Missing Elijah Vue mother ‘allowed him to suffer abuse and neglect’, uncle says

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Missing three-year-old Elijah Vue‘s mother must be “held fully accountable” for allowing her son to suffer “abuse and neglect” before he disappeared more than two months ago, the boy’s uncle has said.

Orson Vue spoke in court as Elijah’s mother Katrina Baur, 31, appeared before a judge to once again ask to be released from jail where she’s been held on $15,000 bond since February 21 - the day after her son was reported missing.

She sat hunched with her hands in her lap as Mr Vue addressed the court in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He said: “She is the mother of Elijah and is the main reason for all of this that has happened. Katrina needs to be found fully accountable for a lack of care for Elijah.

“She has allowed Elijah to suffer abuse and neglect. Seeing her baby all bruised up and not doing anything to help him, instead taking a picture and then deleting it is absolutely disgusting.”

Baur is accused of chronic child neglect and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, in relation to Elijah, as well as child neglect relating to another child believed to be her six-year-old daughter.

She allegedly sent her son to stay with Vang in Two Rivers, around a two-and-a-half-hour drive from their home in Wisconsin Dells, for “disciplinary reasons”. Vang was teaching the three-year-old boy “to be a man”, it has been alleged.

Elijah was reported missing from Vang’s home on February 20. He has not been seen since.

Vang, who is also in jail accused of chronic child neglect, allegedly told police that he subjected the boy to lengthy time-outs and threatened him with cold showers if he misbehaved.

Officers later revealed Elijah was banned from playing with toys, was left in dirty diapers, and had been pictured with bruising during a visit by Baur in the days before his disappearance.

Elijah’s father, Jimmy Vue, watched the proceedings via video link from the prison where he is serving a sentence for “bail jumping” and possession of methamphetamine.

Baur’s attorney argued that her client should be allowed to go free without having to pay her $15,000 bond because she had previously shown she could show up for court appearances in previous cases and had no real money to her name.

The Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre argued that Baur’s record also showed a history of skipping court dates and claimed the mother presented a flight risk.

Tuesday’s hearing marked the second time Baur has asked to be set free. In early March, she also argued that she would not stray far and would show up for court hearings.

At that hearing, the court heard a statement from Baur’s mother, in which she begged for her daughter to remain in jail, Judge Robert Dewane said the bond was set “right where it needs to be”.

His mind was not changed on Tuesday, saying that Elijah still being missing was a “significant factor” in making his decision. However, he did say that if he allowed Baur to go free, it was highly unlikely she could slip away.

“For anyone to think she could go anywhere in this county and not be followed by somebody, I don’t think they are living in reality,” Judge Dewane said.

The judge said that with Elijah still missing and a lack of support available for Baur in Manitowoc County, he could not let her go free.

“There’s too much at stake, there are too many unanswered questions,” he said.

Baur’s mother Jodi Baur, who was also watching proceedings, spoke last week of her daughter’s “cold” reaction to the news her son had gone missing.

She last spoke with her daughter on 1 March, not long after she was arrested. She said that her daughter appeared to believe her son had just disappeared on his own.

“She was calm. I think the investigators (who) had called me that night said she was cold. Whether she was detached or in denial, I don’t know,” the grandmother told local TV station WISN12.

“It was the mama bear, the anger, the instinct, the hysteria that was missing that just... it just hit me wrong.”

Both Baur and Vang deny the charges against them.

A further hearing was set for Baur on 28 May. Vang is next due in front of Judge Dewane on 28 June.

Two Rivers Police Department have given few updates on the case in recent weeks, but have said searches continue. Volunteers have also been scouting the wider area, including the infamous Avery’s Auto Salvage yard, which gained notoriety in the Netflix series Making a Murderer.