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Investigators Hope $25K Reward Will Help Produce New Clues In Disappearance Of Wisconsin Teen
Jayme Closs' aunt Jennifer Smith pleads for anyone with information to come forward, telling her missing niece "we need you here to fill that hole we have in our hearts."
Investigators are hoping a reward may lead to new information in the case of missing Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs, who disappeared early last week after a 911 call led police to the teen's home. When police arrived, they found both of her parents, James and Denise, dead in the home, but there was no trace of the 13-year-old, who investigators believe has been abducted.
Now, the FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information in the case.
"Please, if you have information, we want to hear from you," FBI special agent-in-charge Justin Tolomeo said at a news conference Wednesday, according to the New York Post.
Closs' aunt, Jennifer Smith, also spoke during the press conference and stressed what the young teen means to her family.
"To whoever may know where Jayme is, please contact the Barron County Sheriff's Department," Smith said, according to local news station WCCO. "Jayme, we need you here to fill that hole we have in our hearts."
Smith talked about missing her niece's giggles and said she'd still like to take the teen on a shopping trip the two had discussed.
"Jayme, not a moment goes by that we're not thinking of you and praying for you," Smith said, according to the Associated Press.
In the time since Closs disappeared on Oct. 15, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said law enforcement officers have received more than 1,550 tips and have worked to close 1,250 of them, the news organization reports. Earlier this week, they announced they are searching for a red or orange Dodge Challenger and black Ford Edge or black Acura MDX they believed may be related to the case.
On Tuesday approximately 2,000 volunteers combed through swamps, cornfields and woods in the Minneapolis area as part of the search effort to find the young girl.
"I guess I'm not doing anything different than I would hope someone would do if it was one of my loved ones in this situation right now," Jill Robinson, one of the volunteers, told WTMJ-TV.
The search didn't produce any clues, but investigators still believe Closs is still alive.
"We believe Jayme's out there, Jayme's endangered and we need to bring a 13-year-old girl home," Fitzgerald said, according to the AP.
[Photo: FBI]
