AMBER ALERT WI - Jayme Closs, 13, Barron, missing after parents found shot, 15 Oct 2018 *endangered* #10

[PommyMommy]

Army of searchers forming today in Wisconsin in hunt for Jayme
An army of searchers will soon assemble Tuesday morning in the hunt for evidence that Wisconsin authorities hope leads to locating 13-year-old Jayme Closs and solving the shooting deaths of her parents in the family’s home more than a week ago.

Map from search registration/staging area to the Closs home:
Google Maps

 

[Twizzy563]

I have a question. Has it been discussed that the Closs' front door has a small window in it?

Oh wow .
Good eye!!!

 

[PommyMommy]

Welcome to Websleuths, @GadzookGal! ​

 

[Slowermotion]

Hopefully today we find some answers. Good morning all

 

[kas]

Oh wow .
Good eye!!!

Someone posted something last night about how it would have been easier for someone to go in through a window and it just reminded me of that picture. Maybe they shot the small window to try to unlock the door? Or maybe that's how her dad got shot, looking out it to see who was out there?

 

[thesnowflakesparkles]

In regards to sex offenders: Barron happens to be the county seat. I am not too knowledgeable on this topic, but from what I understand and see in my own county - usually the halfway housing after jail release is located in our county seats, close proximity to county jail/courthouse and parole officers. So to me it does not seem unusual to see a larger number of sex offenders in the town of Barron, I don’t think in general the town has that many - think all county wide offenders all in one spot until their after sentencing changes with time/good behavior and movement into the general community population or their home towns occur.

I am sorry if this has been discussed in old threads - I kept seeing things pop up and thought I’d give a bit more information/clarification on those things we have in our state.

This is all spot-on observation, thanks!

You potentially answered a question I have in regards to sex offenders, but looking at Washburn County, just north of Barron this doesn't seem to be the case there. Shell Lake is the county seat and is lower than many surrounding towns/villages. I will have to look at a few surrounding counties to see if this is the case.

Edit, sorry I didn't quote you right and I am not sure how to fix it

<mod repaired broken quote>

 

[SecretGarden]

Sorry if this article has been posted. Daily mail— not reliable and I’m going to assume a lot is wrong. But it does mention Mom in the bathroom for whoever was wondering a news source (albeit take with a grain of salt one).
Elizabeth Smart joins appeal for missing teen Jayme Closs | Daily Mail Online

 

[msmamanana]

I have a question. Has it been discussed that the Closs' front door has a small window in it?

I noticed it in a close up of the door but haven't seen anyone discuss it.

 

[BB71]

Morning! I'm just catching up from last night.

If you are out there searching today, THANK YOU! You could be the key to solving this/potentially bringing Jayme home. Stay warm, I will be thinking about you guys today. I can't take off work all day today or I would be there.

I'm glad we got something from the press coference, any info will help keep Jayme on the news and in the back of peoples' minds. I just wish Sheriff Fitzgerald would give us a concrete timeline of the family's whereabouts that day. As far as I know he hasn't ever confirmed the 12:31 time of shots by neighbor Joan and hasn't said where and when the birthday party was, if Jayme and Denise stopped on the way there or back, if James went anywhere, etc. I can't help feeling this might jog someone's memory of something relevant. I still am impressed with his case management in what must surely be a unique and trying situation for him and his officers.

The vehicles
My money is on the Ford Edge, not the Acura assuming the SUV is from relatively nearby. Someone else (sorry, I dont remember who!) pointed out the scarcity of foreign cars here in rural Wisconsin and I am in total agreement. I am thinking this Challenger is unique enough it will be identified quickly if the person driving is anywhere close by.

Thanks for the link to the sex offender vehicle information page Jethro4WS, I never knew that detail existed! I am struck by the number of offenders in the city of Barron. There are 42 offenders in a city of 3318 (2017). Which means there is one sex offender for every 79 people. That is over four times higher than the rate for the rest of Wisconsin! The only nearby city with a higher rate was Almena. There isn't any transitional house I am aware of and the map shows no clusters, I wonder what it is that attracts them here?

One more thing. The media silence by the family and locals to me is not out of character with a group of people desperately trying to bring a little girl home. Most people in Barron know eachother, grew up together and most knew the Closs's as they were longtime residents and worked at the number one employer in the County (the Casino is second). If you know someone from the area they would likely talk your ear off about the case, theories, etc, but the media/reporters are very much outsiders. It is partly solidarity with the Closs family (and not being the type of people you would talk negatively about anyway) and partly this weariness of media and exploitation not to mention fear of the suspects themselves. If a suspect is charged/named from here I would expect a bit more of an open attitude towards reporters.

If you made it this far, I comend you! Can you tell I am the type of person who never had trouble reaching the minimum number of words in essays? I'm an early riser and I just have so many opinions! I am really enjoying all the insight shared here, I think every person knows more about a certain topic than I do, and sharing what you know really adds to the discussion.

