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*

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I keep reading that James had access to two devices that supposedly had searches on them for traveling out of state. Has it been said if there were specific states mentioned or a specific means of travel? Anything about how to enter Canada?
Usually they check with homeland security for that. I assume they have here, but I think it’s far more likely that James didn’t make it that far.

My hot take that’s gonna get me eaten: unless the family has a farm, I find it really weird this kid at 13 knows how to drive a van that far & knows how to use a handgun. He clearly was way too young and immature to handle that information. On a farm he might need to know both (tractors etc) but this wouldn’t have happened this way if they didn’t trust him so much.
 
This case makes me so sad, and I hate to post anything publicly that points to a negative conclusion, because I want to allow the family to keep some hope and remain optimistic always, but that being said, I just feel like the case is going in the wrong direction due to understandable denial and the wish for James to somehow still be okay, even though he's now been missing for something like a year and a half.

And one critical piece of evidence that was reported on fairly early by MSM, so not just a rumor, continues to be overlooked, forgotten, ignored or misinterpreted imo, and to me, that evidence is the one thing that explains it all. The problem is that it points to a bad outcome for James, which I realize is not what the family wants or is ready to admit, imo.

So I hate to bring it up, but it's been this long, and this piece of evidence to me is so clear, that I really feel it's time to give it its due, despite its negative connotations. Because James did leave behind what can only be called, in my opinion, a suicide note. It's not written though; it's audio. But other than it not being in the traditional form that that kind of note is usually left in, it otherwise says pretty much what you would expect a note of that type to say, traditionally. It's really very clear, imo, heartbreakingly so.

James was only 13, IIRC, which is younger than the average age of teens who take their own lives, but it's certainly something we do sometimes see unfortunately. It happens to some children even as young as James. And when you have this kind of message left behind, I just don't know what else to interpret it as. So, here's part of an MSM report that includes part of that final message that James left behind the day he disappeared:

-------------------------------------------------------------
A video James is believed to have posted on social media the night he left home began circulating online. He's heard making comments about being scared and sad.

He says, "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault."

James added, "I’m not processing anything. My brain is... something happened to it."

What James was trying to explain in the video is still unclear.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

OK so... yeah, very sad. I seem to recall reading more of it than that, long time ago, so that may not be all there was, but I'll have to look and see if I can find it. But even just from that small part, I feel like that can't really be interpreted any other way, and we may not know where his body is, but imo, we know what likely happened to him. And he just hasn't been found yet, which we know can happen even after extensive, diligent searching. His dad said there was a gun missing from his work, and LE reported that James visited dad's work twice by himself the night he went missing.

There's more in this article, which is also where the excerpt above came from, but I'll look for the rest of his message elsewhere now and post if found:

 
Snipped from the article above fwiw...
...As for the video James' is heard talking on while in the van, Bill doesn't feel James did that willingly.

"Everybody that knew James knew he wouldn't talk like that," he said. "It's like he's reading something."

He thinks James took his phone to use to talk with someone that night and feels he could have another phone with him too.

***************

I suppose if James was using an app even on his dad's phone, LE may not know if James was communicating with someone who lured him away????
 
Usually they check with homeland security for that. I assume they have here, but I think it’s far more likely that James didn’t make it that far.

My hot take that’s gonna get me eaten: unless the family has a farm, I find it really weird this kid at 13 knows how to drive a van that far & knows how to use a handgun. He clearly was way too young and immature to handle that information. On a farm he might need to know both (tractors etc) but this wouldn’t have happened this way if they didn’t trust him so much.
I'm not saying that I think that's where he went, but it could help give insight into what he was thinking or a possible direction of travel.

Not "eating" you, just stating my experience. I was born and raised in small town Michigan, almost directly across the "big lake" from where this all happened. Most of us know how to drive a car from an early age and at least have a working knowledge of guns, even if we've never used them. None of us grew up on farms. Where I am from, this is just the culture. Many people hunt here and often the hunters have a smaller gun or two among their hunting rifles. I knew a nine year girl who drove her mother half an hour to the hospital and an eleven year old girl who drove two hours to the airport after stealing her mom's car. My own children have no knowledge of guns but I know they could easily drive a car.
 
The following excerpt comes from this article:


He (James's father) starts by showing a video posted on Snapchat when James left June 12. It shows the dashboard of the family van, with James' voice saying: "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault.
I'm sorry, people," the voice says. "I can't make it. I'm sorry.
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."

... Among the things still missing after James left was... one of Bill Yoblonski's guns.

"It's a .380 semi-automatic pistol he got from one of my safes," Bill Yoblonski said. "I don’t know how he got in it."
 
I'm not saying that I think that's where he went, but it could help give insight into what he was thinking or a possible direction of travel.

