TWO RIVERS, Wis. — A hunter in northeastern Wisconsin discovered the skeletal remains of a 3-year-old boy who went missing in February, police confirmed Friday.
Elijah Vue was last seen at the home of his mother’s boyfriend in Two Rivers, a town of 11,270 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Green Bay, police said during an afternoon news conference.
A hunter preparing his property in the town of Two Rivers, a rural municipality that surrounds the city, for deer season discovered the skeletal remains on Sept. 7, Two Rivers Police Chief Benjamin Meinnert said. A forensic anthropologist at the state crime lab identified them as Elijah.
“This is not the result we were hoping for,” Meinnert said. “The family is devastated. We are devastated. The community is devastated.”
Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, 31, of Wisconsin Dells, was charged in February with one felony count of being a party to child neglect and two misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer. She has pleaded not guilty. Her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, 39, of Two Rivers, was charged the same day with a felony count of complicity in child neglect. He also pleaded not guilty.
According to a criminal complaint, Bauer had left her son with Vang on Feb. 12 because she wanted Vang to teach him “to be a man.” Vang called police on February 20 and reported the boy missing, telling police he had taken a nap and brought the boy into the bedroom. When he woke up three hours later, he was gone.
The boy’s remains were found about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from where he was last seen, Meinnert said.
The chief said the investigation into what happened to Elia will continue.
Baur’s attorney, Amber Gratz, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The phone at the office of Vang’s attorney, Timothy Hogan, was not working Friday afternoon, and no one immediately responded to an email left in the office’s general inbox.