The case of a missing three-year-old boy in Wisconsin has had a devastating update after remains were found by a hunter on his property.
After Elijah Vue was reported missing on February 20 this year, his family were desperate to find answers.
However, during a press conference on September 13, police confirmed that DNA from the remains, matched that of the toddler.
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According to reports, the skeletal remains were found in northeastern Wisconsin after a hunter who lived at the property, spotted them while he was getting ready for deer season.
The location is situated in the rural municipality of Two Rivers and is surrounded by wooded areas.
The police explained that little Elijah was last seen at his mother’s boyfriend’s home in Two Rivers, just eight days after she dropped him off so he could learn how to be a ‘man’.
According to Two Rivers Police Chief Benjamin Meinnert, this news has devastated the community.
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During the conference, which was live streamed via Facebook, he said: “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.”
Meinnert added: "This is not the outcome that we hoped for.
“The family is devastated. We are devastated. The community is devastated."
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The remains were confirmed to be Elijah by a forensic anthropologist at the state crime lab.
The area of Two Rivers has been extensively searched by police since the three-year-old was first reported missing in hopes that he could be found, and on one search, the boy’s blanket was discovered.
Meinnert explained that 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’.
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The bones were then discovered just as law enforcement had been planning another search for the boy, which would take place next week.
When they found bones, they needed to confirm that they were human.
Once it was confirmed, they were transported to the Wisconsin Crime Lab for DNA testing which proved that they belonged to Elijah.
It all began in February when Elijah’s mom, Katrina Baur, 31, left her son at her boyfriend’s, Jesse Vang.
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Since the missing child was reported to police, Baur has been charged with a count of felony child maltreatment and two counts of misdemeanor resisting or obstructing an officer for which she pleaded not guilty.
Vang, 39, was also charged with one count of criminal child neglect, which he also pleaded not guilty to.
According to a criminal complaint against the mother, Baur left her son with Vang on February 12 to teach him the ropes of ‘becoming a man’ and on February 20, Vang reported the boy missing to the police, after he allegedly disappeared after a three-hour nap together.
Meinnert told press that Elijah’s bones were found approximately three miles from Vang’s home, and that an investigation is being led to find out exactly what happened to the boy.
UNILAD has contacted the Two Rivers Police Department for comment.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Britt Jones