An armed teenager whose threats forced the closure of almost 20 school districts in Colorado has been found dead, a law enforcement official told CNN.
Sol Pais, an 18-year-old high school senior from Florida, was found dead Wednesday morning, the law enforcement official said.
Authorities said Pais was “infatuated” with Columbine and made threats as she traveled to Colorado this week — the same week as the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, which left 13 people dead.
“There is no longer a threat to the community,” theFBI’s Denver office tweeted Wednesday, using the hashtag “#FindSol.”
“Additional details are not immediately available,” the FBI office said.
Pais made “credible” — but not specific — threats after traveling from Miami to Denver on Monday night, said Dean Phillips, the special agent in charge of the Denver FBI office.
After Pais arrived in Colorado, she immediately went to a store and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, the FBI said.
Pais was considered a threat to the community and schools, but there was no information on any specific threat to a particular place, Phillips said.
At least 19 school districts closed
Jefferson County Public Schools, which includes Columbine High School in Littleton, were among almost 20 school districts closed Wednesday as authorities searched for Pais.
Other school districts that shut down for the day include the Douglas County School District, Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek Schools.
In a letter to parents, Boulder Valley School District Superintendent Rob Anderson said the decision to cancel classes was unanimous among area school leaders.
“We couldn’t take the risk of having one student or staff member injured — so superintendents unanimously decided late last night to close school,” Anderson wrote to parents Wednesday morning.
The wanted teen was last seen wearing camo
Pais was a student at Miami Beach Senior High School, said Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Gonzalez-Diego declined to give more details about Pais.
After the 18-year-old arrived in Colorado on Monday, she purchased a pump-action shotgun and ammunition and went to the foothills, Phillips said.
“Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school,” he added.
Prior to news of Pais’ death, a man who said he was Pais’ father told the Miami Herald he lost contact with his daughter Sunday.
“I think maybe she’s got a mental problem,” he told the Herald.
‘This opens a wound’
On April 20, 1999, two students killed 12 of their schoolmates and a teacher in a mass shooting at the high school in the town of Littleton — about 10 miles from Denver.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said this week’s potential threat of violence adds more pain to a community still grieving.
“I know that this opens a wound, especially on an anniversary week, for those families who were most deeply impacted by this,” he said.
