AMBER ALERT WI - Jayme Closs, 13, Barron, missing after parents found shot, 15 Oct 2018 *endangered* #13

[WiseOwl]

Hi just joined you guys but have been following things closely as an outside observer. Sincerely hope with all my heart that Jayme is safe even after this amount of time.

Something has been bothering me about this case for a while and really not sure if I can mention names in relation to my concerns. But a little girl is missing so here goes:

Strikes me that the Smrekar neighbours have gone a bit quiet after initially giving lots of interviews. To me, some comments are contradictory and strange. Maybe the relationship with their neighbours was strained?

One interview with Ashleigh Banfield of CNN previously discussed on this thread concerns me in that it doesn’t ring true and seems to be designed to distance the Smrekars from knowing that there was a child next door. Strange to say the least since I think both families lived there for some years.

SMREKAR: They were very quiet people. We only saw them come and go from their home. We took mail up to them that got delivered to us, and they didn`t even want to come to the door. They were just quiet, preferred I guess to be alone. You didn`t see them out in the yard doing anything. At least we didn`t.

BANFIELD: Did you ever see Jaime with any friends? Or did she ever come and go and get picked up by friends in vehicles of any kind?

SMREKAR: That I can`t tell you, I just know that the school bus dropped her off?

BANFIELD: And you would see her dropped off daily in front of the house by the school bus?

SMREKAR: Yes.

BANFIELD: But other than that, you didn`t see collections of friends coming and going from that house?

SMREKAR: No. We didn`t even know they had any children. They just weren`t out there doing things.

In a video interview with Joan Smrekar and her husband Search for missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs expands as police hunt for 2 cars seen by Wisconsin home | Daily Mail Online. There is a strange statement at timing point 0.58 where he is describing the helicopter flying back and forward over his house and says: “… and this is where they are at, it’s kind of uncomfortable, not SCARY uncomfortable for us…uncomfortable for accomplishing something.” Also his body language is full of self-touch especially on his leg which may indicate insecurity.

A fuller search of the neighbour’s property might be a good idea.

IMO the strangest thing about the neighbour's is why didn't they call the police when they heard the gunshots? If i lived in a remote property in the middle of the woods and i heard two loud gunshots near my property in the middle of the night i would be on the phone to the cops straightaway! Not to mention barricading myself in my bedroom to boot!

 

[1987]

Unless they were threatened. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot.”

if don't move or I will shoot works then no need to restrain. moo.

 

[minnphatts]

I was addressing the ties being restraints. I don't think they would want the public to see restraints still tied to a chair, for fear of speculation and revealing evidence to the public. If anything I would think they would cover it up with something. Jmo

FWIW I'm mostly playing devil's advocate because obviously LE has been very careful about what information they release. But even carrying out a mattress in plain sight has implications that are open to interpretation by the public. For example, part of the crime must have happened in a Closs bedroom on the bed (speculation based upon seeing the mattress). There must be something of evidentiary value on it if LE carrying it out in plain sight.

 

[MsBetsy]

I think a lot of it has to do with the size of the object in question, what they are expecting to find on it, texture of item, visible marks (blood), and how easily they can cover it up.

For example, they don't have an mattress-sized evidence bag and there wasn't anything visible on it, and maybe were looking for liquids (?) so it went out without a cover.

I would think it would be easy enough to put a bag or cover or the chair to hide an integral part of the crime. People with evidence gathering experience might be able to tell us more.

Maybe the cushion had potential evidence, and they cut the ties rather than touching it. It's hard to say, but they obviously had a reason to take the chair. Jmo

 

[SAMS]

Thanks Quill, yes I remember seeing that they had their property searched but maybe there is a storm shelter or underground bunker. Do you remember if the neighbours said where they were before arriving home at 11.30pm? Could they have bumped into the neighbours and had a disagreement?

Fresh pair of eyes on the case. Refreshing. Welcome, Get off my lawn!

 

[MsBetsy]

IMO the strangest thing about the neighbour's is why didn't they call the police when they heard the gunshots? If i lived in a remote property in the middle of the woods and i heard two loud gunshots near my property in the middle of the night i would be on the phone to the cops straightaway! Not to mention barricading myself in my bedroom to boot!

They said they were used to hearing gunshots, and thought it was a hunter.

 

[1987]

Some of mine are tied to the second to last spindle on one side because the chair is wider than where the cushion strings land. I could tie it to the end, but it's going to put a lot more stress on where the ties are sewn to the chair as people sit in the chair over and over and end up breaking loose from the cushion pretty quickly. In fact, the chair I have to do that with on one side looks much like this I one.

mine like this has a guitar string tied to it. cat likes it and keeps the cat busy. sometimes things are really odd even and just a part of daily life.

 

[Bravo]

mine like this has a guitar string tied to it. cat likes it and keeps the cat busy. sometimes things are really odd even and just a part of daily life.

Agree

 

[MsBetsy]

IMO the strangest thing about the neighbour's is why didn't they call the police when they heard the gunshots? If i lived in a remote property in the middle of the woods and i heard two loud gunshots near my property in the middle of the night i would be on the phone to the cops straightaway! Not to mention barricading myself in my bedroom to boot!

