A sign for missing three-year-old Elijah Vue at the Mikadow Theatre in Manitowoc on Sunday, February 25, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Two Rivers Police Department says it still has not found Elijah Vue. The 3-year old was reported missing on February 20th.
DNR crews performed additional searches of the West Twin River, while volunteers from local law enforcement, fire, state, and federal agencies – as well as local technical college students – conducted another large-scale property search on Thursday.
And, after days of searching a Calumet County landfill, the Two Rivers Police Department has suspended its search of that property.
The search continues as prosecutors are moving forward with child neglect charges against Vue’s mother and the man she left her son with.
“We have now changed count one to chronic neglect as party to the crime,” said Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn Labre as Katrina Baur, Elijah Vue’s mother announced additional child neglect charges are being filed against her.
LaBre said, “We have also added the count four which involves the neglect to another child who is six years old from February 14th.”
According to court documents, Katrina Baur’s cell phone records have her arriving at Jesse Vang’s apartment in Two Rivers just before 2:30 a. m. on February 14th.
That’s two days after she says she gave Elijah Vue to Jesse Vang so he could teach him how to be a man.
In the car with her that morning, the criminal complaint says, is her six year old daughter. Baur exchanging messages with Vang about leaving her daughter in the car, while she comes into the apartment for sex.
Then, at 3:13 a.m., with her daughter alone in the car — outside in temperatures ranging from 36 to 27 degrees – court documents show a photo of Elijah Vue, was taken on Baur’s phone, inside Jess Vang’s apartment.
The criminal complaint says the picture, which was deleted about an hour after it was taken, showed Elijah Vue laying on a bed, blindfolded. It also appeared he had bruising on his jaw line, the left side of his neck and on the upper part of his left arm.
Baur’s cell phone records have her leaving Two Rivers at about 4:30 a.m. on February 14th, but they also show she returned to Manitowoc County two days later.
Before her return, late at night on February 16th, we know, after speaking with the owner of Ross Auto Service in Two Rivers who also shared surveillance camera pictures with us, Jesse Vang brought Elijah Vue into his shop that morning.
The shop owner saying Vue was quiet but didn’t seem to be in distress.
Later that night, court documents show Katrina Baur was back in Manitowoc before arriving at Vang’s Two Rivers apartment just after midnight on February 17th.
Cell phone data tracking the two to Manitowoc where they split up for a bit before returning to Vang’s apartment together.
Baur telling authorities she saw her son on Vang’s couch, but he was tired — adding she left Two Rivers early on the morning of February 17th.
Then on February 18th, Vang and Baur exchange text messages.
Vang telling Baur to “…trust me..I’m a make sure he hates me and being here.”
Baur responds, “Don’t want him to *hate* YOU. Just fear you.”
Jesse Vang later saying via text, “He did fear me…but he didn’t respect me..now I’m making him respect me.”
Two days later Jesse Vang reported Elijah Vue missing.
Authorities saying they have been unable to find anyone, other than Vang or Baur who cared for Elijah on February 16th and 17th.
Police still asking people to review surveillance cameras for footage from February 19th between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., of this 1997 four-door Nissan Altima, beige in color, with a Wisconsin license plate beginning with an “A” and ending with “0.”
While authorities have said Baur and Vang are not the owners of the car, they haven’t said why they’re looking to track its whereabouts.
The two not offering any information to authorities about where Elijah Vue may be.
Katrina Baur’s attorney saying her client is distraught about her missing son.
Ann Larson said, “There’s a lot of high emotion going on, but there’s also high emotion going on with Miss Baur. She’s been worried sick not knowing where her son is.”
The district attorney disputing that claim when talking about Baur’s involvement with Jesse Vang the day her son disappeared. LaBre said, “She also was encouraging the co-actor not to cooperate with law enforcement on February 20th. She was messaging the co-actor to not say too much. No, don’t talk. Ask for an attorney.”
All of this while volunteers continue to hold out hope, they’ll find this little boy.
Searchers will out again in Manitowoc this weekend.
And volunteers are meeting in Green Bay to look for Vue too. Searchers are asked to meet at 9:30 a.m. at 3302 Thompson Court. Volunteers will be searching the trails at Baird Creek and at UWGB.
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