Logically speaking, even if vehicle is a rental, there are more Ford rentals than Acuras. If it is an out of state vehicle, it could be the Acura.

 

[HayLouise]

Evan Frost‏ @efrostee

'Barron Co. Sheriff says they’ll turn people away once they reach 2000 volunteers. Seems likely they’ll reach that number. #JaymeCloss'


Evan Frost on Twitter

 

[oakparkmall]

Does the 504 address seem like it has to do with this? The address appears to be in Cumberland

I noticed under Dispatch Entry (Details) it says at 3:27 two officers enroute to this Cumberland address, but on the Radio Log at 3:27 it says the same two officers are enroute to the crime scene. Or maybe I'm reading this wrong.
Log of Closs case activity

 

[ludakristen]

Interesting detail in the article. Denise being in an upstairs bathroom means the bedrooms are probably upstairs, right? Jayme was likely upstairs as well? (Speculating aloud)

"Officers are working on the assumption that Denise made the call from an upstairs bathroom where she hid when shooting broke out.

It is thought there was a knock at the family's front door before James went to answer and was shot through the woodwork.

The door was then kicked in before the killer went into the house, shot Denise dead and kidnapped Jayme, it is believed."

Elizabeth Smart joins appeal for missing teen Jayme Closs | Daily Mail Online

 

[rainynights]

I’m trying to find the interview but heard on the radio while driving - (I think HLN on XM) the person being interviewed said the door was ajar when first responder got there. They could see a body. Definitely was the opposite of indicating the police kicked in the front door. Looking for the video...Makes me wonder what the perp and Jayme’s exit point was. Not that it still couldn’t have been the front door.

ETA: This was today.

Right. Police reported that they saw the feet of Mr. Closs in the open doorway as they approached the house.

Source: Ashleigh Banfield's phone interview with Sheriff Fitzgerald, 10/22

Great catch, EJB123456 & Dum-Dum Sucker!

From the AB Show 10/22 CNN.com - Transcripts (bbm) :

BANFIELD: Well, sheriff, it sounds like such a confounding story. And just over the weekend, we were reading through the logs of the 911 call and the response to the Closs home and it`s quite harrowing. And I think the transcripts really sort of tell a narrative of what happened in that home prior to Jayme being taken. Can you walk me through, now that it`s public knowledge, what those first responding officers saw at the front door and beyond?

FITZGERALD: Well, in some degree, I can. And again, the logs that we released aren`t always the evidence that`s collected at the scene. They`re the first initial appearance that an officer goes through. But yeah, our -- the initial appearance with an officer were obviously some kind of commotion, as you stated, last week in the show. Our officers responded, pulled into the driveway, and saw an open door and then saw what they believed to be feet. And then responded up there and found the bodies of James Closs and then went in the house and found Denise Closs.

BANFIELD: How far -- how far -- yeah, how far in the house was Denise Closs? If James Closs was found at the door, and as you just mentioned, I think that`s the first I`ve heard of this, sir, that when you`re officers responded, they could see his feet from the driveway sticking out of the open door of the home. Is that correct?

FITZGERALD: I don`t know exactly where they -- when they picked him up on site. I don`t know if they pulled in the driveway or when they exactly saw them, but the door was ajar. And I can`t comment on where Denise was found in the house. But I think going to any scene like that, that`s what we train our officers to do is their first initial observations and that`s why that`s collected in that call log.

 

[CarGoVroomVroom]

Morning! I'm just catching up from last night.

If you are out there searching today, THANK YOU! You could be the key to solving this/potentially bringing Jayme home. Stay warm, I will be thinking about you guys today. I can't take off work all day today or I would be there.

I'm glad we got something from the press coference, any info will help keep Jayme on the news and in the back of peoples' minds. I just wish Sheriff Fitzgerald would give us a concrete timeline of the family's whereabouts that day. As far as I know he hasn't ever confirmed the 12:31 time of shots by neighbor Joan and hasn't said where and when the birthday party was, if Jayme and Denise stopped on the way there or back, if James went anywhere, etc. I can't help feeling this might jog someone's memory of something relevant. I still am impressed with his case management in what must surely be a unique and trying situation for him and his officers.

The vehicles
My money is on the Ford Edge, not the Acura assuming the SUV is from relatively nearby. Someone else (sorry, I dont remember who!) pointed out the scarcity of foreign cars here in rural Wisconsin and I am in total agreement. I am thinking this Challenger is unique enough it will be identified quickly if the person driving is anywhere close by.

Thanks for the link to the sex offender vehicle information page Jethro4WS, I never knew that detail existed! I am struck by the number of offenders in the city of Barron. There are 42 offenders in a city of 3318 (2017). Which means there is one sex offender for every 79 people. That is over four times higher than the rate for the rest of Wisconsin! The only nearby city with a higher rate was Almena. There isn't any transitional house I am aware of and the map shows no clusters, I wonder what it is that attracts them here?

