MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. — In an amended criminal complaint against Jesse Vang, officials provided additional details of the charges he faces.
Vang faces one charge of chronic child neglect, as party to a crime, according to court documents.
Vang’s attorney asked for the case to be dismissed or for the criminal complaint to provide more details.
The prosecution filed a new criminal complaint on March 19.
Elijah Vue, a 3-year-old boy who has been missing since Feb. 20, was in Vang’s care when he went missing. In the criminal complaint, Elijah Vue is referred to as VICTIM-CHILD 1.
Vang was allegedly the last person to see Elijah Vue before he was reported missing.
According to the amended criminal complaint, Vang said he was in a relationship with the child’s mother, Katrina Baur. Vue had been staying with him as he said he was trying to help Baur correct her child’s behavior. Baur said that Vue had been staying with Vang since Feb. 12, according to the complaint. The first time Vue stayed with Vang alone was in Jan. 2024, but the Feb. 2024 visit was the longest time the two spent alone, according to Baur.
The night before Vue went missing, Vang said he drank three 12 ounce Budweiser beers and took one Cyclobenzaprine as a sleep aid, per the criminal complaint.
On the morning of Feb. 20, Vang helped his teenage son get on the bus to go to school. Vang said Vue was still asleep when he helped his son get on the bus. When he returned, he woke Vue up at around 8 a.m. According to the complaint, Vang said he brought Vue into a bedroom with him, shut the door and fell asleep. He had instructed Vue to stand at the foot of his bed and pray. Vang said he was too tired to change Vue’s diaper before falling asleep. When he woke up around 11 a.m. the child was gone and he called 911.
Baur told law enforcement that she and Vang discussed “limits of what discipline she did not want used,” but was fine with whatever other discipline Vang chose to use. The limits were not listed in the criminal complaint. Examples of discipline used, according to the criminal complaint, included praying, saying he was sorry and going over four rules he was supposed to memorize. Baur said she wanted Vang to teach her child how to be a man.
According to the complaint, Vang told law enforcement that Vue is afraid of him, but “then corrected himself that stated that he ‘respects me.’” He told law enforcement Vue was staying with him as a punishment for his behavior and “going home is like a privilege for him.”
Vang said the main punishment he inflicted on Vue was to stand in a corner, face the wall and pray. Sometimes he would also have to say sorry mommy.
Vang also said he utilized time outs as punishments, where Vue was expected to stand for one to three hours, either praying or saying “I’m sorry mommy.” Vang said Vue was in timeout for most of the time that he was in his care because this was meant to be a “bootcamp.”
Vue wears a diaper, as Vang said he was not potty trained. Vue said he changed his diaper “at least once per day.” Vang said he changed Vue’s diaper the evening of Feb. 19 before he went to bed. Vang watched “Ready Player One” and said Vue was not watching television because he was being punished. He was to either stand in the corner or by the bed where Vang was. Vang said the child “gets pretty tired from … I guess like from standing too.” He said that day he made him stand for two to three hours without sitting. If Vue tried to sit down, Vang would say, “You want cold water?” Vang said that Vue was “fine. It’s not like his knees are shaking or about to fall over.”
Vang said if the time outs do not work, he would give Vue an ultimatum, usually asking “Do you want some cold water?” Vang said the child does not like cold water but he did not know why. According to the criminal complaint, Vue said he did not follow through with these ultimatums.
While staying with Vang, Vue was permitted to do “fun things,” and only had one toy in the apartment. However, he was not allowed to play with it.
Phone records
During the investigation, Baur and Vang each consensually gave their phones to law enforcement. The following was reported in the criminal complaint:
On Feb. 13, Baur and Vang discussed Baur coming to Vang’s apartment for sex. Vang said Baur could not see her child at the apartment. At 10:12 p.m., Baur sent a message telling Vang that her six-year-old daughter — who she said is autistic — was asleep in the car. Baur’s daughter is refered to as VICTIM-CHILD 2 in the criminal complaint.
