A 3-year-old Wisconsin boy is missing and his mother and her boyfriend have been accused of child neglect, after the district attorney alleged that the boy was sent to live with the man as a punishment.
The boy, named Elijah Vue, was last seen on Tuesday at a residence in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where he was staying with Jesse Vang, 39, who was dating his mother, Katrina Baur, 31.
The district attorney, Jacalyn LaBre, made the allegation in court on Friday, when she referred Baur and Vang for charges of child neglect. She said that Baur “deliberately sent that child for disciplinary reasons for more than a week to the residence. She knew the tactics used and the lack of care provided. This was intentional by her.”
Baur and Vang appeared briefly and separately in court on Monday. Baur is charged with being a party to the crime of neglecting a child and two counts of obstructing an officer. Vang is charged with child neglect, prosecutors said. Preliminary hearings were set for March 7.
LaBre’s remarks in court and information from police shed some light on the disappearance of the 3-foot, 50-pound boy with sandy blond hair and Hmong heritage.
Police said in a statement that someone who claimed to be Elijah’s “adult caretaker” called authorities shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday to report that Elijah was missing from the residence in Two Rivers and was last seen there about 8 a.m.
A huge search was started, and a statewide Amber Alert was issued, they said.
During the detention and bail hearing, LaBre also alleged that Baur was not truthful with police investigating Elijah’s disappearance. She said he was last in the care of Vang. The nature of the relationship between Baur and Vang was unclear.
The hearing on Friday was covered by NBC affiliates WTMJ of Milwaukee and WGBA of Green Bay. LaBre confirmed by email to NBC News that she made the remarks alleging Baur sent Elijah to live with Vang as discipline.
She was held on $15,000 cash bail and Vang was held on $20,000 cash bail, prosecutors said.
A state public defender assigned to the case did not immediately respond to a request to comment on behalf of both defendants.
Investigators have not said what they think has happened to Elijah. They are searching on the ground and in the air using state, local and federal resources.
“From the moment Elijah was reported missing, our law enforcement from local, state and federal agencies, along with devoted volunteers and community members, have been working non-stop around the clock to search every inch of our city and beyond,” Two Rivers Police Chief Benjamin Meinnert said at a news conference on Wednesday.
He urged residents to check the grounds of their homes for the boy and report any sightings or clues to authorities.
Two Rivers police said in a statement on Sunday that the Green Bay police dive team helped with the search.
“Our search efforts continued throughout last night and will continue today on our city rivers,” the police department said.
Two Rivers is a city of about 11,000 on Lake Michigan, about 90 miles north of Milwaukee.