BARRON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say a Wisconsin teenager who has been missing since her parents were found dead in their home isn't a runaway and that they think she's in danger. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said during a media briefing Tuesday that he can't reveal why authorities believe 13-year-old Jayme Closs is in danger because it could compromise the investigation. But he repeated his plea for the public's help in finding her. Deputies responding to a 911 call found the bodies of 56-year-old James Closs and 46-year-old Denise Closs at around 1 a.m. Monday in their home in the western Wisconsin town of Barron. No cause of death has been released but authorities said gunshots had been fired. Fitzgerald says Jayme was last seen at a family gathering Sunday afternoon, but he provided no details. He didn't comment about the validity of a tip that she had been spotted at a Miami gas station Monday afternoon.<doc-sep>Her grandfather, Robert Naiberg, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that nothing seemed amiss at the gathering, which was to celebrate the birthday of a grandson who is cousins with Jayme. "She was quiet as always. She was a quiet girl," he said. Naiberg, 72, said his daughter, Denise Closs, and Jayme attended the party, and that his son-in-law, James Closs, was working and couldn't make it. He described his daughter as "thoughtful person" who brought "a little gift for everybody" at the party. A girl resembling Jayme was spotted at a gas station in south Florida on Monday afternoon, according to a tip Miami police say they received. Fitzgerald said authorities looked into the tip, but by Tuesday afternoon, they concluded the information was not credible. He said Miami police did not check with Wisconsin authorities before tweeting information about the tip and reminded the public that updates would come from the sheriff's department. "If we think it's key to the case where we need the public's help, we will disseminate that information," he said. Jayme is described as 5-feet (1.5 meters) tall and 100 pounds (45 kilograms), with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.<doc-sep>A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01: President Donald Trump's lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House West Wing July 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Giuliani did an on-camera interview with One America News Network's Chanel Rion before talking to other journalists about Vice President Joe Biden and the news that Russian intelligence may have paid Taliban operatives to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Vigils & tributes to George Floyd one year since his murder ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Begun in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Here's what reported grand jury in Trump case may look like NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: People walk past the Trump Tower as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in Washington on February 09, 2021 in New York City. After listening to nearly four hours of legal arguments, the Senate has voted on Tuesday to move ahead with the impeachment trial of former President Trump. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the conflict in the Middle East from Cross- Hall of the White House on May 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Israel and Hamas announced that they would agree to a cease-fire, which will take into effect on Friday, following days of fighting that claimed more than 200 lives. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 26: A view of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light-rail yard where a mass shooting occurred on May 26, 2021 in San Jose, California. A VTA employee opened fire at the yard, with preliminary reports indicating nine people dead including the gunman. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images) A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Pfizer/BioNTEch coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Ontario on December 14, 2020. - Ontario, Canada's most populous province and one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, had 1,940 new cases and 23 deaths on Monday. The province is expected to give its next doses to nursing home workers as a priority, according to media reports. (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East A 13-year old Wisconsin girl is missing after her parents were found dead early Monday morning, the Barron County Sheriff's Department said. The missing juvenile, Jayme Closs is 5-feet tall, 100 pounds with green eyes and blonde or strawberry hair, according to the BCSD. Barron County Sheriff's said they received a 911 call "from a subject asking for help at 1268 HWY 8". When deputies arrived, they found two deceased adults identified as James Closs, 56 and Denise Closs, 46, who were married. Correction: A prior version of this story incorrectly spelled the missing girl's last name. (CNN) — Volunteers and law enforcement combed the side of a highway on Thursday looking for evidence in the disappearance of a missing Wisconsin teenager whose parents were found dead in their home this week. But the search along Highway 8 in Barron County, Wisconsin, didn’t turn up anything of value, according to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. Hours earlier, Fitzgerald asked for 100 volunteers to help in the routine search for evidence that could be related to the case as the search for Jayme Closs entered its fourth day. The 13-year-old was likely at her family’s Barron home, located on Highway 8, when her parents were shot dead, and she vanished moments later, investigators believe. Her whereabouts and safety are still in question. “We believe Jayme was in the home at the time of the homicides and we believe she’s still in danger,” Fitzgerald said this week. Thursday’s search took place about 3 miles from the family’s home, according to CNN affiliate WCCO. Since authorities received a cryptic 911 call and discovered the bodies of Jayme’s parents in their home near the town of Barron early Monday, investigators have received more than 800 tips and have not confirmed any credible sightings of the girl. But the sheriff said he has a “100% expectation that she’s alive.” #FBIMilwaukee needs your help, as the search continues to bring home 13 year old Jayme Closs, now missing & endangered after her parents were found dead in their home in Barron, WI early this week. Call the tip line 1-855-744-3879.