(LibertySociety.com) – Skeletal remains discovered by a deer hunter in Wisconsin have been identified as Elijah Vue, a three-year-old boy who went missing in February from his mother’s boyfriend’s home. The remains, including a skull and multiple bones, were found on private property in Two Rivers by a person preparing his land for hunting season, according to Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert.
The discovery site was near the Girl Scout Camp Manitou property, in a heavily wooded area with thick underbrush, about three miles northwest of where Elijah was first reported missing. “This location is just over three miles northwest of where he was originally reported missing,” Meinnert said, noting that the area had been searched multiple times by law enforcement.
DNA testing at the Wisconsin Crime Lab confirmed the identity of the remains as Elijah Vue. The positive identification was shared with the boy’s family before being made public. Chief Meinnert expressed the shared grief felt by all involved, stating, “This is not the outcome we hoped for. The family’s devastated, we’re devastated, the community’s devastated.”
Elijah disappeared on February 20 from the apartment of Jesse Vang, the boyfriend of Elijah’s mother, Katrina Baur. Reports indicate that Baur had sent Elijah to Vang’s home in Two Rivers for “disciplinary reasons.” Vang, who has a criminal past including a six-year prison sentence for distributing methamphetamine, was dating Baur at the time. The Vue family stated that they were unaware of how Baur knew Vang.
Two days after Elijah’s disappearance, both Baur and Vang were arrested on charges of child neglect, though they have denied any involvement in the boy’s disappearance. Despite extensive searches, Elijah’s blanket was the only clue recovered before his remains were found, discovered about 3.7 miles from where he went missing.
The case has left the community heartbroken, and authorities are urging anyone with further information about Elijah’s disappearance to come forward as the investigation continues.
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