WI WI - James Yoblonski, 13, took family's car, found on USH 12, may be in Devil's Lake State Park area, Baraboo, 12 Jun 2023 *reward*

New Posts

charminglane said:
Did James ever use Snapchat before?
The use of the word "people" doesn't sound like a 13 year old.
Click to expand...
The "people " statement is something a teacher quite often says. Quiet down people. People get to work etc. I know my daughter went through a phase where she would have said that and definitely got it from school
 
I was just catching myself up on this case. The original FB post by the police department has comments that led me to more questions. Do we have any idea where the mother is? The family dynamic in my opinion are hard to follow as the sister said she doesn't speak to the father. Could his going to the business be not only to retrieve the gun but to get gas in the van? It is a golf cart place
 
According to this recent article
www.wkow.com

Where is James Yoblonski? The night the Sauk Co. teen disappeared

In video 27 News is sharing with the public for the very first time, 13-year-old James Yoblonski is seen, alone, leaving his family's Reedsburg home roughly seven months ago.
www.wkow.com www.wkow.com
James took his father's phone. A post on the first page of this discussion says that James's friends knew something. His belongings were found in a few places.

I'm wondering if James might have connected with a predator on line. He could have shared that information with his friends. If that were the case, the adult may have told James to bring his father's gun and his phone to delay his calling for help and give him more time to get away. Then he might have tossed James's things in various places to throw the police off the trail. It would also explain the van left behind--they could have met somewhere.

James was a 13 year old boy at the time he disappeared. The idea that he's out there camping and evading many people who are experienced in tracking people down without ever being seen seems pretty unlikely to me.
 
AZDesertGal said:
According to this recent article
www.wkow.com

Where is James Yoblonski? The night the Sauk Co. teen disappeared

In video 27 News is sharing with the public for the very first time, 13-year-old James Yoblonski is seen, alone, leaving his family's Reedsburg home roughly seven months ago.
www.wkow.com www.wkow.com
James took his father's phone. A post on the first page of this discussion says that James's friends knew something. His belongings were found in a few places.

I'm wondering if James might have connected with a predator on line. He could have shared that information with his friends. If that were the case, the adult may have told James to bring his father's gun and his phone to delay his calling for help and give him more time to get away. Then he might have tossed James's things in various places to throw the police off the trail. It would also explain the van left behind--they could have met somewhere.

James was a 13 year old boy at the time he disappeared. The idea that he's out there camping and evading many people who are experienced in tracking people down without ever being seen seems pretty unlikely to me.
Click to expand...
I agree that there is absolutely no way he's still in this area just hiding out somewhere. I think the Sheriff’s department thought that at first, hence the statement they put out last summer about it being a crime to be hiding him. The towns here are small and the flyer with his face on it is still up at the sheriff's department and various local businesses. Unless he is not going outside at all, I don't see how he could still be around here.

Which leads me to believe he is elsewhere that this hasn't been publicized and staying with God knows who. It's one thing to shelter a 16-17 year old runaway in my opinion, quite another if the child is 13-14. Once you're 16 truancy laws don't apply and you can get a job without needing a work permit. So I can somewhat understand an adult letting their child's friend who is that age stay with them without direct communication with their parent if it's a bad situation and the kid chose to leave home. But if you're sheltering a 13 year old without parental permission, I think you're probably up to something shady.

As far as him meeting someone online I don't think he had access to any devices at home to do that. And with SCSO saying no evidence of foul play, it would seem he didn't communicate with anyone from his dad's phone that night (though they could also be bluffing about that). The school he attended had cracked down on internet usage from their devices at the end of last school year from what I know, so I think it's unlikely he used a school device.

My best guess now is that someone driving through picked him up, whether it was somehow prearranged or they just happened upon him on the side of the highway. I hope this latest story is seen by someone who recognizes him wherever he is now and he can be safe.
 
mst said:
I was just catching myself up on this case. The original FB post by the police department has comments that led me to more questions. Do we have any idea where the mother is? The family dynamic in my opinion are hard to follow as the sister said she doesn't speak to the father. Could his going to the business be not only to retrieve the gun but to get gas in the van? It is a golf cart place
Click to expand...
From public records the best anyone has been able to determine, Mom lives elsewhere in Wisconsin and isn't involved in James' life.
 
