TWO RIVERS, Wis. (WFRV) – In a news conference on Friday evening, police confirmed the skeletal remains found on Sept. 7 belong to Elijah Vue, a 3-year-old Wisconsin boy who was reported missing in February.
Vue’s remains were found on private property by a person getting his land ready for the hunting season. The location was not on Manitou Girl Scout Camp property in Two Rivers, about 37 miles southeast of Green Bay, but rather a thick-wooded area with heavy underbrush.
The remains were found three miles northwest of where Vue was initially reported missing, and authorities have searched the area several times. After the remains were discovered, they were taken to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for DNA testing, where they eventually came back with an identification of Elijah Vue.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you today those remains were identified as Elijah Vue,” said Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert. “With that news and following this briefing, the AMBER Alert will be canceled.”
Police Chief Meinnert, visibly shaken up by the discovery, continued to say he never personally met Elijah, but he watched him bring out the best in the Two Rivers community.
“I can’t thank the public and our businesses enough,” Meinnert said before pausing to take a moment. “Thank you to DCI for continuing to lead this investigation, the FBI for their support, and our local, state, and federal law enforcement and fire departments, as well as numerous neighboring agencies.”
Authorities have confirmed that what started as a missing person investigation has now transitioned to a death investigation. The Two Rivers Police Department says they’ll continue to provide updates as they can but are asking the public to remain patient as the investigation will take significant time.
“Now that we know the location where Elijah was located off of Christy Bob Lane and Manitou Drive, we ask that anybody with any information, if you haven’t previously provided it or you think it may be useful in this investigation, to please contact us,” concluded Police Chief Meinnert.
Vue, who was 3 years old when he went missing on Feb. 20, was last seen in the 3900 block of Mishicot Rd. in Two Rivers by Jesse Vang, the boyfriend of Elijah Vue’s mother, Katrina Bauer.
Vang, who was taking care of Elijah on the day he disappeared, told authorities that he fell asleep at one point and woke up to find the toddler gone. A criminal complaint obtained by Nexstar’s WFRV says that Bauer left Elijah with Vang, who she allegedly described as the “enforcer of rules,” to correct some of the boy’s “bad behaviors” and teach him to “be a man.”
Vang and Baur have been formally charged in the Wisconsin Circuit Court system. Vang faces one count of chronic neglect of a child as a party to a crime. Baur faces one count of chronic neglect of a child as a party to a crime, as well as two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and one count of neglecting a child. With the death of Vue confirmed, Baur and Vang could face additional charges.
Baur initially told law enforcement that she was not in Manitowoc County from Feb. 12 to the 20th, but the criminal complaint states that she returned on February 16. According to phone data and witness accounts, Vang and Baur drove around Manitowoc together in the early hours of February 17. Vang entered a bar while Baur went to a Kwik Trip convenience store.
On March 4, officers with the Two Rivers Police Department revealed a vehicle of interest and asked the public to check any surveillance footage captured between 2 and 9 p.m. on Feb. 19.
The vehicle of interest, currently in law enforcement’s possession, is described as a 1997, four-door Nissan Altima, beige in color, bearing a Wisconsin license plate beginning with A and ending with 0. Officers also clarified that Jesse Vang and Katrina Baur are not the vehicle owners.
On March 18, authorities confirmed a blanket found earlier in the investigation belonged to Vue. The blanket was located 3.7 miles from where he was last seen.
Local, state and federal law enforcement searched Manitowoc County and the surrounding areas for months, only finding small clues.
As of Friday afternoon, no charges have been filed in the disappearance and death of Elijah Vue.