Sol Pais, the 18-year-old woman infatuated with the Columbine High School shooting who caused all Denver schools to close on Wednesday, was reportedly found dead on Wednesday.
Multiple local news outlets, including CBS Denver, have confirmed the death, citing police sources. It was not immediately clear how Pais died. She was reportedly found dead near the base of Colorado’s Mt. Evans after a manhunt.
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The FBI Denver division announced on Twitter, “We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe.”
We can confirm that Sol Pais is deceased. We are grateful to everyone who submitted tips and to all our law enforcement partners for their efforts in keeping our community safe.
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 17, 2019
Earlier Wednesday, the FBI tweeted that there was “no longer a threat to the community.,” and minutes before that, the account confirmed activity at the base of Mt. Evans.
Duane “Dog” Chapman and wife Beth Chapman, who starred on the popular A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter, announced earlier on Wednesday that they were joining in the search for Pais.
Prior to the news of Pais’ death, Beth Chapman revealed that Dog would be making an announcement on Denver radio station 103.5 The Fox.
According to a press release, the Chapmans became involved in the search after their 18-year-old son, Garry, informed his parents on Tuesday that the school he attends was on lockdown. Later on Tuesday, the Chapmans received an emergency message that all schools in the area would be closed Wednesday.
“Now it’s personal,” Dog said. “They’re in my neighborhood, threatening my son, my family and my community. She is extremely dangerous. We need to find her and bring her in.”
Pais “has expressed an infatuation with Columbine,” Dean Phillips, the special agent in charge of the FBI Denver division, said in a press conference on Tuesday night, referring to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 in which 13 people were killed.
The school closures came just days before the 20-year anniversary of the shooting.
Authorities said Pais, who traveled from Miami to Colorado on Monday, was armed and dangerous, should not be approached, and may have been planning to carry out a copycat attack.
All Denver area schools, as well as 20 other local districts, were closed by officials on Wednesday, who called the threat “credible” but “not specific” to any school in particular.
The FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force described Pais as “infatuated with [the] Columbine school shooting” in an alert on Tuesday. The alert also said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health.
