MINNEAPOLIS _ Wisconsin authorities are intensifying their search near the family's home where 13-year-old Jayme Closs was last known to be more than a week ago and where her parents were shot dead.
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald has put the call out for 2,000 volunteers to participate in a six-hour search "for articles of evidentiary value" in connection with the teen's disappearance and the deaths of her parents, 56-year-old James and 46-year-old Denise Closs, on Oct. 15 at their home just to the west of the city of Barron.
As of early Monday afternoon and after fielding more than 1,000 tips, investigators have disclosed no confirmed sightings of Jayme, who is considered "endangered." The Sheriff's Office said she was in the home at the time her parents were killed. Authorities also have yet to identify who killed the Closses.
Volunteers are being directed to report to the staging area at 1883 Hwy. 25 in Barron, also known as the Hungry Hollow Grounds, no later than 9 a.m. Tuesday. No more than 2,000 volunteers will be accepted.
Searchers must be at least 18 years old, have photo identification and be able to walk on uneven terrain. Proper footwear and cold-weather clothing should be worn.
A search last Thursday for Jayme drew dozens of participants and covered several miles in each direction from the Closs home set back in the woods on Hwy. 8. The search lasted several hours and turned up "nothing of evidentiary value," Fitzgerald said.
Anyone with information is asked to call a 24-hour tip line, 1-855-744-3879, or to e-mail jaymetips@co.barron.wi.us.