Not "eating" you, just stating my experience. I was born and raised in small town Michigan, almost directly across the "big lake" from where this all happened. Most of us know how to drive a car from an early age and at least have a working knowledge of guns, even if we've never used them. None of us grew up on farms. Where I am from, this is just the culture. Many people hunt here and often the hunters have a smaller gun or two among their hunting rifles. I knew a nine year girl who drove her mother half an hour to the hospital and an eleven year old girl who drove two hours to the airport after stealing her mom's car. My own children have no knowledge of guns but I know they could easily drive a car.
I come from a different world, despite living in Wisconsin now. Thank you for explaining.
 
The following excerpt comes from this article:


He (James's father) starts by showing a video posted on Snapchat when James left June 12. It shows the dashboard of the family van, with James' voice saying: "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault.
I'm sorry, people," the voice says. "I can't make it. I'm sorry.
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."

... Among the things still missing after James left was... one of Bill Yoblonski's guns.

"It's a .380 semi-automatic pistol he got from one of my safes," Bill Yoblonski said. "I don’t know how he got in it."
That is oddly self aware for 13. I wonder what happened.
 
That is oddly self aware for 13. I wonder what happened.
Any number of mental health conditions can manifest around puberty.

At a guess, he was in a major depressive episode and couldn't find his way out. It's a dark and scary place even for an adult who's been through it before, let alone a kid who has no idea what's gone wrong.

MOO
 
This case makes me so sad, and I hate to post anything publicly that points to a negative conclusion, because I want to allow the family to keep some hope and remain optimistic always, but that being said, I just feel like the case is going in the wrong direction due to understandable denial and the wish for James to somehow still be okay, even though he's now been missing for something like a year and a half.

And one critical piece of evidence that was reported on fairly early by MSM, so not just a rumor, continues to be overlooked, forgotten, ignored or misinterpreted imo, and to me, that evidence is the one thing that explains it all. The problem is that it points to a bad outcome for James, which I realize is not what the family wants or is ready to admit, imo.

So I hate to bring it up, but it's been this long, and this piece of evidence to me is so clear, that I really feel it's time to give it its due, despite its negative connotations. Because James did leave behind what can only be called, in my opinion, a suicide note. It's not written though; it's audio. But other than it not being in the traditional form that that kind of note is usually left in, it otherwise says pretty much what you would expect a note of that type to say, traditionally. It's really very clear, imo, heartbreakingly so.

James was only 13, IIRC, which is younger than the average age of teens who take their own lives, but it's certainly something we do sometimes see unfortunately. It happens to some children even as young as James. And when you have this kind of message left behind, I just don't know what else to interpret it as. So, here's part of an MSM report that includes part of that final message that James left behind the day he disappeared:

-------------------------------------------------------------
A video James is believed to have posted on social media the night he left home began circulating online. He's heard making comments about being scared and sad.

He says, "For everyone who cares about me, it's not their fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault."

James added, "I’m not processing anything. My brain is... something happened to it."

What James was trying to explain in the video is still unclear.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

OK so... yeah, very sad. I seem to recall reading more of it than that, long time ago, so that may not be all there was, but I'll have to look and see if I can find it. But even just from that small part, I feel like that can't really be interpreted any other way, and we may not know where his body is, but imo, we know what likely happened to him. And he just hasn't been found yet, which we know can happen even after extensive, diligent searching. His dad said there was a gun missing from his work, and LE reported that James visited dad's work twice by himself the night he went missing.

There's more in this article, which is also where the excerpt above came from, but I'll look for the rest of his message elsewhere now and post if found:


There's also the possibility that he may have been manipulated/coerced into making that snapchat. Teens are easily manipulated, especially at that age. Even his father thinks he may have been lured away. I don't believe that the search dogs found any scent trail leading away from the campsite. That could only mean one thing, he left in a vehicle parked on the road. A vehicle driven by someone else.

(Why set up a campsite right by a road with your vehicle nearby if you were running away? And if you were going to commit suicide, why set up a campsite in the first place? I think that makeshift campsite was staged with some of his belongings to throw searchers off. What happened to the other belongings he brought with him?)

Of course I don't discount the possibility he was running away on his own and was abducted off the side of the road by person(s) unknown. Along with the remainder of his belongings.

 


There's also the possibility that he may have been manipulated/coerced into making that snapchat. Teens are easily manipulated, especially at that age. Even his father thinks he may have been lured away. I don't believe that the search dogs found any scent trail leading away from the campsite. That could only mean one thing, he left in a vehicle parked on the road. A vehicle driven by someone else.

(Why set up a campsite right by a road with your vehicle nearby if you were running away? And if you were going to commit suicide, why set up a campsite in the first place? I think that makeshift campsite was staged with some of his belongings to throw searchers off. What happened to the other belongings he brought with him?)

Of course I don't discount the possibility he was running away on his own and was abducted off the side of the road by person(s) unknown. Along with the remainder of his belongings.

[URLl unfurl="true"]https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2024/08/09/missing-child-alert-james-yoblonski[/URL]

Self-harm seems possible, but so does running away and/or abduction. Honestly, I don't see anything ruled out.

I can also envision reading a story 10+ years from now entitled, "I am James" about a man who tells his story of what happened when he was 12 in Wisconsin.

