In a tragic case that has shocked the Two Rivers community in Wisconsin, three-year-old Elijah Vue was discovered deceased in a thicket nearly seven months after he went missing. Reports indicate that his mother, Katrina Baur, and her Asian boyfriend, Jesse Vang, are facing charges of neglect and child abuse, and they are set to stand trial.
At a press conference on October 17, Manitowoc County Prosecutor Jacqueline Labrie announced the formal charges against Baur and Vang. “Our primary objective is to ensure a fair and just legal process. Today we reaffirm our commitment to uphold the law and seek justice for Elijah’s death,” Labrie stated, emphasizing the tragic nature of the case. “Elijah was just a little boy whose life was unfortunately cut short. This is an incredibly heartbreaking case that has shocked our community.”
Elijah went missing in February of this year, and extensive ground and air searches were launched by authorities, but to no avail. It was noted that Elijah would have celebrated his fourth birthday in August.
The discovery of human remains on September 7 by a local hunter in a dense wooded area led to a grim confirmation from the Fond du Lac County coroner that the remains belonged to Elijah. His cause of death was determined to be “homicide by unknown means.”
Given the proximity of the location where Elijah was found to where he initially went missing—just three miles—police have raised significant concerns about the caregivers responsible for Elijah, particularly his mother and boyfriend.
As a result, Vang has been charged with child abuse, homicide, concealing a corpse, and obstructing a police investigation, while Baur faces charges of child neglect, negligent homicide, and two counts of obstructing justice. Despite the serious allegations, court documents indicate that both Vang and Baur intend to plead not guilty to the charges.
CNN reports that during his first court appearance on October 18, Vang was assigned a bail of $500,000, while Baur’s bail was set at $400,000. However, both remain in custody as they have yet to post bail.
