TWO RIVERS, Wis. — Elijah Vue, 3, has been missing for a week as of Tuesday.

The Two Rivers Police Department held a press conference on Tuesday evening to provide an update on the search for the missing Wisconsin child. 

Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert said his department has been working around the clock, utilizing hundreds of resources, to bring Vue home.

“A child missing for any amount of time is everyone’s worst nightmare,” Meinnert said.

Meinnert said as soon as Vue was reported missing, every police officer was out searching for him.

“It’s not necessarily an unusual incident to have a missing child. Usually we find them right away. Nearly immediately, we realized we needed more resources,” Meinnert said.

The police department then reached out to the fire department and the Department of Public Works to help.

Shortly after that, the police found out that Vue was last seen at 8 a.m. — three hours before he was reported missing. This is when officials said they issued multiple alerts, including an Amber Alert.

“This child was 3 years old and was reported missing on a cold, winter temperature day, with only a blanket and possibly light clothing,” Meinnert said. “We knew at that time [it had been] possibly three to four hours. I define that as endangered.”

Meinnert said he and his staff immediately reached out to the Division of Criminal Investigation. They led the investigation with the support of the FBI.

Drones, K-9s, helicopters, UTVs and boats have been deployed to look for Vue. The search has spanned Manitowoc County and beyond.

Meinnert said his team later established a tip line, which he said has been beneficial to the investigation. The FBI is offering a reward up to $15,000 for information leading to the location and return of Vue and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for his disappearance. Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads investigators to Vue.

On Wednesday, a day after the FBI announced the additional reward, the Two Rivers Police Department said it received a heightened number of tips. 

Meinnert said every tip will be followed up with.

“We’ll leave no rock unturned. We’re going to follow up on those leads because ultimately our goal is, again, we want to bring Elijah home,” Meinnert said. “It doesn’t matter how small that lead or tip may be. Please bring that to us.”

Searches have included but are not limited to landfills, waterways, rural and urban areas. There have been leads in the Wisconsin Dells.

His family said they are grateful for law enforcement, first responders and members of the public who have looked for Vue.

“I want everybody to continue to help us to look for my grandson. I want my grandson to be home with my family, so I want everybody to continue. Don’t stop searching for my baby Elijah. We want him to be safe and with my family. We love my grandson,” Vue’s grandmother said through tears during the press conference.

They, along with law enforcement, vowed to bring Vue home.

“Elijah, if you can hear us, know that you are deeply missed and loved, and we will not rest until you are safely back in our arms,” another member of Vue’s family said during a Tuesday press conference.

Police asked that people stop spreading rumors about Vue on social media, as that can hinder search efforts. Officials said they will continue to be transparent with the search for Vue. The public is asked to check any home surveillance cameras and private property.

Vue’s mother, Katrina Baur, is in jail on charges of child neglect and obstructing police. Her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, is in jail on charges of child neglect.

Meinnert said he cannot discuss Baur and Vang, as he does not want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

Vue’s father has been incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institute since 2023, in an unrelated matter. 

Vue is a 3-year-old male with sandy colored hair and brown eyes. Two Rivers Police Department said he “was described as having Hmong and white ethnicity.”

He has a birthmark on his left knee. He is 3-feet-tall and weighs 45 pounds.

In the Amber Alert, police said he was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, as well as a long-sleeve, dark-colored shirt and red and green dinosaur slip-on shoes.