Denver Schools Close as FBI Searches for Woman 'Infatuated' With Columbine [Updated]

Sol Pais, an 18-year-old high school student from the Miami area who is reportedly “infatuated” with the memory of Columbine, is thought to pose a “credible threat” to Denver metro area schools, according to FBI agents currently searching for Pais.

On Wednesday, the Colorado Department of Education announced that all schools in the metro area would be closed for the day. Previously, several schools were placed on lockout, which “limits entry to and exit from the restricted schools,” according to NBC News.

Authorities believe that Pais, who traveled to Colorado this week, may have purchased a shotgun and ammunition on the way. Her location is currently unknown:

Pais, a high school student in Miami, then went to an area of foothills where she was last seen, “and we have been trying to find her ever since,” [Dean Phillips, FBI special agent in charge of the Denver field office] said.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday night, FBI agent Phillips noted that Pais has not made a specific threat to any school. More broadly speaking, Phillips stated that her “comments and her actions” have labeled her as a “credible threat” to the Denver community:

“She has had an infatuation with Columbine and the perpetrators of Columbine, she has made comments to that effect but she hasn’t identified a specific threat to a specific school,” he said.

This 20th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting is days away, on April 20.

Update, 1:48 p.m.: The FBI reported that Sol Pais has been found dead. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said she died of an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to the New York Times.