On Feb. 14, Baur arrived in the area just before 2:30 a.m. Baur asked Vang “Is there a way to shut off your headlights completely?” Vang said no. Baur said she could not find the other child’s phone “but a cop just passed by so I want to make sure she’d good.” Baur told Vang she wanted to find her daughter’s phone “cause I need to have some type of sound for her.” Vang replied, saying “probably think some one is warming up.” Baur said it was “not worth the risk. I’ll leave it off for a bit then turn it on again.” She found the phone but it was dead. She said she would leave her phone in the car and asked Vang if “it should stay warm for a bit right,” to which he responded it would. The low that night was 27 degrees. At 3:13 a.m., a photograph was taken showing Vue laying down on a bed with a blindfold over his eyes, bruising on his jawline and neck and on his upper left arm. The photo, which appeared to have been taken at Vang’s residence, was taken but then deleted by Baur. Data showed the phone left the Two Rivers area at around 4:30 a.m.
On Feb. 15, law enforcement said they found a photograph sent via Facebook messenger that showed Vue standing in a corner in a diaper. The diaper appeared to be full and his hands were in a praying position. It looked like he was in Vang’s apartment, according to the complaint.
On Feb. 16, phone records showed that Baur was in the City of Manitowoc around 11 p.m. She called Vang around 11:15 p.m. At 11:21 p.m. Baur texted Vang that she was on her way and he should put Vue to sleep. Baur’s phone was at Vang’s apartment around midnight.
At about 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 17, Baur’s and Vang’s phoned moved into the City of Manitowoc. At 12:50 a.m. Vang went to Saucy’s Bar, and another customer at the bar confirmed seeing him there. The phones showed different locations during this, for about an hour. Baur’s phone showed she was at Kwik Trip, which was later confirmed by store surveillance footage. She was seen in the driver’s seat of a car but no child could be seen in the car, according to the complaint. At 1:55 a.m. Baur’s phone and Vang’s phone met at Vang’s location and went back to Vang’s apartment together. At 5 a.m., Baur left the Two Rivers area. On Feb. 16, Baur’s daughter was being taken care of by someone in the Wisconsin Dells area. Vue was supposed to be under the care of Vang and Baur. Law enforcement said they have not been able to confirm if anyone else was taking care of him on Feb. 16 and 17.
On Feb. 17 between 6:39 p.m. and 6:49 p.m., Vang messaged Baur that he was angry with Vue because he had overfilled his diaper. Vang gave the child a cold shower, saying he was clean but scared.
On Feb. 18 at 4:36 a.m., Vang messaged Baur, “I told you to trust me.. I’m a make sure he hates me and being here.” Baur responded, saying, “Don’t want him to *hate* YOU. Just fear you,” to which Vang said, “It’s ok. Some one had to be the bad person.” Baur replied with, “I know but either way at he can fear you and respect you.” Van said, “He did fear me..but he didn’t respect me..now I’m making him respect me.”
Conviction history
The amended criminal complaint listed Vang’s previous convictions, including:
- Oct. 24, 2002: PTC Crim Damage to Property 01 CM 2404 (Outagamie)
- July 3, 2002: Flee an Office 02 CF 55 (Manitowoc)
- July 3, 2002: Battery by Prisoner 02 CF 165 (Manitowoc)
- Oct. 3, 2002: Child Abuse – Intentionally Cause Harm 02 CF 254 (Outagamie)
- Jan. 21, 2005: Mfg/Del Cocaine 04 CF 410 (Winnebago)
- July 23, 2004: Poss Cocaine 04 CM 651 (Outagamie)
- April 17, 2006: Poss Cocaine 06 CF 52 (Outagamie)
- April 26, 2007: Resist/Obstruct Officer 06 CM 1892 (Outagamie)
- Oct. 19, 2009: Fel Bail Jump/Habitual 07 CF 782 (Outagamie)
- July 23, 2007: DC 07 CM 435 (Manitowoc)
Read the amended criminal complaint, here:
The search for Elijah Vue continues
Vang has not been charged in Vue's disappearnce as of March 20, 2024. Both Vang and Baur are in jail on charges of child neglect.
Vue’s father has been jailed at Oshkosh Correctional Institute since 2023, in an unrelated matter.
Vue is a 3-year-old boy 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 issued Feb. 20, 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.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call the tipline at 844-267-6648 or submit information via the Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers P3 app. Those who provide information that help investigators located Vue are eligible for a reward of up to $40,000.
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