MIAMI – A tip regarding the possible sighting of a missing 13-year-old girl from Wisconsin in Miami was "not credible," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Tuesday at a news conference.
According to Miami police, Jayme Closs, whose parents were found dead inside their home, was believed to have possibly been seen at a gas station along Northwest 27th Avenue and Northwest 11th Street. The person who reported it said she was with two men in their 30s. That same witness told police the black Ford Explorer they were in had a Wisconsin license plate tag.
Fitzgerald told reporters his agency followed up on the tip, but determined it was not credible.
Deputies went to the family's home in Barron, Wisconsin, after dispatchers received a 911 call from an unknown person about 1 a.m. Monday, Fitzgerald said. He said they found the bodies of Jayme's parents, who were later identified as 56-year-old James Closs and his 46-year-old wife, Denise Closs. Fitzgerald also said there had been gunshots, but he stopped short of saying that's how the couple died.
"At the end of the day, I want a 13-year-old here safe and sound," Fitzgerald said at a news conference. "That's our goal. That's our only goal right now."
Investigators don't have any leads or suspects, but they have enlisted the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI, which has agents who specialize in missing children cases, the sheriff said. He said Jayme is not considered a suspect in her parents' deaths.
Deputies searched the area around the family's home with drones and infrared equipment, but they didn't find any clues as to her whereabouts. Fitzgerald said investigators are frustrated they haven't developed any leads and asked for the public's help with any information about what could have happened to the girl.
Officers also were at Jayme's middle school talking with her friends and acquaintances, hoping to develop some leads.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday, although it did not include information about a suspect or vehicle.
Jayme is described as 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes.
Barron is about 80 miles northeast of Minneapolis.