Elijah Vue update: Mother pleads not guilty to child neglect charges as search reaches fifth weekend
Authorities found Elijah Vue’s missing blanket four miles from his last known location
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Elijah Vue’s mother pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges in connection to the toddler’s disappearance.
Katrina Baur appeared briefly before Judge Robert Dewane, with her next court appearance now set over a month from now.
This comes after a brief court appearance on Thursday for her friend Jesse Vang, who was the last known person to see Elijah.
The toddler was last seen by Mr Vang on 20 February in Two Rivers, a town on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Authorities say Ms Baur sent her son to live with Mr Vang for “disciplinary reasons,” where the boy was reportedly subjected to lengthy time-outs and threats of cold water if he misbehaved.
Now, it has emerged that Mr Vang was previously charged with human trafficking. The charges were later dropped.
Earlier this week, police found a blanket belonging to Elijah four miles from his last known location. There is a $40,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Officials describe Elijah as three feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes — he is also of Hmong and white ethnicity.
Who is Jesse Vang?
Jesse Vang, a friend of Elijah Vue’s mother, was the last person to see the three-year-old alive.
Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, sent her son to Mr Vang’s home on 12 February. What allegedly followed was a series of “disciplinary” tactics to address what Ms Baur felt was Elijah’s bad behaviour, including lengthy time-outs and requirements to pray or repeatedly say he was “sorry mommy”.
Mr Vang reported Elijah missing on 20 February. He told police he had taken a nap that morning, and when he woke up, the three-year-old was gone.
WATCH: Elijah Vue’s family plead for help in finding him
A mother sent her three-year-old boy away to ‘learn to be a man.’ Now he’s missing
An Amber Alert went out in the Wisconsin town of Two Rivers warning that a little boy had gone missing and police needed the community’s help.
A month on from the 20 February alert, the town is still searching for Elijah Vue, while his mother and her boyfriend are in jail, facing child neglect charges.
Here’s everything we know so far about the case:
What we know about three-year-old Elijah Vue’s disappearance
It’s been around a month since three-year-old Elijah Vue was reported missing – and concerning details have emerged about ‘disciplinary tactics’ he may have been subjected to. Dan Gooding reports
Court adjourned to 4 April
The preliminary hearing for Jesse Vang, the last person to see Elijah Vue, lasted just moments on Thursday afternoon before they adjourned.
Given Mr Vang had been assigned new attorneys who were unable to appear in person this Thursday, the hearing will be postponed to 4 April, the judge said.
Court hearing begins for Jesse Vang
Jesse Vang is currently appearing in court for a preliminary hearing via Zoom.
Updates to follow.
Missing Elijah Vue’s red and white blanket found four miles from last known location
A red and white plaid blanket belonging to missing Wisconsin boy Elijah Vue has been found just under four miles from where he was reported missing nearly a month ago.
Two Rivers Police Department said on Monday that officers had identified the blanket, which was found on Goodwin Road, east of County Road B in Manitowoc County, earlier in the investigation.
Read more ahead of Jesse Vang’s court appearance this afternoon, scheduled to begin within minutes:
Missing Elijah Vue’s red-and-white blanket found 4 miles from last known location
The three-year-old was last seen nearly a month ago in Two Rivers
New claims of abuse against missing Elijah Vue, 3, emerge as mother’s friend due in court
A three-year-old Wisconsin boy was reportedly pictured wearing a blindfold and with bruises on his face just days before he was reported missing a month ago.
An updated criminal complaint against the man Elijah Vue was staying with, Jesse Vang, was published on Wednesday, a day before the 39-year-old is due in court charged with chronic neglect of a child.
Elijah’s mother Katrina Baur says she sent him to stay with Mr Vang on 12 February, around a 2.5 hour drive from their Wisconsin Dells home, in Two Rivers.
What allegedly followed was a series of “disciplinary” tactics to address what Ms Baur felt was Elijah’s bad behaviour, including lengthy time-outs and requirements to pray or repeatedly say he was “sorry mommy.”
Read more on the updated complaint, reviewed by The Independent:
New claims of abuse against missing Elijah Vue, 3, as mother’s friend due in court
Jesse Vang is due back in court on Thursday, now charged with chronic child neglect
Court set to begin in one hour for last person to see Elijah Vue
The trial for Jesse Vang, the last known person to see Elijah Vue, will resume today in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin in less than an hour.
An updated criminal complaint published yesterday revealed Elijah was allegedly pictured wearing a blindfold with bruises on his face just days before going missing. Police say Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, told them she sent Elijah to stay with Mr Vang on 12 February. There, police say Elijah was subjected to “disciplinary” tactics to address what Ms Baur felt was Elijah’s bad behaviour, including lengthy time-outs and requirements to pray or repeatedly say he was “sorry mommy.”