The ground search for missing Wisconsin 13-year-old Jayme Closs is being scaled back after authorities said they are transitioning from a reactive operation to a more deliberate approach.
He said the search for Closs remains his office’s number one priority.
‘There Is a Tip out There’
“Just because the posture of our operations center has transitioned, does not mean the tips should stop. We still have a team on-call, to handle them as they come in. Please continue to call in your tips—there is a tip out there that will help us solve this case and bring Jayme home,” Fitzgerald said.Closs went missing on Oct. 15. Officers rushed to the home in Barron that morning around 1 a.m. after receiving a phone call. They found her parents shot to death but the girl had vanished.
Fitzgerald said the investigators have probed social media platforms, phone records, and statements from a range of people including family members, friends, and co-workers. He thanked all the volunteers who assisted with the ground search and provided investigators with food.
Emotional Plea
The search transition came after an aunt of Jayme’s made an emotional plea for anyone with information to contact the authorities; she also reached out to her niece.“Jayme, not a moment goes by that we’re not thinking of you and praying for you,” Jennifer Smith said during a press conference. “Your family and friends miss you so much. Your sparkling eyes, your bright smile, your soft little giggles.”
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the missing teen.
