FBI seeks help to find Wisconsin girl whose parents were shot to death

BARRON, Wis. (WANE) – The FBI is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 13-year-old Wisconsin girl whose parents were found shot to death Monday at their Wisconsin home. Jayme Closs could be anywhere in the country according to the FBI. 

Digital billboards will be launched across the United States on Thursday with her photos in hopes that someone will report what they know to authorities. 

Investigators have been searching for Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home in Barron. The girl, who was ruled out as a suspect on the first day, was gone when deputies arrived.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said during a news conference Wednesday that autopsies confirmed James and Denise Closs had been fatally shot and that their deaths have been ruled homicides.

He said no gun was found at the scene and that evidence from both the house and from the 911 call indicate Jayme Closs was in the family’s home when her parents were killed.

Barron is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.

Fitzgerald said investigators still have a “100 percent expectation that she’s alive,” but that even though they’ve received more than 400 tips, none have been of a credible sighting. He implored the public to share any suspicions, including any behavioral changes in people they know, no matter how small.

“We want to bring Jayme home and put that smile back in her family’s hands,” said Fitzgerald, who added that investigators don’t know whether the attack was random or targeted.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wisconsin Department of Justice Child Abduction Response Team tipline at 1-855-744-3879. or the FBI.