Jayme Closs found alive, suspect in custody

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A Barron County teenager who has been missing for 87 days has been found alive, according to a news release.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Thursday night that Jayme Closs, 13, was found by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department. She will be reunited with her surviving family Thursday night.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says Jayme was found in the town of Gordon, which is about 65 miles north of her home in Barron. She was found at 4:43 p.m. The suspect was arrested 11 mins. later #news3 #findjayme pic.twitter.com/ijXiRTPQfM

— Tabatha (@TabathaWethal) January 11, 2019

Jayme has been missing since early on Oct. 15, when sheriff’s deputies responding to a 911 call found the door to her family’s home near Barron kicked in and her parents, James and Denise Closs, shot dead inside.

Jayme’s grandfather, Robert Naiberg, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she was being treated at a hospital before being reunited with family.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Jayme was found at 4:43 p.m. in the town of Gordon, which is about 65 miles north of Jayme’s home in Barron. The suspect was arrested 11 minutes later.

BARRON SHERIFF: “We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise. From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!” #news3 #findjayme pic.twitter.com/twjdkybis7

— Tabatha (@TabathaWethal) January 11, 2019

“We do not (have) any other details at this time as this is a very fluid and active investigation,” Fitzgerald wrote.

Investigators have said they believe Jayme was abducted and ruled her out as a suspect in her parents’ killings. No information about Jayme’s condition when she was found was released Thursday evening.

“We promised to bring Jayme home and tonight we get to fulfill that promise,” Fitzgerald wrote. “From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!”

The sheriff’s department plans to hold a news briefing Friday at 10 a.m. in Barron. The news conference will be streamed live on News 3 and Channel3000.com.

Cousin: ‘No words’ after Wisconsin girl found OK

Jayme’s cousin Lacey Naiberg thanked law enforcement and the community for support.

Naiberg posted on Facebook after the Barron County sheriff reported that Jayme had been found.

Naiberg wrote “there are no words to describe” the feeling of having so many people come together to help. She asks people to continue to pray for “Jayme’s well-being and our families healing.”

Barron Mayor Ron Fladten said he’s overjoyed. He said knowing she’s been found is “unbelievable. It’s like taking a big black cloud in the sky and getting rid of it and the sun comes out again.”

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