AMBER ALERT WI - Jayme Closs, 13, Barron, missing after parents found shot, 15 Oct 2018 *endangered* #30

[human]

Going back to our time line at the beginning something caught my eye. At approximately 12:15 that afternoon a press release was faxed to Ontonagon County Sheriff's Department.

Searching through Google the only Ontonagon County I can find is in northern Michigan and Barron County is on the other side of the state from Michigan. I've missed some entire threads here so maybe this has been discussed. Was it ever determined if that actually had anything to do with Jayme's case? That just seems strange. In case it was a typo, I don't see where any of the adjacent counties had a name beginning with 'O'.

To me it makes no sense . I think there was a missing girl from up there at the time?

Did they have a perp in mind? There were people on here who thought the perp may go up there to cross the Lake to get into Canada.

I don’t know why people think perps try to escape to foreign countries where they have no jobs and could not support themselves. It is strange to think that way to me.

People think the perp may be camping or have broken into a cabin. That could happen as it has in the past, but a perp could have a home and have her in a room in his own house.

 

[human]

I would like to know where her regular shoes coat purse backpack and ID's are. Did she have a passport?
It is crucial to this investigation ie was she taken by someone in her pjs barefoot vs did she grab her things and leave willingly? There is still a high probability she is the suspect, as she has not been ruled out or reportedly kidnapped. She is missing.

If she had a passport, it would be scanned for wherever she is going and LE would know

 

[JnRyan]

Yes i believe the sheriff means 4 minutes inside the house. Even if it was planned i believe the perp(s) were lucky to get away without anyone seeing them.

In answer to your points (all very good ones!):

1. We don't know for sure how they got in but it looks like they kicked the door in, which wouldn't of taken very long.

2. If they somehow knew the Closs family they possibly would know that James kept his guns locked away, so a surprise attack would leave them off-guard.

3. If the perp(s) were locals they would probably know which way LE would come from, which is why i believe they took off in the opposite direction.

Yes, I gave all of those some thought.
1. I don't see a person without experience at kicking in a door doing it on the first or second try. But maybe that is why James was near the door - he heard the 1st or 2nd attempt? Or 3rd? I've never done it, but after researching the internet I've found YouTube videos demonstrating how to do it. I would still hate to do without having done it before. For that reason, I suspect the killer used a shotgun - his back-up plan to get the door open if kicking did not work.
2. This would seem to be someone who either knows James well enough or they've been to the house before and saw where they were locked up. That's why I believe LE probably went to other family members and inquired about known home repairs or renovations.
3. I still believe this one is pure luck. If it is like a lot of jurisdictions, LE may be required to send a unit to a major fire. That particular night a unit may have been coming from fire or domestic altercation or a suspected burglary to the west of the Closs residence. Or just a unit that happened to be driving in that direction and was only a mile away. The only things that makes me believe this was taken into account in planning is that (1) Sunday night/Monday morning is usually the quietest night for most LE agencies and the units may have been around sheriff's office or (2) was midnight the shift change and some of the patrols would be at the station?

 

[Wrenny]

I still think it’s possible that Jayme was taken closer to the 1245 time before 911 called and that it was Denise who was still able to dial 911 even if it was the last thing she did.

I agreed, but LE said the phone wasn't found by either body. Kinda messes with that theory.

 

[human]

You know while I tend not to think this was random unless a mistaken home/wrong people, it is a heavily traveled route during day hours for sure. Having lived on some main well traveled even county roads, etc. it was not uncommon for us to sell things as the location was good. Friends often asked if they could as well because of location. In addition to that, people ran out of gas and came to the door, broke down and came to the door, odd people bought something and would come back or stop in for seemingly no reason once or twice. A few made the skin crawl I am sorry to say. I mean just think of Craig's List and the care one should take. Living on a main road and selling something actually brings them to your home (with an excuse). I wonder if they recently had a vehicle out for sale, a fishing shack, etc. or even sold things for friends because the location has high traffic. Just throwing it out there--I personally think the perps are nuts to have committed such a crime so close to two LE locations so I tend to think it was intentional and targeted. However, the selling of an item or one for someone else never crossed my mind until now...

I wonder if they had what we call a rummage or garage sale?

 

[Wrenny]

It was news to me that the canine searches found a tablet.

While it could have been an old one or something, if it had to be ‘found’ by a canine and couldn’t be recovered without a detective opening a cabinets or searching, it seems intriguing.

I figured it was an old one, in a box in the basement or something.

 

[The Dude]

Did they have a perp in mind? There were people on here who thought the perp may go up there to cross the Lake to get into Canada.

I remember seeing this mentioned, too. But crossing Lake Superior from Ontonagon to Canada would be the most ridiculous plan ever. Just... no.

 

[human]

I remember seeing this mentioned, too. But crossing Lake Superior from Ontonagon to Canada would be the most ridiculous plan ever. Just... no.