EIM said:
I agree that there is absolutely no way he's still in this area just hiding out somewhere. I think the Sheriff’s department thought that at first, hence the statement they put out last summer about it being a crime to be hiding him. The towns here are small and the flyer with his face on it is still up at the sheriff's department and various local businesses. Unless he is not going outside at all, I don't see how he could still be around here.

Which leads me to believe he is elsewhere that this hasn't been publicized and staying with God knows who. It's one thing to shelter a 16-17 year old runaway in my opinion, quite another if the child is 13-14. Once you're 16 truancy laws don't apply and you can get a job without needing a work permit. So I can somewhat understand an adult letting their child's friend who is that age stay with them without direct communication with their parent if it's a bad situation and the kid chose to leave home. But if you're sheltering a 13 year old without parental permission, I think you're probably up to something shady.

As far as him meeting someone online I don't think he had access to any devices at home to do that. And with SCSO saying no evidence of foul play, it would seem he didn't communicate with anyone from his dad's phone that night (though they could also be bluffing about that). The school he attended had cracked down on internet usage from their devices at the end of last school year from what I know, so I think it's unlikely he used a school device.

My best guess now is that someone driving through picked him up, whether it was somehow prearranged or they just happened upon him on the side of the highway. I hope this latest story is seen by someone who recognizes him wherever he is now and he can be safe.
Click to expand...

If the SCSO says there's no evidence of foul play, what could have happened? There has to be a lot that they know and are not telling us because the story as it's presented here points in that direction.

I hope he's safe!
 
This is just a general outlook on what the public is presented with in any situation and what may (or may not be) behind it. If anyone finds it of interest or is thinking the same kind of things. All just my amateur thoughts, of course.

So, after watching a zillion true crime shows, I don't 100% consider evidence to be "evidence" for sure unless it's been verified by the authorities. And maybe not even then. Here's why:

First, it's often hard to discover if any "evidence" or info. given to a news outlet is from the authorities or verified by the authorities, or if it's actually from a non-official source, where it's far more likely to have been modified, manipulated or fabricated. Keeping in mind that if someone else was involved, especially if it was a murder, they'd have enormous motive to try to control the narrative in their favor.

Also, the authorities publicize things for a reason, so even if they did verify any bit of news or put it out there themselves, whatever we're presented with may not be completely accurate. It would be publicized for a reason.

For ex., on first glance, it seems obvious to me that if a billboard sign is put up about a missing person, the authorities think that person is alive. Billboards are expensive and budgets are limited, obviously. However, the authorities could actually not think the person is alive, but put the billboard up in the daily travel path of someone they think knows more than they're saying. Either to work on their conscience or remind them of just how much trouble they could be in for not telling. That's just one example.

After seeing all the layers behind what's put out to the public and who/what is behind it, I often feel like the more we hear, the more confusing it is. :/

As someone else mentioned, now I am wondering why we're only now seeing these scattered pieces of surveillance video seven months after they came into being, for one thing. Seven months, with a missing child case?! And are they verified/authorized for release by the authorities or not?

For ex. I have followed crime/missing persons cases before where someone actually impersonated the missing person on a security video, for example. And also where the time stamp on a video was tampered with.

And, on the recent www.wkow.com interview, I can't tell if the statements from the police are new or if they are actually old footage, from earlier in the investigation, when less was known than it is now.

Also, just to note, "no evidence of foul play" is not the same as "there was no foul play." And of course, it could also be said publicly if the authorities don't want a suspect to know they are a suspect and clam up or bolt, for ex.

In other words, we may have gotten more information or... just more confusion. :/ MOO
 
AZDesertGal said:
If the SCSO says there's no evidence of foul play, what could have happened? There has to be a lot that they know and are not telling us because the story as it's presented here points in that direction.

I hope he's safe!
Click to expand...
I think, and this is just my opinion, that they think he left voluntarily. And there is no indication of what else may have occurred.

But for him to be gone this long, someone is doing something not quite kosher to "help" him stay gone imo
 
I just found this thread today and read through it. After reading through the first few pages and getting a bit mixed up on the facts, I decided to make a list of what was known with associated links. So, I just thought I'd share.

James Yoblonski, 13-year-old male
120 pounds, 5’11” tall with blue-green eyes and brown hair
He has a half-inch scar on the back of his neck.

June 12, 2023
James left his home in Reedsburg, WI in the early morning hours driving his father's van. He was last seen wearing red shoes, blue jeans, a shirt and baseball hat.

A .380 semiautomatic pistol belonging to James’s father was discovered to be missing – dad believes James drove to his father’s workplace and took the gun from that location for protection.