I hope for a good outcome, but this one remains a mystery for now.

jmo
 
"In the first clip shared with 27 News, the door can be heard closing before James appears in frame.
His dad Bill Yoblonski said James was wearing a backpack and carrying two bags."
The photo in the article shows James leaving the house. It also shows the car was already running with its lights on. So, if he only left the house once as seen in that photo, how did the car get started before he got to it? Did it have a remote start?

So, a 13 year old child gathers up and takes his belongings with his family in the house at one in the morning, drives a vehicle 16 miles (23 minutes) to the Dells, goes to his father's business, twice, then drives another 21 miles (24 min) to near Bluffview, WI, for a total of 37 miles, sets up a campsite and then goes somewhere else with the rest of his belongings that weren't left at the campsite, eludes discovery by numerous searchers and search dogs and then disappears without a trace? All that just to commit suicide? Sounds like a pretty elaborate scheme for a 13 year old seventh grader to concoct by himself.


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Usually they check with homeland security for that. I assume they have here, but I think it’s far more likely that James didn’t make it that far.

My hot take that’s gonna get me eaten: unless the family has a farm, I find it really weird this kid at 13 knows how to drive a van that far & knows how to use a handgun. He clearly was way too young and immature to handle that information. On a farm he might need to know both (tractors etc) but this wouldn’t have happened this way if they didn’t trust him so much.
Not unusual for a kid to know how to use a handgun depending on many factors. I know families that go to the gun range...knowing how to drive nowadays is a bit more unusual but when I was younger it wasn't unusual.
 
You’d think, @Quoththeraven , but this family doesn’t seem to raise an eyebrow that not only can he travel that much driving by van, but that he knew how to get into his dad’s work, where it was (I couldn’t have told you mine), how to use a gun, and is self aware enough to know he’s going through something mentally uncomfortable. If the parents think it’s natural, maybe it was for him? Maybe he really was capable? I mean, we’d assume they’d fingerprint the van and exclude family.
 
Not unusual for a kid to know how to use a handgun depending on many factors. I know families that go to the gun range...knowing how to drive nowadays is a bit more unusual but when I was younger it wasn't unusual.
Generally I used to think of it the other way around. My husband knew how to drive because of a tractor. I probably wouldn’t think too much of any of this except he’s so young!
 
My feeling is that LE has followed up on all the leads they had and there's simply nothing else for them to do, until and unless more leads come in. For ex., in this case I know there were physical searches of the area/s James was thought to be in, family members were interviewed, a billboard was put up, polygraph test/s were given and the electronic records were searched. For ex. the information says they found searches about how to leave the state on computers James had access to, and I remember something about the father wanting his cell phone back, so they had that, too. Of course, people are like "DO SOMETHING!," especially when it's a kid who goes missing but... what?

I wouldn't doubt that you're on to something in that imo it's likely LE knows more than what they've told the public. I think they only announce things to the public when there's a reason to. MOO
I think this may be a big part of it. If they are out of leads, there's nothing much they can do. And as much as everybody would like to see them actively working on finding James, they probably also have other cases to deal with, too.
 
The photo in the article shows James leaving the house. It also shows the car was already running with its lights on. So, if he only left the house once as seen in that photo, how did the car get started before he got to it? Did it have a remote start?

So, a 13 year old child gathers up and takes his belongings with his family in the house at one in the morning, drives a vehicle 16 miles (23 minutes) to the Dells, goes to his father's business, twice, then drives another 21 miles (24 min) to near Bluffview, WI, for a total of 37 miles, sets up a campsite and then goes somewhere else with the rest of his belongings that weren't left at the campsite, eludes discovery by numerous searchers and search dogs and then disappears without a trace? All that just to commit suicide? Sounds like a pretty elaborate scheme for a 13 year old seventh grader to concoct by himself.


View attachment 537562
Waaait.
look closer at the photo. @Quoththeraven
James isn’t in the shot that we can see. Is there video of him getting into it with the lights on that I haven’t seen?
 

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Are there any statistics on where children of this age take or try to take their lives?

When I was in middle school, multiple students took their lives. All were at home and a family member found them.
Now, as a middle and high school teacher, all of the students I am aware of in the same circumstances did so at their homes as well. I'm sure there are plenty of instances of children this age harming themselves away from home, but based on the firsthand knowledge I have, they seem to stay at home. Obviously this doesn't prove what James's intentions were, but it does make me lean/hope against self harm. The gun and the message definitely have me concerned, though. I keep coming back to the message he left and thinking maybe he tried to take some time away, hoping it would help him, but when things didn't change...
 
Just my personal opinion here but I wouldn't be surprised if someone out there knows more, even if in a very innocent way, like still being too young to recognize something they saw or heard, from James or someone else, for what it was at the time.

I know the chances of solving a missing person's case are greatest in the hours and days right after its occurrence, but I wonder what the odds are of missing person's cases being solved after a year or more vs. never being solved.
 

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