A teenager who mysteriously disappeared in midwestern America last year after her parents were brutally murdered has been found alive.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department posted on its Facebook page on Thursday evening that Jayme Closs, 13, had been discovered in Douglas County, Wisconsin, which borders Lake Superior.
Authorities took a suspect into custody shortly after Jayme was found, but said they “do not have any other details at this time as this is a very fluid and active investigation”.
The announcement came just hours after the sheriff’s office wrote in a separate post that Jayme “has NOT been located — this is false news”.
Jayme vanished on October 15 after her parents were fatally shot at their home in Barron County, about 130km northeast of Minneapolis.
Autopsies determined her parents died of gunshot wounds and were murdered, and that Jayme was inside the home when they were killed.
Local authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into her disappearance, and said at the time they believed the teen was kidnapped.
“I’m telling you: Jayme is missing and endangered,” Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at a news conference in October.
Before Jayme was reported missing, a mysterious 911 call was made from her home. The sheriff’s department received the call at 12.58am from an unknown person.
The caller didn’t communicate with police, but noises heard in the background suggested a disturbance or struggle of some kind.
A log of the call, released days later, appeared to indicate the mobile phone of Jayme’s mother, 46-year-old Denise Closs, placed the call, and that her father, 56-year-old James Closs, answered the door and was the first to be shot to death.
“No one talked on that call and we don’t know who made it. We heard voices but we can’t make out what was said,” Fitzgerald told Fox News in November.
“We do believe Jayme was home at the time the call was made.”
About two weeks after she disappeared, a man identified as Kyle Jaenke-Annis, 32, was arrested for allegedly burglarising the Closses’ home.
He was reportedly found with two girl’s singlets, underwear and a dress.
However, Barron County officials cleared him of any involvement in the 13-year-old’s disappearance.
The sheriff previously said his office was receiving about 25 tips per day regarding Jayme’s disappearance. He’d been confident that Jayme was alive somewhere.
“I have a gut feeling she’s still alive,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of guy.”
FAMILY, MAYOR REACT TO DISCOVERY
A Wisconsin mayor says he’s overjoyed Jayme has been found alive.
Barron Mayor Ron Fladten said he hadn’t heard any details about the discovery but knowing she was found was “unbelievable”.
“It’s like taking a big black cloud in the sky and getting rid of it and the sun comes out again,” he said.
Jayme’s cousin, Lacey Naiberg, thanked law enforcement and the community for their support.
She wrote on Facebook “there are no words to describe” the feeling of having so many people come together to help.
She asked people to continue to pray for “Jayme’s wellbeing and our families healing”
Source: news.com.au
BDST: 1612 HRS, JAN 11, 2019
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