There are fears for the welfare of a 13-year-old girl who went missing from her Wisconsin home after her parents were found murdered.
Police issued an Amber Alert for Jayme Closs on Monday afternoon after discovering the bodies of James and Denise Closs, who had suffered gunshot wounds.
“We believe Jayme was in the home at the time of the homicides and we believe she’s in danger,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, who is leading the search, told a news conference.
He added: “Is it random or targeted? I don’t know that answer. We’ve received no other threats or anything in the local area to say it was just a random act, but we do not know that answer.
“We have over 200 law enforcement workers on the ground right now. Every second counts.”
The Amber Alert system, launched in 1996, is a tool to notify the public about missing children so tips can be relayed to law enforcement agencies.
“I cannot stress that tip line enough. Every tip is important,” Fitzgerald said.
In 2017, 99% of Amber Alert cases were solved, with only two cases outstanding at the end of the year. Of the children found, 96% were recovered within 72 hours of the alert.