Missing Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs found alive: What we know about how she escaped
USA Today - Nearly three months after her parents were shot dead in their Wisconsin home and a nationwide search began to locate the missing 13-year-old girl, Jayme Closs has been found alive.
The girl described by friends as a "sweet and shy" middle schooler was found in a neighborhood in northwestern Wisconsin about an hour's drive from her home in Barron, Wisconsin.
"We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!" Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday night.
When was Jayme found?
Jayme was found in the town of Gordon, Wisconsin, at 4:43 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Gordon is a rural town of fewer than 1,000 people.
How did they find her?
Jayme escaped from a home in Gordon, approached a neighbor walking a dog and asked for help, The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reports. The neighbor, who did not want to be named, took her to the nearby home of Peter Kasinskas, who told the Tribune that Jayme didn't know where she was but believed she had been in the area for most of the last three months. The neighbor stood at Kasinskas door with the disheveled, thin girl, the Star reports, saying "“This is Jayme Closs! Call 911!”
Did police capture her kidnapper?
Minutes after Jayme was found, authorities took a suspect into custody. Authorities blocked all streets leading to a cabin in Eau Claire Acres Circle Thursday night, The Star Tribune reports.
What is her family saying?
Jeff Closs, Jayme’s uncle, told KARE-TV, in Minneapolis, that the family is in shock.
"We thought it was going to be a different ending and we’re so happy that you know, hopefully she’s OK, we don’t really know what shape she's in. Or you know, we don't really know a lot, all we know is just she’s alive," he told the station on Thursday.
Jayme's aunt, Kelly Engelhardt told KARE she's prayed for this moment "every single day."
Jayme was taken to a local hospital for the night and reunited with family.
How long has she been missing?
Jayme has been missing since Oct. 15. Around 1 a.m. that day, police received a 911 call that led them to the Closs home, where parents James, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, were dead from gunshot wounds. Jayme was missing and there weren't any solid leads on her whereabouts. Police believed she was at the house when her parents were killed. Hours later, local authorities said the girl was in danger and asked the public for help finding her. An Amber Alert was also issued.
Previously reported: 911 call log reveals new details in disappearance of Jayme Closs
Previously reported: Wisconsin girl missing 4 days: What we know about Jayme Closs' disappearance and her parents' death
What do we know about Jayme's last three months?
Authorities did not offer details on the investigation Thursday night. The FBI and Wisconsin's Division of Criminal Investigation are working with local authorities on the case. A press conference is scheduled for Friday morning.