Elijah Vue

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Two Rivers Police Department (WI)

Death Location:

Two Rivers WI

Reward:

up to $40,000 via FBI, City and County Police

Not from STC, Conditions and restrictions apply

Summary:

3 year old Elijah Vue was reported missing on February 20, 2024. The boyfriend of Elijah’s mother told police he fell asleep, and when he awoke, Elijah was missing. There was an extensive search by police and community members, but Elijah’s remains were not found until September 7 in a heavily wooded area over 3 miles from where he disappeared. To date, Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, have pleaded not guilty to felony child neglect among other charges.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Death:

Skeletal remains were found, no cause of death has been stated so far.

Additional Details:

Elijah’s remains were discovered on September 7 in a wooded area when a hunter was prepping his land for hunting season. According to Benjamin Meinnert, Two Rivers chief of police, the toddler’s remains were found on private property over three miles from where he was originally reported missing. The area had been searched a number of times since Elijah’s disappearance including air, land, and water searches. Investigative efforts by the police included a review of over 10,000 videos, following up on hundreds of leads, and doing dozens of interview. DNA testing done by the Wisconsin Crime Lab confirmed the remains were those of Elijah. In March, police confirmed Elijah’s red and white plaid blanket had been discovered roughly 3.7 miles from where he was last seen. The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into Elijah’s death, said Meinnert. According to prosecutors, Baur sent Elijah to her boyfriend’s house for over a week for punishment and disciplinary reasons. She knew there would be a lack of care, and the methods Vang would use to “teach him to be a man” and to fix his bad behavior. According to police interviews and court records, Vang had complained to Baur that he was mad that Elijah had overfilled his diaper so he gave him a cold shower. He also said he made Elijah stand for hours in timeouts, and wouldn’t let him play with the only toy in the apartment, a toolbox. Text records between Baur and Vang show a deleted picture of Elijah lying down covered in bruises and blindfolded. Vang texted to Baur that he wanted Elijah to hate him and to hate being at his apartment, but Baur said she just wanted Elijah to fear Vang, to which Vang replied that Elijah, who was still bottle fed, did fear him but didn’t respect him and that he (Vang) would make him (Elijah) respect him. The police did have a vehicle that was part of the earlier investigation, but said their interest did not include the current vehicle owner. It was a Beige 4 door 1997 Nissan Altima with WI plates.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 16, 2024