Elijah Vue Update: Plea Hearing Set For Mother Of Missing 3-Year-Old

A plea hearing for Katrina Baur, the mother of missing 3-year-old Elijah Vue, is scheduled for July 18, following a court hearing Monday, according to Court TV.

Elijah Vue, who disappeared from Wisconsin in February, has been the subject of an intense search by the Two Rivers Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. He was last seen at the home of Baur's boyfriend, Jesse Vang, 39, on Mishicot Road in Two Rivers. Vang reported the child missing after waking from a nap and discovering him missing.

The context

For a week before his disappearance, Vue stayed with Vang, after Baur sent him there so Vang could teach the boy “how to be a man,” according to a complaint obtained by the Herald Times reporter.

Vang told authorities that the arrangement was intended to make him a “boot camp.” He also told authorities that the boy had been afraid of him at one point, but now respected him.

Newsweek contacted the Two Rivers Police Department by email for comment.

What we know

Katrina Baur, 31, of Wisconsin Dells, is charged with chronic child neglect and also child abuse of Elijah and his six-year-old brother.

A hearing was held on Monday and a plea hearing was scheduled for July 18.

Baur is also charged with resisting an officer and has not yet been charged directly in connection with Elijah's disappearance, according to Court TV.

Baur's attorney indicated that a resolution in his case could be considered, although details were not disclosed at the June 20 hearing.

Elijah was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a dark-colored long-sleeved shirt, and red and green dinosaur-print slip-on shoes. He has a birthmark on his left knee and may have been carrying a red and white plaid blanket, which was later found 4 miles from where he was reported missing.

Texts reviewed in court show that Baur and Vang discussed meeting at Vang's apartment to have sex on Feb. 13. When Baur arrived at Vang's house at 2:30 a.m., she left her six-year-old child unattended in her car.

The next day, a photo taken with Baur's phone shows Elijah “lying on a bed” with a “blindfold over his eyes.” He appears to have “bruises on his jaw and neck on the left side, as well as bruises on his upper arm.”

At a court hearing, Baur's mother, Jodi Baur, said her daughter has a history of depression and anxiety, arguing against reducing her bail because “no victims have been found and many questions have not been answered.”

Elijah's uncle, Orson Vue, testified that Baur was responsible for the situation. “She allowed Elijah to suffer abuse and neglect,” he told the court. “To see your baby covered in bruises and do nothing to help him, take a picture and then delete it is absolutely disgusting.”

Prosecutors revealed that Elijah was subjected to cold showers and long periods of standing as punishment and was left in dirty diapers.

And after

The search for Elijah continues, with additional resources being deployed, including drones and a search dog team. Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward.

Baur's plea hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. July 18. Jesse Vang, who has pleaded not guilty to child neglect charges, is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 27.

Rumors on social media about Elijah's discovery have been denied by police. “Spreading false and misleading information is disrespectful to Elijah's family and hinders our efforts to locate him,” the Two Rivers Police Department said on Facebook.

“In the coming weeks, we plan to continue our search efforts on the water with the assistance of Bruce’s Legacy and additional sonar searches,” the Two Rivers Police Department said. “We will continue various search efforts to try to locate Elijah. Like many of you, we want to find answers and we are working hard to do so.”

Do you have a story to tell us? Do you have questions about this story? Contact [email protected]