A 13-year-old Wisconsin girl who has been missing since October has been found alive, local authorities said Thursday.
Jayme Closs was discovered by the Douglas County Sheriff's Department in Gordon, Wisconsin, a town about 65 miles north of where she was last seen.
The Barron County Sheriff's Department, which covers Closs's hometown, announced her recovery in a post to its Facebook page, adding that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the case.
"On Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff's Department was notified by the Douglas CO WI Sheriff's Department that they had located Jayme Closs alive," Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a statement. "Shortly after this, a suspect was taken into custody in regards to this case. We do not any other details at this time as this is a very fluid and active investigation."
Jayme Closs has been locatedOn Thursday evening the Barron County Sheriff’s Department was notified by the Douglas CO...
Posted by Barron County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, January 10, 2019
Closs disappeared on October 15, the same day her parents, James and Denise Closs, were found shot to death in their home near Barron, a town of 3,300 about 80 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
A 911 call placed from Denise Closs's phone picked up sounds of a struggle in the background, but the caller didn't communicate with the dispatcher. Investigators said later they believed Closs was at home at the time of the shooting.
In the weeks after Closs's disappearance, local law enforcement said they were working under the assumption that she was still alive and endangered. Thousands of area residents joined volunteer search parties while investigators fielded thousands of tips, but there had been no sign of Jayme until Thursday's announcement.
"We also could not have endured this case without the support of the public and I want to thank them for all the support and help," Fitzgerald said in the Facebook post. "Finally we want to especially thank the family for their support and patience while this case was ongoing. We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!"
Barron County authorities were planning a press briefing Friday morning, Fitzgerald said.
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