TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – While Elijah Vue’s disappearance has shaken his family and community, it’s also been difficult for law enforcement.
As Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert said in a news conference Tuesday, they’ve been working tirelessly since Vue was reported missing on Feb. 20.
“We are doing everything in our effort believing that he is still out there, we will find him and we will bring him home,” Meinnert said.
That includes searching beyond Two Rivers, in other areas of the county and state. It also involves other local and state law enforcement agencies, as well as the FBI.
“We also utilized almost any boat, UTV, drone, K9 and even National Guard helicopters to search for Elijah,” Meinnert said.
And neither officials or community members plan to slow down.
“We’ve reached out to hundreds and hundreds of resources over this week’s time span and they’re all dedicated to bringing him home and we’ll continue to follow up on any leads to do so,” Meinnert said.
At the end of Tuesday’s press conference, Meinnert took questions from reporters. One asked if there’s any indication if Elijah is still alive.
“I’m not going to speculate on anything at this point, but I will say is our efforts are for bringing Elijah home safe and I believe our efforts so far have done just that,” Meinnert said.
Another question was to specify if Vue is believed to have wandered off on his own, or if foul play is suspected.
“Again, I can’t speculate,” Meinnert said. “I will say about the Amber Alert that we put out — people wanted me to speculate on an abduction versus endangered. At this point, what I do know is a child went missing in cold temperatures, winter temperatures, in relatively little clothing and possibly a blanket.”
Meinnert did confirm Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, and her boyfriend Jesse Vang, have been arrested on charges relating to child neglect.
“I’m unable to discuss those matters because it is an ongoing investigation and I don’t want to jeopardize those cases,” Meinnert said.
The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $15,000 for any information that leads to Elijah’s whereabouts or an arrest for anyone responsible for his disappearance.
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