Yes. But there were people saying what a great idea it was, in October, no less

 

[mickey2942]

If she had a passport, it would be scanned for wherever she is going and LE would know

Having crossed both Southern and Northern borders numerous times, for the most part, they scan your passport, stamp it, ask a few questions, and wave you through. No one has ever searched our car. Of course, it could always happen, but if Jayme was drugged and put under a blanket with a bunch of stuff piled on top, or another person, she could have been easily taken out of the country.

But, I don't believe that occurred.

I don't know if I hope she is "safe" like Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, or another unpleasant alternative. Either way, the perpetrator hasn't been caught, and that is very chilling.

 

[Wrenny]

sorry, I have only ever been in one house that had a basement, it fascinates me as much as houses that are underground with just a little sticking up. I just thought they either wasn't finished or like a game room with a pool table.

Some are finished. If you have a bedroom down there you need an egress door per code, and I don't see one, but a door out to the garage might count. A rec room, extra bedrooms, 2nd bathroom, workshop, or storage would be common. It's kind of a nice layout for that assuming there's a door from the garage to the basement. I have storage in my basement but no walk-in access, everything has to go up & down the stairs. (ugh.)
It's likely the furnace, water heater, etc are down there. One of the pictures showed what looked to me like wood piled all over next to the house on the back side, so I wondered if they have a wood heater in the basement. It was just sort of dumped there, next to the house. Most people would stack it, away from the house. You don't want it touching the house because it attracts mice, and you don't want it in the basement because of the spiders. I didn't see a stack in any of the pictures though.

 

[The Dude]

Yes. But there were people saying what a great idea it was, in October, no less

They should go give it a test run and let us know how it goes.

 

[human]

Having crossed both Southern and Northern borders numerous times, for the most part, they scan your passport, stamp it, ask a few questions, and wave you through. No one has ever searched our car. Of course, it could always happen, but if Jayme was drugged and put under a blanket with a bunch of stuff piled on top, or another person, she could have been easily taken out of the country.

But, I don't believe that occurred.

I don't know if I hope she is "safe" like Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, or another unpleasant alternative. Either way, the perpetrator hasn't been caught, and that is very chilling.

The scanning leaves the electronic evidence. LE then can ask if her passport has been used. They would know exactly when , where and the time.

 

[human]

Some are finished. If you have a bedroom down there you need an egress door per code, and I don't see one, but a door out to the garage might count. A rec room, extra bedrooms, 2nd bathroom, workshop, or storage would be common. It's kind of a nice layout for that assuming there's a door from the garage to the basement. I have storage in my basement but no walk-in access, everything has to go up & down the stairs. (ugh.)
It's likely the furnace, water heater, etc are down there. One of the pictures showed what looked to me like wood piled all over next to the house on the back side, so I wondered if they have a wood heater in the basement. It was just sort of dumped there, next to the house. Most people would stack it, away from the house. You don't want it touching the house because it attracts mice, and you don't want it in the basement because of the spiders. I didn't see a stack in any of the pictures though.

And the carpenter ants!

It looks like there is a door back there, to me. It looks like there is one in the middle portion. If you look closely, it does not appear to be a window. I don’t have the pic saved to reference, though

 

[Wrenny]

I didn't spell the possessive correctly, my bad, I meant her father, James liking them or car shows and her just tagging along and therefor being seen.

Hey, is it just me, or did James' facebook page disappear!!

 

[SleepyLee]

I did find they had a yard sale at their house a few years ago.

Are the pictures of the house still up?

At which venue? I think on here, yes (bottom of the first page of every thread #), some pics of the house, inside and out, at various times, across the Web in general. Sorry if I misunderstood the question

 

[Wrenny]

3. If the perp(s) were locals they would probably know which way LE would come from, which is why i believe they took off in the opposite direction.

I'm not sure if that can be known. The sheriffs department is LE for the whole county. They drive around, check businesses in different towns, answer calls all over the county.

 

[Pretty Go Pale]

I agreed, but LE said the phone wasn't found by either body. Kinda messes with that theory.

Plus, if Jayme was already gone by the time the 911 call was placed by Denise, and Denise was nearly dead at that time, what was the commotion/yelling in the background?

 

[Wrenny]

And the carpenter ants!

It looks like there is a door back there, to me. It looks like there is one in the middle portion. If you look closely, it does not appear to be a window. I don’t have the pic saved to reference, though

I think I know what you are talking about and I thought it was a window to toss the wood in.

 

[Wrenny]

To me it makes no sense . I think there was a missing girl from up there at the time?

Did they have a perp in mind? There were people on here who thought the perp may go up there to cross the Lake to get into Canada.

No. Just no.
And note that across Lake Superior from Ontonagon is... Minnesota. If someone wanted to get to northern MN there's a lot easier ways! Barron is a straight shot to Duluth, and from there a person could head to Fort Francis or Thunder Bay... a heck of a lot easier than going across Lake Superior.

 

[Ragnarok]

I don't get a sense that the Closs family were international travelers. Would be surprised if Jayme had a passport.