A skull and other human remains have been identified as missing Wisconsin toddler Elijah Vue, police announced Friday.
The remains were discovered by a deer hunter on private property in a heavily wooded area in Two Rivers on Saturday — about three miles northwest of where the 3-year-old was first reported missing on Feb. 20.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you today, those remains were identified as Elijah Vue. With that news, and following this briefing, the Amber Alert will be canceled,” Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert told reporters at a press conference.
The boy was first reported missing by his mother’s boyfriend, Jesse Vang, who said he had woken up from a three-hour nap to find Elijah gone.
His mother, Katrina Baur, told investigators she had sent her son to stay with Vang so he could teach the boy “to be a man,” according to a cr*iminal complaint.
Baur and Vang were arrested in February and are facing child neglect charges related to the case. Both have denied any involvement in the tot’s disappearance.
After Elijah vanished, investigators said they strongly believed he was still in the vicinity of the Two Rivers city or the surrounding area, which search parties have painstakingly scoured.
During one search, the boy’s blanket was discovered.
Meinnert said the area where Elijah’s remains were found “had been searched several times by law enforcement, private searches, the landowner, aerial searches, and various search and rescue teams.”
The bones were discovered as law enforcement was planning another search for the boy next week. After the remains were confirmed to be human, they were taken to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for DNA testing, which confirmed the identity of Vue.
The boy’s family was immediately notified, Meinnert said.
“This is not the outcome we hoped for. The family is devastated, we’re devastated, our community’s devastated,” he said.
“I never met Elijah but I watched that three year old boy bring out the best in this community,” he added, choking up.
The chief said the investigation is expected to take some time until it’s completed.
