Elijah Vue: New search for missing three-year-old on salvage yard of Making a Murderer’s Steven Avery
The remains of photographer Teresa Halbach were found on Avery’s Salvage Yard, with Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey later convicted of her murder
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Volunteers searching for missing Wisconsin toddler Elijah Vue have turned their attentions to a salvage yard connected to a case which shot to fame in the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
Elijah, 3, was reported missing from Two Rivers on 20 February by his mother’s friend Jesse Vang.
Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur, had sent her son to stay with Mr Vang for “disciplinary reasons” and he was subjected to lengthy time outs, was banned from using toys and was threatened with cold water, according to authorities.
The morning he disappeared, Mr Vang said he took a nap at 8am and when he woke up, the boy was gone.
More than six weeks on, Elijah’s whereabouts remain unknown.
On Monday, volunteers headed nine miles north of Manitowoc, close to where the three-year-old went missing, to Avery’s Auto Salvage yard.
The salvage yard gained notoriety in 2005, when the remains of photographer Teresa Halbach were found there.
Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted of her murder, although Avery still maintains his innocence.
He had previously served 18 years in prison for a rape he was wrongly convicted of.
Avery’s story was told through the Netflix series Making a Murderer, which premiered in 2015.
Around 40 people searched the salvage yard on Monday, with some combing through the treeline around the property, while others looked through car scraps.
While the effort did not appear to uncover anything new, volunteers said they will continue to look for Elijah.
Volunteers told local media that there was no indication the Avery family were involved with Elijah’s case or that he might be in the area, but that the site was the latest area targeted after the boy disappeared over 50 days ago.
“There’s always hope that little Elijah is alive, but if he’s not, we need to get him justice,” volunteer Julie Nelson told Fox 11 News.
“A little guy who went too long without a voice and he cried way too long without anybody hearing him. So, I’m here for him.”
Two Rivers Police Department Chief Ben Meinnert said on Wednesday that his team has no evidence Elijah was abducted.
“Until we’ve found him, I don’t feel any differently. I still have that, you know, that aching in my gut that he’s not here,” the chief told WISN.
“I get asked a lot, you know, do I still think he’s alive? I don’t know. That’s the sad truth of the matter. I think about it just like everybody else all the time.
“I think everybody has that hope. But yeah, until we bring closure, I don’t think that gut wrenching feeling ever goes away.”
Police have sorted through some 10,000 video files and exhausted 1,500 tips, the chief said.
Ms Baur and Mr Vang are both being held on child neglect charges, while rewards for information on Elijah’s whereabouts total $40,000.