Editor's Note: The details of this criminal complaint may be disturbing to some.
TWO RIVERS, Wis. — Charges have been filed in connection to the death of Elijah Vue, who went missing on Feb. 20, 2024.
Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre said Elijah's mother, Katrina Baur, and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, have been charged in connection to the child’s death.
Vue was 3-years-old when he went missing; he was missing for more than six months. He would have celebrated his fourth birthday during that time frame.
“Elijah has been our top priority since he was reported missing on Feb. 20 this year,” Two Rivers Police Captain Andrew Raatz said.
Charges filed
Vang faces the following charges issued by the Manitowoc County DA’s office:
- Physical abuse of a child, repeated acts causing death
- Hiding a corpse
- Obstructing an officer
If Vang is convicted of physical abuse of a child, he faces life in prison. If Vang is convicted of hiding a corpse, he faces up to 12 years and 6 months in prison and fines of up to $25,000. If Vang is convicted of obstructing an officer, he faces up to nine months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
If convicted, additional years could be added to his sentencing, due to his previous criminal history.
Baur faces the following charges issued by the Manitowoc County DA’s office:
- Chronic neglect of a child, consequence is death
- Neglecting a child, specified harm did not occur and child has a disability
- Two counts of obstructing an officer
If convicted of chronic neglect of a child, Baur faces up to 60 years in prison. If convicted of obstructing an officer, Baur faces up to nine months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
The charge of neglecting a child, specified harm did not occur and child has a disability, was not for alleged acts toward Vue, but toward another child. If convicted of that charge, Baur faces up to 3 years and 6 months in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
LaBre said she anticipates a bail hearing will be held Friday, Oct. 18 at 12:45 p.m. Bail will be set at that time and initial court appearances will be scheduled.
Both Vang and Baur are already in jail. They have previously been charged with child neglect. According to the criminal complaint, they both said they had nothing to do with Vue’s disappearance.
According to court documents, Baur and Vang told investigators that Vue was staying with Vang. Vang was trying to “correct the child’s bad behavior.” Vang told police Vue was afraid of him and that he disciplined the then 3-year-old by making him stand and pray for one to three hours at a time.
Vang told police that on Feb. 20, he fell asleep while watching Vue and that when he woke up, Vue was gone.
Video canvasing
According to a criminal complaint, police recovered video of a Nissan driving through the area on the evening of Feb. 19. The Nissan belonged to a witness who told Vang he could borrow the vehicle that day.
Video shows the car stopping at St. Vincent de Paul, a nonprofit thrift store that relies on donations. A man, who officials identified as Vang, exiting the driver's seat and takes a dark colored suitcase out of the car. He left the suitcase in front of a building door, got back into the car and left.
The store was not open at this time of night, per the criminal complaint.
A crime lab later identified DNA inside of the suitcase that was a match for Vue's DNA.
The criminal complaint also revealed that a red plaid blanket was found in a ditch by a woman walking her dogs on Feb. 25. DNA testing also confirmed Vue's DNA was found on the blanket.
Remains found
Officials said Vue’s remains were located by the owner of private property in Two Rivers last month, who contacted authorities immediately. The private property where the remains were found was three miles northwest of where Vue was initially reported missing.
The thick, wooded area where the remains were found had been canvassed and searched multiple times, according to police.
According to a criminal complaint, the decomposition of the remains was consistent with the estimated timing of Vue's death, which was around the time he was reported missing.
The criminal complaint stated Vue's skull had a healed fracture on the right cheek bone, as well as other injuries. These injuries were consistent with head trauma occuring during child abuse. This type of fracture specifically is typically caused by blunt force trauma. When Vue was 6-months-old, he had an X-ray and the fracture on his skull was not present. Officials said because this type of injury would take at minimum several weeks to heal, the trauma inflicted would have occurred between the time he received that X-ray and several weeks before his death.
Police cited phone and social media records dating from Dec. 2023 to Feb. 2024 as evidence. Photos of Vue were included in some of those messages between Baur and Vang, showing injuries on Vue's body while he was still alive. Medical professionals who reviewed those photos said bruising on his neck and elbow would likely not be expected from an accidental fall.
Court documents said the alleged abuse took place between at least Jan. 1 to Feb. 19. Medical personnel also said evidence suggests Vue suffered mental, emotional and psychological abuse in addition to physical abuse.
Chief Medical Examiner of Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner's Office Dr. Adam Covach, filed a report on Oct. 16 saying Vue's death was a homicide.
“This is an incredibly tragic situation that has shaken our community,” LaBre said.
“Elijah was a young boy whose life was tragically cut short and his death has impacted not only his loved ones, but Two Rivers, the Two Rivers Police Department, the sheriff’s office, our partners in the FBI and Department of Justice — Criminal Investigations and other agencies who have worked tirelessly on this case,” she added.
Read the full criminal complaint below:
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