Three-year-old Elijah Vue, who has been missing since February, pictured before his disappearance Two Rivers Police Department A deer hunter reported human remains on private property on September 7 WFAB Jesse Vang was arrested and charged with child neglect on February 20 WISN 12 NEWS
Police launched a massive search for the toddler, but were unsuccessful in locating him.
Now, police are releasing new information that could be helpful in the investigation.
The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that human remains were found on private property on Saturday.
Police clarified that they haven’t yet been able to identify them.
“We are fully aware of the ongoing case of missing 3-year-old Elijah Vue, who disappeared in February,” the press release read.
“However, at this time, we are unable to confirm if the remains discovered are related to this case.”
Sheriff Dan Hartwig confirmed the discovery of the remains but said additional information will take some time.
The police will provide further updates after testing is completed by the lab.
Police began searching in landfills and local rivers on February 23 for the missing toddler WFAB Elijah was last seen on February 20 at Jesse Vang’s apartment complex ABC 2
A resident of the area, Mary Edwards, told local CBS affiliate WAFB that she’s encountered police multiple times as they’ve scouted the area.
She added that she didn’t notice much activity when the remains were found but has seen Elijah’s mother around the area.
“For whatever reason, she seemed fixated with this place, Katrina Baur, she seemed fixated with this place and she loved it here, apparently,” she said.
Another resident, Tristan Greely added, “I have three little kids at home, and that’s a scary thing. To think that he’s been missing for six months, that’s sad.”
“The community now can have some peace, I think that Elijah himself can have the community with him and celebrate that he was at least found.”
Elijah was reported missing on February 20 by an adult caregiver.
Police issued an Amber Alert for the child and launched a full-scale investigation with drones and assistance from the FBI .
During the investigation, police arrested Elijah’s mother and her partner, Jesse Vang, 39 for child neglect.
Baur was charged with one count of child neglect and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer while Vang was charged with one count of child neglect.
Elijah was reportedly living with Vang before he disappeared.
Baur sent her son to live with Vang for “disciplinary reasons,” according to court documents.
She previously told officers that she wanted Elijah to live with her partner to teach him how to “be a man.”
Vang allegedly gave Elijah intense punishments including cold showers and standing for hours on end.
Police also found a photo of Elijah on Baur’s phone blindfolded on a bed with what appeared to be bruises on his body.
During a court appearance at the Manitowoc County District Court, the prosecution argued that Baur was aware of these punishments.
Baur pleaded not guilty to the charges during a court appearance in July.
Vang also pleaded not guilty to the charges and a judge found probable cause that he neglected Elijah on April 4.
Neither Baur nor Vang have been charged with Elijah’s disappearance.
Elijah Vue Disappearance Timeline
Elijah Vue was last seen at the residence of his mother's boyfriend on February 20. His mother sent him to the home after having issues with the boy's behavior.
February 12 – Baur meets up with Vang to drop Elijah off at the latter’s home for disciplinary reasons.
February 16 – Baur tells police she visited Vang and Elijah on Friday night but left early Saturday morning. This was the last time Baur saw her son.
February 19 – Vang told police he punished Elijah by making him stand while he watched a movie
February 20 – Vang claims he woke Elijah up at 8 am for breakfast before making him continue his punishment by standing at the foot of Vang’s bed and praying. Vang says he fell asleep and woke up to find Elijah missing. A 911 call is made at 10:59 am by Vang reporting Elijah missing. By 3 pm. an Amber Alert was issued for Elijah Vue and remains active.
April 4 – A Wisconsin judge found probable cause that Vang neglected Elijah
September 7 – Human remains were found by a deer hunter in the town where Elijah went missing. Police clarified that they were unable to immediately identify them.
TIMELINE OF ELIJAH’S DISAPPEARANCE
Elijah was last seen at 8 am on February 20, three hours before Vang woke up and found that the toddler was missing.
He was living with Vang for a week before he disappeared.
Vang told police that he was holding a “boot camp” for the toddler and claimed he was living with him to correct “bad behaviors.”
He was charged with child neglect on the day Elijah disappeared and his mother was charged the day after.
Nearly a month after Elijah vanished, police located his blanket over three miles from where he was reported missing.
Authorities continued to urge the public to check their property for any signs of the missing toddler.
The investigation continued throughout the summer, and the Two Rivers Police Department released an update on the sixth-month anniversary of Elijah’s disappearance.
“Elijah is always on our minds within our agency and we continue to be hopeful that we will locate him,” the press release stated.
“We are confident that our investigation will ultimately reveal the truth of Elijah’s disappearance.”
The statement warned the community of believing false statements online and urged the public to prioritize factual information.
Police added that even though their departments have returned to daily operations, they’re still dedicated to finding answers about what happened to Elijah.
Update from police on Elijah's case
The Two Rivers Police Department released an update on Elijah Vue's case on the sixth-month anniversary of his disappearance. The update read,
“Elijah Vue has not been found.
“Today marks six months since Elijah Vue was reported missing. Elijah is always on our minds within our agency and we continue to be hopeful that we will locate him. We are confident that our investigation will ultimately reveal the truth of Elijah’s disappearance.
“We continue to follow up on tips and leads with the help of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners. In the last several months we have conducted further searches utilizing private search and rescue groups on land, water and in the air. We continue to analyze extensive amounts of data from these searches, utilizing specialized equipment and technology such as software designed to detect anomalies in the earth. In the coming weeks we plan to continue our search efforts using additional aerial searches with this technology.
“Recently rumors surfaced online and on social media platforms stating Elijah has been found. This is not true. The spreading of false and misleading information is disrespectful to the family of Elijah and detracts from our efforts in locating him. We have also been made aware of fake “Go Fund Me” or similar pages that have been set up and we advise the public to beware and report these scams. We are also aware of some individuals who appear close to the case and have proven ulterior motives by spreading false information. We would like to remind everyone that we remain the sole source of factual information in this investigation and will release more information and updates when they are available to share.
“We feel its important for the public to know that while they might have seen us in the last several months resuming standard operations within our community such as calls for service, community events and the like, the search for Elijah and the investigation still continues and remains our priority. Our investigative team, including members of our agency, led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is actively working on this investigation as are other entities outside our department.
“This is still an active investigation and we are working hard to find answers. We will continue to share any information as we can. Thank you for your continued support.”
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