One more thing. The media silence by the family and locals to me is not out of character with a group of people desperately trying to bring a little girl home. Most people in Barron know eachother, grew up together and most knew the Closs's as they were longtime residents and worked at the number one employer in the County (the Casino is second). If you know someone from the area they would likely talk your ear off about the case, theories, etc, but the media/reporters are very much outsiders. It is partly solidarity with the Closs family (and not being the type of people you would talk negatively about anyway) and partly this weariness of media and exploitation not to mention fear of the suspects themselves. If a suspect is charged/named from here I would expect a bit more of an open attitude towards reporters.

If you made it this far, I comend you! Can you tell I am the type of person who never had trouble reaching the minimum number of words in essays? I'm an early riser and I just have so many opinions! I am really enjoying all the insight shared here, I think every person knows more about a certain topic than I do, and sharing what you know really adds to the discussion.

On the offenders, typically these are the level 3. Level 1 and 2s are not publicly listed, but get yearly visits from LE. Hoping one of those two vehicle owners already told LE they were in area at said time

 

[SarahThePrincess]

Interesting theory but unfortunately there is absolutely no evidence or even any indication that this might have been what happened. Might be a good script for a movie, though.

Well that’s generous of you!! Thank you!

A (bad) Lifetime movie maybe. I don't buy it for a second, and not just because there is zero evidence of anything like that going on.

Something significantly volatile happened. A man kicked in the door, broke it down angrily. Shot both of the parents of a minor. With the child right there watching and screaming. Then the child went with this intruder. Willingly. Or the house in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night didn’t give a kid enough places to hide in the dark for the few minutes before the cops showed up? Aren’t kids wiley and clever? And a 13 year old is so much of a contrarian.
Whoever has her, probably has one giagantic headache right now. Or she went willingly.

 

[Slowermotion]

Interesting detail in the article. Denise being in an upstairs bathroom means the bedrooms are probably upstairs, right? Jayme was likely upstairs as well? (Speculating aloud)

"Officers are working on the assumption that Denise made the call from an upstairs bathroom where she hid when shooting broke out.

It is thought there was a knock at the family's front door before James went to answer and was shot through the woodwork.

The door was then kicked in before the killer went into the house, shot Denise dead and kidnapped Jayme, it is believed."

Elizabeth Smart joins appeal for missing teen Jayme Closs | Daily Mail Online

I would be a good assumption that all the bedrooms were upstairs then. Maybe there was only 1 on the first floor. I know some houses like that.

 

[thesnowflakesparkles]

Logically speaking, even if vehicle is a rental, there are more Ford rentals than Acuras. If it is an out of state vehicle, it could be the Acura.

Right, it could always be the Acura, but since there are more Fords in general, and more in the area, it stands to reason that the Edge has at least greater that 50/50 chance of being what they are looking for, and I would argue much higher than that.

 

[Mom24]

Interesting detail in the article. Denise being in an upstairs bathroom means the bedrooms are probably upstairs, right? Jayme was likely upstairs as well? (Speculating aloud)

"Officers are working on the assumption that Denise made the call from an upstairs bathroom where she hid when shooting broke out.

It is thought there was a knock at the family's front door before James went to answer and was shot through the woodwork.

The door was then kicked in before the killer went into the house, shot Denise dead and kidnapped Jayme, it is believed."

Elizabeth Smart joins appeal for missing teen Jayme Closs | Daily Mail Online

Does the house have an upstairs? It looks like it's one level with maybe a finished basement. It doesn't appear to be a split level.

 

[Lizzack1]

I noticed it in a close up of the door but haven't seen anyone discuss it.

Someone posted something last night about how it would have been easier for someone to go in through a window and it just reminded me of that picture. Maybe they shot the small window to try to unlock the door? Or maybe that's how her dad got shot, looking out it to see who was out there?

That’s a very interesting theory. Shoots him and then kicks in the door or uses it to shoot small window. The first thing that stood out to me when looking at the pictures of the house was how much easier it may have been to gain entry from one of those front windows. Am I mistaken that there was at least one small pumpkin near the front bushes? Why not use that to break the window? Seems like noise wasn’t a concern here.

 

[GadzookGal]

Thanks for the welcome.

I have seen in my surrounding counties the higher SO number within the county seat. Would it matter how the crimes are prosecuted? depending on the DA and view of rehabilitation vs jail time? As I said I don’t know too much in regards to - just what I have observed over time.

Motion lights have been on and off frequently with the higher winds we have had of late and I know we generally see them go off in the middle of the night at some point but then we disregard and go back to sleep. I also have had a neighbors dog trip ours off frequently and don’t think much else of it so maybe the light tripping on was normal - no cause for concern for the family? I know a lot of rural homes also have those sodium vapor type lights on a pole to provide light especially if there are other out buildings, giving flood to the area and since that’s a nightly light occurrence one could find the shadows easily.