GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – From Fond du Lac and Wisconsin Dells to Green Bay and Outagamie County, dozens of volunteers continue to search for Elijah Vue.
The 3-year old boy was reported missing from Two Rivers more than three weeks ago.
“What brought me out is just looking at the little boy and his eyes and innocence,” said searcher Laurie Carpenter from Grand Chute.
Vue’s disappearance continues to weigh heavily on the hearts of many in Northeast Wisconsin.
“I’m from the area, and I have a four-and-a-half year old myself, so I figured I want to help,” said Scott Patten, a searcher from the Appleton area.
Carpenter added, “We all have kids, some have grandkids, and just going out here to help. We’d want anybody to do that for our families.”
Close to 25 volunteers combed the more than 700 acres of the Bubolz Nature Preserve in Grand Chute Wednesday, looking for anything that could help find Elijah Vue.
According to searcher Bianca Sheprow from Appleton, “We have been kind of off the trail, so we’ve been looking in places that maybe wouldn’t be on the beaten path to try to see if we can find any evidence.”
One volunteer even put a drone in the air to check hard-to-reach areas. The search was very organized to make sure as much ground as possible was covered.
“They kind of divided it into four quadrants and sent groups in each quadrant to try and make it a little bit easier,” said Patten.
The search area is rugged and vast, and according to volunteers, a bit overwhelming.
The Grand Chute Police Department showed up at the search, acting as a liaison for the searchers — not only offering advice to volunteers if they find something suspicious, but also willing to check things out too.
“We’re not partaking in the search today. We’re just assisting the citizen volunteers who are out here searching, giving their time to help find things. And anything that they find, they can run it through us and we can help them out, point them in the right direction if anything is found,” said Grand Chute Officer Dylan Davis.
While volunteers know they’re looking for a needle in a haystack– and they don’t even know if this is the right haystack — they feel they still need to try.
Patten said, “It can be a little bit frustrating the longer you’re out here and don’t find anything, but at least I feel better knowing I’m doing something to try and help, try and help find him.”
Carpenter added, “You never know what could be, so you have to keep trying until you have an answer or a solution.”
While the volunteers might not be able to search every day, they say they’ll always be on the lookout until Elijah Vue is found.
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