#FindJayme pic.twitter.com/rNELlQKJb6 — FBI Milwaukee (@FBIMilwaukee) October 17, 2018 An Amber Alert was issued Monday for Jayme and several law enforcement agencies have joined the search. Motive in parents’ death is unclear Deputies are also trying to solve the killings of Jayme’s parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, in the small city of Barron. During a 911 call shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, the dispatcher heard a disturbance in the background. But no one spoke directly to the dispatcher, Fitzgerald said. When deputes arrived to the home less than four minutes later, Fitzgerald said, no one was in sight and no vehicles were in the immediate area. Closs’ parents were shot and their deaths have been ruled homicides, Fitzgerald said Wednesday. No gun was found at the scene, he said. WCCO It's not clear how long James and Denise Closs had been dead when their bodies were discovered Monday.<doc-sep>BARRON - A missing Barron teenager was still at home when her parents were shot to death early Monday, the county sheriff said Wednesday. Officials determined that James and Denise Closs died from gunshot wounds and ruled their deaths as homicides, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said at an afternoon news conference. Further details about the autopsies were not available, and the murder weapon has not been found. The sheriff's department arrived early Monday at the Closs' home at 1268 U.S. 8, about a mile west of the Barron city limits, after dispatchers received a 911 call from an unknown person. Officials found the bodies of James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, but their 13-year-old daughter was nowhere to be found. Officials have said the 911 call came from inside the home and identified the cell phone it came from, but declined to say who owns it. The caller did not speak to dispatchers. Fitzgerald on Wednesday said that information from the phone call and from inside the home led investigators to conclude that Jayme Closs was home at the time her parents were killed. Authorities issued a national Amber alert for Jayme Monday afternoon, and the search for her continued Wednesday. Officials believe she's in danger but Fitzgerald said they expect to find her alive. RELATED: Barron residents in disbelief as search continues for missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs RELATED: Here's what we know about the Jayme Closs disappearance The Miami Police Department tweeted Monday that Jayme may have been spotted nearby in a black Ford Explorer with Wisconsin plates with two well-dressed, bearded men. But Fitzgerald said Wednesday that they haven't received any tips of a credible sighting, and on Tuesday he cast doubt on the Miami report. The murders and subsequent disappearance of Jayme have rattled the quiet town of fewer than 3,500 people. Barron is about 45 miles northwest of Eau Claire and 80 miles northeast of Minneapolis. With strawberry-blond hair and green eyes, Jayme has been described as a sweet, quiet girl who runs cross country and loves to dance. Her parents were longtime employees of Jennie-O Turkey Store in Barron. The sheriff scheduled a town hall Wednesday night exclusively for Barron residents to have a dialogue about how the community is coping. Victim assistance personnel were to be available to address wellness concerns. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the tip line at 855-744-3879.<doc-sep>
Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT ATTENDED A FAMILY GATHERING ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON THIS AFTERNOON, THEY’VE RELEASE NEW PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER. THESE ARE NEW PHOTOS RELEASED OF 13-YEAR-OLD JAYME CLOSS, PRESUMED TO BE ABDUCTED FROM HER HOME IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN EARLY MONDAY. THE SUPERINTENDANT FROM JAYME’S SCHOOL TALKED ABOUT HER LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. >> JAYME IS A SWEET, QUIET GIR WHO IS A LOYAL FRIEND AND LOVES TO DANCE. SHE IS A RUNNER ON OUR CROSS COUNTRY TEAM, AND A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO OUR BARON AR SCHOOL DISTRICT FAMILY. TERRY: NOW MISSING FOR NEARLY TWO DAYS, JAYME DISAPPEARED AND DEPUTIES FOUND HER PARENTS KILLED IN THEIR HOME. THE SHERIFF SAYS THERE WAS A STRANGE 911 CALL FROM TH FAMILY’S HOME AROUND 1:00 A.M. MONDAY. SHERIFF FITZGERALD: THE 911 CA WAS GIVEN THAT NIGHT FROM THE RESIDENCE ON A CELL PHONE, BUT NO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH SOMEBODY THAT WAS ON THE OTHER LINE. TERRY: JAYME IS NOT CONSIDERED A SUSPECT IN THE DEATHS OF HER M AND DAD, AND THE 911 CALL PROVIDES FEW CLUES. SHERIFF FITZGERALD: THERE WAS SOME KIND OF DISTURBANCE GOING ON, AND THAT’S WHY LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS SENT TO THE HOUSE. THEN, LATE LAST NIGHT, A TIP THAT SOMEONE MAY HAVE SPOTTED JAYME AT A CONVENIENCE STORE IN MIAMI. THE STORE’S SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS SEVERAL PEOPLE IN A BLACK FORD EXPLORER WTH A WISCONSIN PLATE AND TWO WELL-DRESSED, BEARDED MEN. BUT IT TAKES MORE THAN 24 HOURS TO DRIVE TO MIAMI FROM NORTHERN WISCONSIN. JAYME WAS WITH FAMILY SUNDAY AFTERNOON, AND THE SHERIFF SEEMED TO DISMISS THE TIP, SHERIFF FITZGERALD: I’M THE FACE OF INFORMATION. IF IT’S SOMETHING YOU GUYS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT. IT’LL COME FROM ME. IT’LL COME FROM OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. IT’LL COME FROM THE FBI TWITTER ACCOUNT. TOYA: SO TERRY, IS THE SHERIFF DISMISSING THIS FLORIDA SIGHTING COMPLETELY? TERR HE SAID TWICE THAT ON CREDIBLE INFORMATION WOULD COME Advertisement Missing 13-year-old girl was home when parents were shot to death, authorities say Share Shares Copy Link Copy A missing Wisconsin girl's parents were shot to death in their house while the girl was home, authorities said Wednesday as they urged the public to keep phoning in tips about her whereabouts.Investigators have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme 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 that 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 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.The sheriff called a meeting Wednesday evening with Barron County residents, but he barred reporters from attending, saying he wants to have a private dialogue with the people who elected him.Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, called the decision to bar the media "offensive. ""The media are uniquely able to help, in terms of getting out information and encouraging people to share tips," Lueders said. "Does he want to find this girl, or does he just want to make a public display of his dislike for the press? "Jayme is described as 5-feet (1.5 meters) tall and 100 pounds (45 kilograms), with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Barron County Sheriff's Office at 855-744-3879.