Katrina Baur, left, and Jesse Vang appear in Manitowoc County court via video conference Feb. 26, 2024, in connection with the search for Elijah Vue. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — There is enough evidence against the mother of missing 3-year-old boy Elijah Vue to send her to trial on child neglect charges, a Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday.
Katrina Baur, 31, waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Her attorney also dropped a motion to dismiss a child neglect count. Baur is scheduled to return to court on March 22 to enter a plea.
Baur faces one count of chronic neglect of a child as party to a crime, one count of neglecting a child and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer. Some of the charges have to do with Baur’s 6-year-old daughter.
Baur is accused of sending her son to stay with Jesse Vang in his Two Rivers apartment for “disciplinary reasons.” Elijah Vue was reported missing on Feb. 20. An Amber Alert for the boy has been active since.
Vang also appeared in court on Wednesday. He did not have an attorney, and the judge confirmed he was eligible for a public defender and that the state public defender’s office was looking for an attorney for him. Vang is due back in court on March 21.
With three-year-old Elijah Vue still missing, community members at Thursday’s hearing became emotional when talking about the situation.
“I just feel so bad for all the family, that I know they really love him and they’re missing him so I just wish somebody would tell us if he is out there, where is he,” said Cheryl Rauen from Manitowoc.
According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 17, Baur and Vang were both in the city of Manitowoc, according to cell phone data. Vang was seen alone in a bar. Surveillance footage of Baur showed her in a Kwik Trip without Vue.
In addition, a deleted photo taken on Feb. 14 on Baur’s phone showed Vue lying on a bed, blindfolded, at Vang’s home. It also appeared he had bruising on his jaw line, the left side of his neck and on the upper part of his left arm, the complaint says.
The FBI, the city of Two Rivers and Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers are offering a combined $40,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Vue or the arrest and charging of the individual(s) responsible for his disappearance.
Law enforcement officials are also gathering surveillance footage of a beige Nissan Altima they believe is connected to Vue’s disappearance.
Vue is described as having dark blond hair and brown eyes. He is about three feet tall, weighs about 45 pounds and has a birthmark on his left knee. If you find something you think may be related to the investigation, you are asked to immediately contact the state tip line at 1-844-267-6648 or Two Rivers police at 1-920-686-7200.
Elijah Vue, 3, was reported missing from Two Rivers Feb. 20, 2024. (Photo source: Two Rivers Police Dept.)
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