James may have also taken two survival guidebooks with him (one may be part of a series of books entitled ‘Living Off the Grid’).

According to investigators, James had been talking about surviving in the wilderness and going “off the grid” before he disappeared.

Video footage shows James walking across the street from his house and getting into his dad’s van with a backpack and duffle bag at 12:52 am; he's later seen on camera arriving at his father’s business just after 3:00 am and then leaving 54 minutes later.

The van was located along the “westbound lanes” of Highway 12 near Baraboo Bluffs, a couple miles from the westernmost portion of Devil’s Lake State Park and the northern part of the Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area, north of Groth Road in Sumpter, WI at about 4:45 am.

Tracking of his dad's cell phone showed that James left his house, drove through Dells, the village Lake Delton, just about in Adams County, back in the south county, through Reedsburg and then eventually to Highway 12. During that time, James stopped at his father’s business in Wisconsin Dells twice.

Ground and air searches were conducted with 10 K9s, two airplanes, and a Black Hawk helicopter in the days following James’s disappearance.

The day James was reported missing detectives discovered a makeshift campsite inside the park, roughly 100 yards to the west of US 12, along with various items belonging to James (including several changes of clothes--three pairs of pants and three shirts, his backpack, his dad's phone, and a pillow).

Later searches conducted in an area near Baraboo and Devil’s Lake State Park, on both sides of Highway 12, revealed additional signs of life (including a freshly cut walking stick, plastic sandwich bags, and a possible boot print 200 yards southwest of the abandoned campsite discovered earlier in the week).

Authorities said they believe James traveled southwest but they can’t be sure.

Detectives subsequently discovered a second campsite with a jug of water, a pair of socks, and a knife sheath.

Sheriff Meister said officials had essentially searched the entire area and outlined the 5,000 acres that were covered.

Detectives began to fear their presence might be pushing James farther away and scaled back their searches, although they left behind cameras in areas they suspected James had been and would be alerted if motion was detected.

Crime Stoppers reminded the public that anyone who takes in a runaway should immediately notify law enforcement.

The family conducted their own searches in the area during the last two weekends in June and volunteers located a campsite that appeared to have been recently abandoned (materials were dry in spite of the heavy rain overnight).

James posted a video on Snapchat using his dad’s phone. In the video, James apparently said something along the lines of “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be back for school. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but I might.” (This is the dad paraphrasing.) The video appeared to have been taken from inside the van while he was driving.

Two devices were analyzed by the FBI – one owned by the Yoblonski family and one issued to James by the school district.

The devices showed that online searches in early 2023 were conducted about how to travel out of state, as well as being a minor on an airplane and crossing state lines.

Authorities also found several searches for various locations in Wisconsin, but LE checked out these locations and found no evidence that James was ever there.

The FBI joined the search two weeks after James disappeared by providing technical assistance and their involvement is currently being provided “as needed”.

James’s dad passed a polygraph administered by the FBI at the sheriff’s office. A detective confirmed that he passed.

James's dad said they always go camping on Father’s Day weekend and had their annual camping trip planned for the following weekend, as well as similar trips on weekends throughout July.

His dad is currently offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to him finding his son.

The Snapchat video James posted on the day he went missing was later shared with the media, and James can be heard saying, "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault. I feel like I want to explain it. I don’t know how. I'm scared, and I’m sad, and I have no emotions anymore. I'm like, I’m not processing anything. My brain is – something happened to it."
 
cujenn81 said:
I just found this thread today and read through it. After reading through the first few pages and getting a bit mixed up on the facts, I decided to make a list of what was known with associated links. So, I just thought I'd share.

James Yoblonski, 13-year-old male
120 pounds, 5’11” tall with blue-green eyes and brown hair
He has a half-inch scar on the back of his neck.

June 12, 2023
James left his home in Reedsburg, WI in the early morning hours driving his father's van. He was last seen wearing red shoes, blue jeans, a shirt and baseball hat.

A .380 semiautomatic pistol belonging to James’s father was discovered to be missing – dad believes James drove to his father’s workplace and took the gun from that location for protection.

James may have also taken two survival guidebooks with him (one may be part of a series of books entitled ‘Living Off the Grid’).

According to investigators, James had been talking about surviving in the wilderness and going “off the grid” before he disappeared.

