REEDSBURG, WISCONSIN: James Yoblonski has been missing for nearly two months. It is believed that the 13-year-old may have left his Wisconsin home in an effort to live "off the grid." His father William passed a polygraph test in connection with the case on Thursday, August 3.
William Yoblonski of Reedsburg told local ABC-affiliate station WKOW that he was given the test by the Sauk County Sheriff on Thursday morning despite the fact that the distressed father is not thought to be a suspect in the teen's disappearance on June 12. "Maybe that’ll relieve people," he stated. "I had nothing to do with my son’s disappearance."
Who is William Yoblonski?
The frightened father said last month that he would remortgage his house and give a $10,000 prize for any information leading to James' safe return. He spoke to the station shortly after passing the lie detector test and said, "It makes you feel even worse that you haven't found your son and he hasn't been brought home yet." "You know you’re innocent but yet here we are doing this [polygraph]." He was startled by the request and was asked questions such as, "Do you know where James is?" as well as "Did you have anything to do with James' disappearance?" according to WKOW.
'It’s a relief'
Yoblonski expressed optimism that the focus will now return to finding his child. "At first, I was upset, but now that I know that proves that I’m innocent and I had nothing to do with it, it’s a relief in a little," he stated. Sheriff's officials stated that they think James fled his house in order to embark on a survivalist expedition. According to WiscNews, last month, Sauk County Sheriff Lt Steven Schram said the young teen was attempting to live "off the grid" and had two survival manuals with him when he left home in the family van. The van was located abandoned on the side of the road the day after he is said to have escaped. Later, authorities found proof of a temporary encampment they think the child set up in Devil's Lake State Park. Authorities have not located James since the discovery of the campground where some of the child's things were left behind.
The FBI has now joined the local sheriff's inquiry. After discovering James' online search history from the beginning of 2023 in which he looked up ways to leave Wisconsin, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office disclosed on Thursday that they had broadened their investigation over state boundaries. "Investigators have followed up with each of these browser searches including physical searches of several areas," Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister stated. "These follow-ups have not produced any evidence that James was ever physically present at these locations after his disappearance." Anyone with information is urged to call the Sauk County Sheriff's Office at 608-355-4495.
