home."