Video footage shows James walking across the street from his house and getting into his dad’s van with a backpack and duffle bag at 12:52 am; he's later seen on camera arriving at his father’s business just after 3:00 am and then leaving 54 minutes later.

The van was located along the “westbound lanes” of Highway 12 near Baraboo Bluffs, a couple miles from the westernmost portion of Devil’s Lake State Park and the northern part of the Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area, north of Groth Road in Sumpter, WI at about 4:45 am.

Tracking of his dad's cell phone showed that James left his house, drove through Dells, the village Lake Delton, just about in Adams County, back in the south county, through Reedsburg and then eventually to Highway 12. During that time, James stopped at his father’s business in Wisconsin Dells twice.

Ground and air searches were conducted with 10 K9s, two airplanes, and a Black Hawk helicopter in the days following James’s disappearance.

The day James was reported missing detectives discovered a makeshift campsite inside the park, roughly 100 yards to the west of US 12, along with various items belonging to James (including several changes of clothes--three pairs of pants and three shirts, his backpack, his dad's phone, and a pillow).

Later searches conducted in an area near Baraboo and Devil’s Lake State Park, on both sides of Highway 12, revealed additional signs of life (including a freshly cut walking stick, plastic sandwich bags, and a possible boot print 200 yards southwest of the abandoned campsite discovered earlier in the week).

Authorities said they believe James traveled southwest but they can’t be sure.

Detectives subsequently discovered a second campsite with a jug of water, a pair of socks, and a knife sheath.

Sheriff Meister said officials had essentially searched the entire area and outlined the 5,000 acres that were covered.

Detectives began to fear their presence might be pushing James farther away and scaled back their searches, although they left behind cameras in areas they suspected James had been and would be alerted if motion was detected.

Crime Stoppers reminded the public that anyone who takes in a runaway should immediately notify law enforcement.

The family conducted their own searches in the area during the last two weekends in June and volunteers located a campsite that appeared to have been recently abandoned (materials were dry in spite of the heavy rain overnight).

James posted a video on Snapchat using his dad’s phone. In the video, James apparently said something along the lines of “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be back for school. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but I might.” (This is the dad paraphrasing.) The video appeared to have been taken from inside the van while he was driving.

Two devices were analyzed by the FBI – one owned by the Yoblonski family and one issued to James by the school district.

The devices showed that online searches in early 2023 were conducted about how to travel out of state, as well as being a minor on an airplane and crossing state lines.

Authorities also found several searches for various locations in Wisconsin, but LE checked out these locations and found no evidence that James was ever there.

The FBI joined the search two weeks after James disappeared by providing technical assistance and their involvement is currently being provided “as needed”.

James’s dad passed a polygraph administered by the FBI at the sheriff’s office. A detective confirmed that he passed.

James's dad said they always go camping on Father’s Day weekend and had their annual camping trip planned for the following weekend, as well as similar trips on weekends throughout July.

His dad is currently offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to him finding his son.

The Snapchat video James posted on the day he went missing was later shared with the media, and James can be heard saying, "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault. I feel like I want to explain it. I don’t know how. I'm scared, and I’m sad, and I have no emotions anymore. I'm like, I’m not processing anything. My brain is – something happened to it."
Click to expand...
If those are truly James’ words, it's very concerning. I'm leaning toward being lured by an adult.
 
cujenn81 said:
I just found this thread today and read through it. After reading through the first few pages and getting a bit mixed up on the facts, I decided to make a list of what was known with associated links. So, I just thought I'd share.

James Yoblonski, 13-year-old male
120 pounds, 5’11” tall with blue-green eyes and brown hair
He has a half-inch scar on the back of his neck.

June 12, 2023
James left his home in Reedsburg, WI in the early morning hours driving his father's van. He was last seen wearing red shoes, blue jeans, a shirt and baseball hat.

A .380 semiautomatic pistol belonging to James’s father was discovered to be missing – dad believes James drove to his father’s workplace and took the gun from that location for protection.

James may have also taken two survival guidebooks with him (one may be part of a series of books entitled ‘Living Off the Grid’).

According to investigators, James had been talking about surviving in the wilderness and going “off the grid” before he disappeared.

Video footage shows James walking across the street from his house and getting into his dad’s van with a backpack and duffle bag at 12:52 am; he's later seen on camera arriving at his father’s business just after 3:00 am and then leaving 54 minutes later.

The van was located along the “westbound lanes” of Highway 12 near Baraboo Bluffs, a couple miles from the westernmost portion of Devil’s Lake State Park and the northern part of the Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area, north of Groth Road in Sumpter, WI at about 4:45 am.

