Reward for Missing 13-Year-Old Jayme Closs Doubles Amid Funeral for Murdered Parents

Tom Ozimek
Updated:

The reward for information leading to the location of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who has been missing for almost two weeks and is believed to be in danger, has doubled to $50,000.

“There is a tip out there that will break this case; keep them coming in,” Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Thank you again for the community support behind the law enforcement effort on this case.”

Jayme went missing from her home on Oct. 15, the same day her parents were found shot to death.

Authorities said on Oct. 26 that the reward amount had been raised “with the help of Jennie-O Turkey Store,” the company that owns a turkey hatchery and processing plant where the missing teen’s parents worked in Barron, Wisconsin.

“At this time, I want to thank Jennie-O and all of its employees for their cooperation during this tragic time for them with the loss of two of their employees and their willingness to help bring 13-year-old Jayme home,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a statement Friday, ABC reported.

Doubling of the reward came as a joint funeral service was held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Cameron, Wisconsin, on Saturday, for Jayme’s parents, Denise and James Closs.

Missy Ruffin, who worked with Jayme’s parents at the turkey plant in Barron, expressed her grief.

“I just hope they’re at peace,” she said, according to the Star Tribune. “They didn’t hurt nobody. They didn’t bother nobody.”

Sheriff Fitzgerald expressed his disbelief at the horrific crime.

“I can’t imagine what the family is going through,” he said, “laying two to rest and still one to bring home.”

A private burial is scheduled for a later date, according to an obituary posted by Rausch and Steel Funeral Home in Barron.

“James loved the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers and getting into conversations on the ‘glory days’ of his high school sports career,” the obituary reads. “Denise loved working with her flowers, feeding her birds, she loved angels and helping everyone, any way she could.”

Denise and James Closs were found gunned down in their home in the early hours of Oct. 15. Police had responded to an unusual 911 call where no one spoke. Reports said that a 911 dispatcher heard yelling.

Responding officers discovered that “the door has been kicked in,” according to the latest details, and that 13-year-old Jayme was nowhere to be found.

No gun was recovered. Police haven’t revealed a motive or a suspect.

A Wisconsin sheriff said that officials are searching for two vehicles in the case: a red or orange 2000 to 2014 Dodge Challenger, and a 2006 to 2010 black Ford Edge or a 2004 to 2010 black Acura MDX.

Fitzgerald said at a news conference that officials obtained the new information by looking at surveillance footage from businesses or homes, ABC News reported.

Jayme Closs is now leading the FBI’s kidnapping and missing person’s list, as a nationwide search for the teenager continues.
The FBI added Jayme Closs, 13, to the missing and kidnapped people, adding a new photo of the girl. (FBI.gov)
The FBI added Jayme Closs, 13, to the missing and kidnapped people, adding a new photo of the girl. FBI.gov

Anyone with information about her disappearance or whereabouts are urged to contact the Barron County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 715-537-3106.