'We'll never stop looking for you,' aunt says as search for missing 13-year-old Jayme Closs reaches 10th day

Jayme Closs, 13, has not been seen since she was abducted on Oct. 15.

ByEmily Shapiro
October 24, 2018, 5:38 PM

Over a week after 13-year-old Jayme Closs was abducted from her rural Wisconsin home, her aunt is speaking out, vowing to "never stop looking for you."

"Not a moment goes by when we aren't thinking of you and praying for you," Jayme's aunt, Jennifer Smith, said at a news conference Wednesday.

The desperate search comes after Jayme's parents, Denise and James Closs, were found shot dead at their home in Barron in the early hours of Oct. 15. Jayme was believed to be home at the time of the killings but had been abducted by the time police arrived, according to authorities.

PHOTO: A Barron County, Wis. sheriff's vehicle sits outside on Oct. 23, 2018, at the home where James Closs and Denise Closs were found fatally shot on Oct. 15. A search was being organized to find the couple's missing 13-year-old daughter, Jayme.
A Barron County, Wis. sheriff's vehicle sits outside on Oct. 23, 2018, at the home where James Closs and Denise Closs were found fatally shot on Oct. 15. A search was being organized to find the couple's missing 13-year-old daughter, Jayme.
Jeff Baenen/AP Photo
PHOTO: Authorities at the home of James and Denise Closs, found dead in Barron, Wis.
Authorities at the home of James and Denise Closs, found dead in Barron, Wis.
ABC News

Jayme is considered missing and endangered, authorities said.

Smith said she misses her niece's "sparking eyes, bright smile, soft little giggles."

PHOTO: Jayme Closs in an undated photo provided by Barron County, Wis., Sheriff's Department. Closs, a missing teenage girl, could be in danger after two adults were found dead at a home in Barron, Wis., on Oct. 15, 2018.
Jayme Closs in an undated photo provided by Barron County, Wis., Sheriff's Department. Closs, a missing teenage girl, could be in danger after two adults were found dead at a home in Barron, Wis., on Oct. 15, 2018.
Barron County Sheriff's Dept. via AP

In a message to Jayme, Smith said her dog, Molly, is "waiting for you," adding, "We all love you to the moon and back and we'll never stop looking for you."

"Whoever may know where Jayme is, please contact the Barron County Sheriff's Department," she said.

A sign is pictured in the small town of Barron, Wis., Oct. 23, 2018, where 13-year-old Jayme Closs was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home. A search was being organized to find the couple's missing daughter.
A sign is pictured in the small town of Barron, Wis., Oct. 23, 2018, where 13-year-old Jayme Closs was discovered missing Oct. 15 after her parents were found fatally shot at their home. A search was being organized to find the couple's missing daughter.
Jeff Baenen/AP Photo
PHOTO: A moment of silence for Jayme Closs during a gathering at the Barron High School football stadium, Oct. 22, 2018.
A moment of silence for Jayme Closs during a gathering at the Barron High School football stadium, Oct. 22, 2018.
Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP

Meanwhile, day 10 of the search for Jayme is coming to a close after a massive search on Tuesday involving 2,000 volunteers that searched a several-mile radius around the Closs home, but no evidence was found, authorities said.

"As of today, no items of evidentiary value were recovered during our search," Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told reporters Wednesday.

Authorities have received over 1,550 tips and closed over 1,250 of those tips, Fitzgerald said.

PHOTO: A group of volunteers search the area along Highway 8, Oct. 18, 2018, in Barron, Wis., near the home where 13-year-old Jayme Closs lived with her parents.
A group of volunteers search the area along Highway 8, Oct. 18, 2018, in Barron, Wis., near the home where 13-year-old Jayme Closs lived with her parents.
Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP

Investigators believe Jayme is still alive, Fitzgerald told ABC News on Tuesday, and they won’t stop until they bring her home.

"The hope is what we're riding on," he said.

PHOTO: Hundreds of volunteers gather, Oct. 23, 2018, in Barron, Wis., to assist in the search for Jayme Closs, a missing teenage Wisconsin girl, whose parents were killed in the family's home.
Hundreds of volunteers gather, Oct. 23, 2018, in Barron, Wis., to assist in the search for Jayme Closs, a missing teenage Wisconsin girl, whose parents were killed in the family's home.
Jerry Holt /Star Tribune via AP
PHOTO: Volunteers lined up along Highway 25 just north of Barron, Wis., on Oct. 23, 2018, to help in the Jayme Closs search.
Volunteers lined up along Highway 25 just north of Barron, Wis., on Oct. 23, 2018, to help in the Jayme Closs search.
Jerry Holt/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS via ZUMA Wire

The FBI is now offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to Jayme's whereabouts.

Anyone with information is asked to call the 24-hour tip line at 855-744-3879.

A funeral for the missing girl's parents, Denise and James Closs, will be held Saturday.

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