FBI: $25K to find missing NW Wisconsin girl whose parents were killed

Volunteers make their way in a line across train tracks.
Volunteers make their way in a line across train tracks and into the woods during a search for missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs in Barron, Wis., on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.
Evan Frost | MPR News

The FBI on Wednesday offered $25,000 for information that helps find Jayme Closs, the 13-year-old Barron, Wis., girl whose parents were found shot to death in their home last week.

After an area search Tuesday using 2,000 volunteers looking for evidence, authorities acknowledged they're not close yet to identifying a suspect in the killings or in Jayme's disappearance.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told reporters Wednesday afternoon he wants to talk with anyone who was driving on U.S. Highway 8 near the Closs home around 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Oct. 15.

Dispatch logs indicate the initial 911 call that summoned deputies to the home came at about 1 a.m. that morning from a cellphone belonging to Denise Closs, Jayme's mother.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Fitzgerald said he doesn't consider anyone who might have been on the road then a suspect but that authorities wanted to talk to them because they may have seen something. There were no plans at this point to do any additional field searches, he added.

Jayme Closs
This undated photo provided by the FBI shows Jayme Closs. Authorities say that Closs went missing after her parents were found dead at their home near Barron, Wis., on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.
Photo courtesy FBI

Authorities say Jayme was home at the time her parents were killed and believe the missing girl is still in danger.

On Wednesday, for the first time since Jayme's disappearance, family members went public to thank searchers and plead for Jayme's return.

"Not a moment goes by when we aren't thinking about you and praying," said Jennifer Smith, her aunt. "We need you here with us to fill that hole we have in our hearts. We will never stop looking for you."

Jayme is described as 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes. Anyone with information should contact the sheriff's tip line at 1-855-744-3879.