Charges filed against mother, boyfriend in connection to death of Elijah Vue
MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Charges are being filed in connection to the death of 3-year-old Elijah Vue.
In a press conference Thursday, Jackalyn Labre, the district attorney for Manitowoc County, announced charges against Elijah's mother - Katrina Baur - and her boyfriend, Jesse Vang.
Vang is being charged with physical abuse of a child - repeated acts, causing death, hiding a corpse, and obstructing an officer.
Baur is being charged with chronic neglect of a child - consequence is death, child neglect, and obstructing an officer.
"This has been a complex investigation involving meticulous review of hundreds of pages of police reports, video evidence and other materials," said Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn Lavre.
Forensics by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner identified a healed fracture on Elijah Vue's cheek bone weeks before the child's death. Dr. Hillary Petska, a child abuse pediatrician, calls what Elijah Vue endured "torture" with sleep deprivation, cold showers, and standing one to three hours at a time multiple times a day.
The criminal complaint alleges Jessie Vang would send Vue's mother videos of her child being punished, forced to repeat over and over "good boy, good boy."
The complaint says a picture of Katrina Baur's cell phone six days before Elijah's reported disappearance, appears to show bruises on his jaw line, neck and elbow, and raises concern for bruising suggestive of fingertip contusions.
On the day Vang told police he awoke from a nap to find the boy missing, police say a minute after he called 911, Katrina Baur messaged him saying, "Jessie listen, the way you word things is very important. I need you to call me."
A memorial to the little boy remains on a tree outside the apartment building where police say Vue was last seen with Vang.
"I just hope that it's fair and he gets what's coming to him, it's not right to be picking on a small child," said Kevin Lammers.
"Just to know that it wasn't a stranger, it was a community member really just changes things," said Autumn Walczak.
"There were hundreds of people that just looked for Elijah day and night," said Nancy, who did not want to share her last name.
"I think everyone held their kids a lot closer….no one really wanted their kids out of sight," said Walczak.
Jessie Vang faces criminal abuse of a child repeated acts causing death and hiding a corpse. And Katrina Baur is charged with chronic neglect of a child.
"My thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Elijah's family for enduring unimaginably pain," said District Attorney Lavre.
No homicide charges have been filed at this time. Questions were not taken at the end of the conference.