Tracking of his dad's cell phone showed that James left his house, drove through Dells, the village Lake Delton, just about in Adams County, back in the south county, through Reedsburg and then eventually to Highway 12. During that time, James stopped at his father’s business in Wisconsin Dells twice.

Ground and air searches were conducted with 10 K9s, two airplanes, and a Black Hawk helicopter in the days following James’s disappearance.

The day James was reported missing detectives discovered a makeshift campsite inside the park, roughly 100 yards to the west of US 12, along with various items belonging to James (including several changes of clothes--three pairs of pants and three shirts, his backpack, his dad's phone, and a pillow).

Later searches conducted in an area near Baraboo and Devil’s Lake State Park, on both sides of Highway 12, revealed additional signs of life (including a freshly cut walking stick, plastic sandwich bags, and a possible boot print 200 yards southwest of the abandoned campsite discovered earlier in the week).

Authorities said they believe James traveled southwest but they can’t be sure.

Detectives subsequently discovered a second campsite with a jug of water, a pair of socks, and a knife sheath.

Sheriff Meister said officials had essentially searched the entire area and outlined the 5,000 acres that were covered.

Detectives began to fear their presence might be pushing James farther away and scaled back their searches, although they left behind cameras in areas they suspected James had been and would be alerted if motion was detected.

Crime Stoppers reminded the public that anyone who takes in a runaway should immediately notify law enforcement.

The family conducted their own searches in the area during the last two weekends in June and volunteers located a campsite that appeared to have been recently abandoned (materials were dry in spite of the heavy rain overnight).

James posted a video on Snapchat using his dad’s phone. In the video, James apparently said something along the lines of “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ll be back for school. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but I might.” (This is the dad paraphrasing.) The video appeared to have been taken from inside the van while he was driving.

Two devices were analyzed by the FBI – one owned by the Yoblonski family and one issued to James by the school district.

The devices showed that online searches in early 2023 were conducted about how to travel out of state, as well as being a minor on an airplane and crossing state lines.

Authorities also found several searches for various locations in Wisconsin, but LE checked out these locations and found no evidence that James was ever there.

The FBI joined the search two weeks after James disappeared by providing technical assistance and their involvement is currently being provided “as needed”.

James’s dad passed a polygraph administered by the FBI at the sheriff’s office. A detective confirmed that he passed.

James's dad said they always go camping on Father’s Day weekend and had their annual camping trip planned for the following weekend, as well as similar trips on weekends throughout July.

His dad is currently offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to him finding his son.

The Snapchat video James posted on the day he went missing was later shared with the media, and James can be heard saying, "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault. I feel like I want to explain it. I don’t know how. I'm scared, and I’m sad, and I have no emotions anymore. I'm like, I’m not processing anything. My brain is – something happened to it."
Click to expand...
Poor boy, I am sorry for him.
 
Wasn't there something about the cell phone working only on wifi or am i getting my cases confused? If he had been researching crossing state lines and if cell phone thing was true, it possible he was meeting someone and was stopping by dad's business to use the internet or the landline there. A child of his age s not required to show ID to fly, Someone could have flown with him and said he was their son
 
mst said:
Wasn't there something about the cell phone working only on wifi or am i getting my cases confused? If he had been researching crossing state lines and if cell phone thing was true, it possible he was meeting someone and was stopping by dad's business to use the internet or the landline there. A child of his age s not required to show ID to fly, Someone could have flown with him and said he was their son
Click to expand...
Is this true? Several years ago one of my neighbors was upset that their baby (under 1 yr) needed a passport. Not sure if they were going outside the US however.
 
acutename said:
Is this true? Several years ago one of my neighbors was upset that their baby (under 1 yr) needed a passport. Not sure if they were going outside the US however.
Click to expand...
I've never needed to provided ID for any of my children when flying within the US and we have flown A LOT. I always bring it just in case, but never once have I been asked to show it. This bothers me. Flying out of the country, a passport has always been asked for. What the actual rules or laws are for either, I can't say. I only know my experiences from many times flying with my children, domestically and out of country.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 69 more.
Total: 1,798 (members: 70, guests: 1,728)

Online statistics

Members online
70
Guests online
1,728
Total visitors
1,798
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
594,089
Messages
17,998,849
Members
229,308
Latest member
PRJ
Back
Top