More than six months after a Wisconsin boy disappeared, police in Wisconsin say a hunter has found the remains of missing Elijah Vue, who would have turned 4 in August. Police arrested his mother, Katrina Baur, 31, and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, 39, earlier this year in connection with the child’s disappearance. Vang reported Elijah missing on February 20 after he allegedly fell asleep and woke up to find the child gone.
Prosecutors charged Vang with felony child neglect and charged Baur with felony child neglect, two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, and one count of neglecting a child, People reported in April. The search continued, and an Amber Alert remained active until the tragic discovery of the toddler’s remains on September 7.
More from CafeMom: Dad Allegedly Shot & Killed Ex-Wife & Boyfriend While 15-Year-Old Daughter Waited in Car
Elijah's remains were allegedly found on private property.
A hunter found Elijah’s remains in a heavily wooded area on his property, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The hunter, who wished to remain anonymous, told police he was getting ready for the upcoming bow season when he found a human skull and bones on his property. The man’s property is about three miles from Vang’s apartment.
The area had been searched before, but nothing was found.
Two Rivers Police Chief Benjamin Meinnert said in a news conference on September 13 that investigators had searched the area multiple times in the past. He expressed his sadness at the hunter’s discovery.
“This is not the outcome that we hope for,” the police chief shared. “The family is devastated. We’re devastated. Our community is devastated.”
Meinnert said the investigation is active, and he declined to take questions from the media.
Vang and Baur were reportedly not at the same location when Elijah disappeared.
According to the Journal Sentinel, Elijah had been with Vang at the apartment in Two Rivers but the boy’s mother was at her home in the Wisconsin Dells when he disappeared. Baur allegedly left her son with Vang for extended periods so he could “teach” him by example how to be a man, per a complaint obtained by People. Shortly after Vang reported Elijah missing, police arrested him.
More from CafeMom: Mom Who Found Toddler Dead but Didn’t Call 911 for an Hour Now Facing Murder Charge
Neighbors were heartbroken by the news.
David Berthiaume, who lives in the area, told the Journal Sentinel he wants answers.
“There won’t be closure for me until we know who killed him and put him there,” Berthiaume said. “Nothing killed him back there in those woods,” he added. “He was killed and put there.”
Ray Randall has a granddaughter around Elijah’s age and lives close by. He told the newspaper the situation hit “too close to home.”
“It makes me think, how the h— did they get him in there? I’m here pretty much here all the time. How did I not see anything?” he said.
