LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — A Florida teenager who authorities said was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and may have been planning an attack in Colorado just ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt.
High schooler Sol Pais, 18, was discovered with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the mountains outside Denver after investigators got a tip from the driver who took her there, the FBI said.
The fear of an attack led Denver-area schools to close as a precaution, with classes and extracurricular activities canceled for a half-million students.
Police and the FBI were tipped off about Pais after the Miami Beach high school student made troubling remarks to other people about her “infatuation” with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and this weekend’s anniversary of the 13 killings, said Dean Phillips, the FBI agent in charge in Denver. He did not elaborate on what she said.
Pais purchased three one-way tickets to Denver for three consecutive days, then flew in on Monday night and went directly to a gun store, where she bought a shotgun, Phillips said.
“We’re used to threats, frankly, at Columbine,” John McDonald, executive director of security for the Jefferson County school system, said when the manhunt was over. “This one felt different. It was different. It certainly had our attention.”
McDonald described her trip as a “pilgrimage” to Columbine.
Her body was found off a trail not far from the base of Mount Evans, a recreation area about 60 miles southwest of Denver, authorities said. She used the weapon she bought, Phillips said. She had been last seen in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants and black boots.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said after receiving word the hunt was over that he and all Colorado parents are “hugging their children a little tighter.”
Sheriff Jeff Shrader said the sale of the shotgun apparently followed the state’s legal process. Out-of-state residents who are at least 18 can buy shotguns in Colorado. Customers must provide fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.
In Pais’ hometown, Surfside Police Chief Julio Yero asked the family be given “privacy and a little time to grieve.” Pais’ parents had reported her missing Monday night, police said.
“This family contributed greatly to this investigation from the very onset. They provided valuable information that led us to Colorado and a lot of things that assisted in preventing maybe more loss of life,” Yero said.
Authorities said she did not threaten a specific school. However, Columbine and more than 20 other schools outside Denver reacted by locking their doors for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon, and some canceled evening activities or moved them inside.
Jefferson County school officials said events planned to mark the anniversary this weekend will go on as scheduled, including a ceremony Saturday at Columbine.
Two teenage gunmen attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. They have inspired cult-like admirers and motivated other mass shooters over the decades. Since Columbine, a growing “no notoriety” movement has urged news organizations to avoid naming the perpetrators of mass shootings to deprive them of the notoriety they seek.