Jayme Closs: FBI Doubles Reward Money, Returns Home To Family

BARRON, WI — The reward for information leading to the discovery of Jayme Closs has doubled to $50,000, officials said Friday. Closs is a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who is considered missing and endangered after her parents were found shot and killed in their home last week.

In a statement Friday, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said that the FBI and the Jennie-O Turkey Store, where Jayme Closs' parents once worked, partnered to boost the reward dollar amount. Fitzgerald also said that the Closs home has been returned to the extended family because their investigation has been completed on the property.

Fitzgerald delivered an update earlier this week on the ongoing search of Closs, who has eluded detection since the early morning hours of Oct. 15. She has been cleared as a suspect in the death of her parents, 46-year-old Denise and 56-year-old James Closs.

During a press conference held in Barron County Wednesday afternoon, Closs' aunt Jennifer Smith pleaded for her niece's safe return.

“Not a moment goes by when we aren’t thinking of you and praying for you. Your family and friends miss you so much: your sparkling eyes, your bright smile, your soft little giggles,” Smith said. “Your dog, Molly, is waiting for you. She’s sleeping in one of your sweatshirts — and will only eat chicken. Grandpa needs new artwork on his fridge. Aunt Susie wants to go jogging in the park with you. I want that girls' shopping date we planned. I even brought your favorite iced coffee with me today.”

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Investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies believe Closs is still alive, and said they won’t stop until they bring her home safely.

"The hope is what we're riding on," he said Wednesday.

Massive Search Turns Up Empty

On Tuesday, 2,000 volunteers explored the five square miles around the Closs family home. They marched in 14 groups, outfitted with sticks as they scoured cornfields, prairie lands, backyards, parks and wooded areas for anything that could help: a cell phone, a piece of clothing or even the gun that was used in the shooting.

After seven hours, investigators said that no new evidence had been dug up by volunteers.

“It’s unbelievable, we’re a small community and for something of this magnitude to happen here, it’s just horrific,” volunteer Ruth Madison told the local CBS affliate, WCCO.

Authorities Searching For Vehicles of Interest

Authorities are now looking for tips about a red or orange Dodge Challenger and a black Ford Edge or Acura MDX sport utility vehicle, Fitzgerald said Monday. The vehicles were seen in the Barron vicinity on Oct. 8 and Oct. 22, and anyone who may have seen them is asked to call the sheriff's department tip line at (855) 744-3879.

Fitzgerald didn't elaborate much on how the vehicles may be linked to Closs' disappearance or the death of her parents, saying only that they're "vehicles of interest."

Investigators so far have received more than 1,550 tips about the whereabouts of Closs, though none of those tips have borne any fruit. About 1,250 of those tips had been cleared as of Wednesday afternoon.

Local authorities have been working in partnership with the FBI and Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. Investigators have released new photos of Closs, deployed K9 officers, used thermal sensors and have conducted a massive foot and door-to-door search.

Authorities have expanded their search to the entire United States, and have added resources in an attempt to discover anything that can help track down Closs, who is believed to have been kidnapped at gunpoint.

The FBI has added her to their top kidnappings and missing persons list. The bureau also said it has posted information about Closs to digital billboards across the nation and asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the FBI.

Besides the new tip line — (855) 744-3879 — the Barron County Sheriff's Department also has added an email address, jaymetips@co.barron.wi.us, where photos or videos related to possible sightings can be submitted.

In an Amber Alert, authorities described Jayme as 5 feet tall and weighing about 100 pounds. She has green eyes and blond or strawberry blond hair.

911 Call Offers Clues

Information by local authorities late last week shed more light on the tragic moments after the teen's parents were killed and her unexplained disappearance. The 911 call made to local authorities the morning of the shooting came from the mother's cell phone, and the door to their home was kicked in, investigators said.

During the 911 call, dispatchers reported hearing "a lot of yelling" and multiple gunshots. Authorities tried calling the cell phone back, but didn't get an answer. They tried to call the home's land line, only to learn that it had been disconnected.

The transcript's initial entries say that emergency responders were dispatched for an apparent suicide attempt, but that the call was quickly changed to a homicide call. Authorities have not indicated who made the call.

A transcript of that 911 call is available here.

Neighbors Wake To Gunshots

Neighbors Tom and Joan Smrekar woke up early the morning of Oct. 15 to the sound of two gunshots, only seconds apart at 12:31 a.m. They were interviewed by the FBI later that day.

"They were fine neighbors," Tom Smrekar told the Associated Press. "We really don't know them — our contact has been minimal."

Jayme's grandfather, 72-year-old Robert Naiberg told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that nothing appeared out of the ordinary when Jayme and her mother appeared at a family gathering on Oct. 14 while Jayme's dad was at work.

The shooting of the Closses and thier daughter's disappearance has rattled the small, tight-knit community, family friend Melissa Salmonson told CBS News.

"Everyone is feeling very helpless right now," Salmonson said, noting that many community members gathered at a vigil last week to "pray for Jayme's safe return."

"It makes you hug your kids. It makes you nervous," community member Bethany Stevens told the network. "It's just unsettling."

Authorities released additional photos of Closs as law enforcement continues their search for her.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Submitted Photos

Lead photo via AP Photo/Jeff Baenen