BARRON, Wis. _ Jayme Closs, the teenage girl who freed herself from her captor after she was abducted by a stranger in her home who murdered her parents one year ago, said in a statement released Monday that she is feeling "stronger every day."
Closs, now 14, said in the statement read aloud by her guardian that she wanted to "thank everyone for all the kindness and concern that people all over the country have shown me. I'm very happy to be home and getting back to the activity that I enjoy. I love hanging out with all my friends and I feel stronger every day."
Guardian Chris Gramstrup said at a news conference at the county justice center Monday morning that the teen, who endured 88 days in captivity before escaping from a cabin in the woods some 70 miles from her home on Jan. 10, has opened her heart and entrusted people around her.
Over the summer, she spent a lot of time with her family and friends, hiking through state parks and taking other day trips, celebrating family weddings and birthdays including her own, and getting back into a routine with her friends, Gramstrup said.
"She's a very social young woman and she really enjoys reconnecting and being with her good friends," he said. "She continues to work very, very hard on her emotional well-being. She's moving forward courageously and she's reclaiming her life."
At the news conference, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald recognized 10 leaders in the investigation with small trophies depicting a law enforcement officer and a small child. Law enforcement officers poured over 32,000 reports in the case and more than 700 pieces of evidence, Fitzgerald said, and they never gave up hope of finding Jayme.
He said he hopes that the positive energy coming off Jayme's resilience and courage can be used to help find other missing children.
"As adults in this world we need to make sure that kids out there know that no matter what the circumstances are, someone out there cares about them. We care about them," Fitzgerald said. "I saw and felt the power of good and we need to take that good and do so much more with it.
So let's take that energy, that goodness, and go make a difference."
