GRISLY

Cops: Wisconsin Murder Suspect May Have Imitated Jayme Closs Abduction

Ritchie German Jr. is suspected of killing four people.

Ritchie German Jr., a Wisconsin man suspected of killing four people, may have been trying to imitate the 2018 abduction of 13-year-old Jayme Lynn Closs by shooting his way into a home. German allegedly killed three of his family members before heading to another family’s home, where he shot a couple, Teng and Mai Chang, and killed their 24-year-old daughter, Laile Vang. He then killed himself. German once texted Laile Vang, but she wrote back saying she didn’t know who he was. The police said German left his car running with items that were similar to the items Closs abductor Jake Patterson carried when he forced his way into the Closs home just 40 miles away. German’s father said he was shocked to learn of the killings and that when living with him, his son remained in his bedroom most of the time. Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk described German as a “loner and drifter.”