Authorities responded to a cryptic 911 call early Monday and found the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs (pictured) dead. Photo / Supplied
Authorities responded to a cryptic 911 call early Monday and found the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs (pictured) dead. Photo / Supplied
Investigators searching for a missing Wisconsin girl have recovered the phone used to make a 911 call from inside the home where her parents were found shot dead as they continue to piece together clues four days after she vanished.
Authorities responded to a cryptic 911 call early Monday and found the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs dead in their home in Barron.
The girl, who was immediately ruled out as a suspect and runaway, was missing by the time deputies arrived just four minutes later.
Authorities say Jayme was in the family's home when her parents, Denise and James Closs, were killed. Photos / Supplied
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald revealed on Wednesday that Jayme was in the family's home when her parents, James and Denise, were killed based on evidence from both the scene and from the 911 call.
Fitzgerald told CNN the phone the 911 was made from had been recovered and they had since determined who it belonged to. He would not identify the owner of the phone.
He said no one was communicating to the dispatcher on the 911 call but 'some kind of disturbance could be heard'.
No gun was found at the scene but autopsies confirmed that Jayme's parents had been fatally shot. Relatives of the family said that the front door of the home was shot in.
Meanwhile, the FBI has since joined the investigation as authorities urged the public to keep phoning in tips about Jayme's whereabouts.
"(The FBI) are the experts in breaking down 911 tapes, looking at our phones, and taking care of all evidence in that manner," Fitzgerald said.
The sheriff has so far declined to elaborate as to why investigators believe Jayme is not a runaway, saying that disclosing more information would compromise their investigation.
'I'm telling you, Jayme is missing and endangered,' Fitzgerald said.
He said 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,' he said.
'Is it a random attack or a targeted attack? I don't know that answer. That's why those leads are so important.'
The sheriff said that a tip claiming a girl resembling Jayme had been spotted at a gas station in Miami on Monday afternoon was not credible.
Fitzgerald said the information had been tweeted by the Miami police directly, without consulting investigators in Barron.
'We have no credible information that that was a credible tip,' he said.
Jayme was last seen at a family gathering on Sunday afternoon. Robert Naiberg, Jayme's grandfather, said she had been 'quiet as always' at his grandson's birthday party.
Authorities responded to a cryptic 911 call early Monday and found the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs dead in their home in Barron. Photo / Supplied
Naiberg said Jayme was a 'thoughtful person' and had brought a 'little gift for everybody' to the party.
Jayme's father was working at the time of the party.
The missing girl is described as 5-feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.
The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping in the search.
An Amber Alert was issued without a description of a suspect or vehicle.
Meanwhile, deputies searched the area around the family's home with drones and infrared equipment and talked to Jayme's friends and middle school classmates, hoping to develop some leads.
Community members held a candlelight vigil for Jayme at St Peters Catholic Church in Barron on Tuesday night.
Attendees were given blue and green ribbons to wear during the vigil. Blue is Jayme's favorite color, and green is a symbol for missing children.