They said they were used to hearing gunshots, and thought it was a hunter.

 

[MsBetsy]

L

FWIW I'm mostly playing devil's advocate because obviously LE has been very careful about what information they release. But even carrying out a mattress in plain sight has implications that are open to interpretation by the public. For example, part of the crime must have happened in a Closs bedroom on the bed (speculation based upon seeing the mattress). There must be something of evidentiary value on it if LE carrying it out in plain sight. You can cover up a mattress if you need to, they come in plastic bags if I'm not mistaken?

Yes, they can cover it with paper or plastic, depending on whether or not it was wet or dry as far as I know, but I don't think they would leave it uncovered if there was visable blood or something like that. They may have already removed fibers, hairs or things like that if that's what they were looking for. Jmo

 

[PommyMommy]

Maybe the cushion had potential evidence, and they cut the ties rather than touching it. It's hard to say, but they obviously had a reason to take the chair. Jmo

Or maybe the cushion had been gone from the seat for months or years, with just the ties remaining...
MOO

 

[Ragnarok]

Living in the UK i clearly remember this crime. This was the 2017 case of Aaron Barley who stabbed to death mother-of-two Tracey Wilkinson and her 13 year-old son Pierce and critically injured her husband Peter. Tracey had found him homeless and begging outside her local supermarket and had taken him in, giving him food and shelter. She found him a place in a hostel and her husband gave him a job at his manufacturing firm but a few months later Barley started taking drugs. One day he came back to their home and attacked them with a knife, killing the mom and son and injuring the dad. A chilling and extremely sad story.

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[Le Singe]

where or when did this motorcycle come in to play? Sorry if i missed it but can you elaborate?

Nooooooooooo **punches self in face**

 

[cody22]

They still look like long, white flat tipped, tennis shoe strings to me.... I hope we find out for sure someday.....Justice for the Closs family !

 

[CuriousMaine]

Re: chair

If that is splintered wood on the front of the seat of the chair, and if it is from a bullet, then, IMO the direction of the bullet came from under the seat out the top of the seat. I can think of a few scenarios where it would be plausible, but my imagination is limited to missed target/ricochet, chair tipped over or used as shield, etc.

 

[Ragnarok]

I wish we knew for certain the Closs family movements from the time Jayme and Denise left the family gathering, and what James was doing that evening, (working, home, out elsewhere) until the time the gunshots were heard at approximately 12:30.

Points to ponder:

-We do know the neighbors were out earlier that evening. What if the gunshots they heard at 12:30 were not the first gunshots?

-What if Jayme and Denise walked in on a burglary? If they came in through the garage, the front door might still have been locked when James got home. Was it he who actually kicked in the door?

-What door did the family typically use to enter the house when they parked in the driveway?

-If there were two perps, maybe one was stationed as a lookout.

-If he/they had the two females inside perhaps he/they tied one to a chair while sexually assaulting the other not knowing a man, James, would be coming home. If this is a possible scenario, perhaps Denise broke loose from the chair when Jayme was being assualted and this was how the ties/restraints were broken on the chair or cushion. This may have been when she was shot.

-Perhaps James was home first and was shot when the perp(s) tried to enter the home. If Denise and Jayme came in through the basement, they may not even have noticed the front door kicked in upstairs especially if it was dark.


I am not sure the original point of this whole horrific incident was to kidnap Jayme. As other posters have noted, why not take her at a time when she was alone rather than risk the confrontation with her parents?

Why was Dad’s truck parked so far away from the house?

Unfortunately, I still think the decision to take Jayme may have been made when the 911 call was made. The perp might have thought she was some type of insurance or bargaining point with authorities. Perhaps even he is surprised that he has not been caught yet. But what to do with Jayme?

I've wondered about the truck location also. Different than what I would do.

 

[MsBetsy]

mine like this has a guitar string tied to it. cat likes it and keeps the cat busy. sometimes things are really odd even and just a part of daily life.

Yes, many times the strings break. I had one that broke and I just tied another tie on it and then attached it to the spindle. I have also tied stings with cat toys. I wonder if the scratches could be from the dog jumping up and begging for food, or maybe scratching at the chair or something. I can't tell by the picures so I really don't know. Jmo

 

[raja]

This has bugged me from the beginning. I initially thought the dispatch first reported it as a possible suicide. When you read it now it does not show that or does it.

 

[MsBetsy]

I've wondered about the truck location also. Different than what I would do.

I thought maybe he parked there so Denise could get her car out in the morning. Unless when he arrived there was already another car there. Jmo

 

[Buddha_with_mace]

Does anyone else have real trouble with the credibility of the neighbours statement and subsequent interviews? I don't mean they had anything to do with it, or are lying purposely, maybe more that they've got caught up in the attention? I must admit that right from the start, as soon as they said they didn't know a child was living in the house and then in the next breath said they saw Jayme get off the school bus outside the house every day, everything thereafter I've taken with a grain of salt.