Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office investigates human remains found in Two Rivers

MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office says they are actively investigating the discovery of human skeletal remains located on a private property in Two Rivers on Saturday, Sept. 7.

A local deer hunter came upon the remains and immediately notified law enforcement.
The sheriff's office says that it is an ongoing investigation, and they are unable to provide the race, sex or age of the remains. They say determining the identity will be a lengthy process.

"We are fully aware of the ongoing case of missing 3-year-old Elijah Vue, who disappeared in February. However, at this time, we are unable to confirm if the remains discovered are related to this case," the sheriff's office said in a release.

On Monday, Kathy Hasselman was on the farm across from where the bones were found. She tells CBS 58 she would not be surprised if the remains do belong to the little boy because she claims Vue's mother, Katrina Baur, once lived on the farm Hasselman's sister now owns.

"It's been kind of a hot place because people are like 'Oh, she lived here,'" she said. "The FBI was out here they searched this place. My sister and I searched it too."

Baur said her son was staying with her boyfriend, Jesse Vang, at his Two Rivers apartment when he went missing, just three miles from where the bones were found. Both Baur and Vang are being held on charges of child neglect in Manitowoc County in connection to Vue's disappearance.

"The community is really close and they've been really struggling. People have been searching over and over and over again," Hasselman said.

Although investigators have not connected the remains to Vue's case, Hasselman said if it is him, it would bring some healing to a hurting community.

"People [are] really invested everything in it. [The] police didn't have time to sleep because they kept looking, following up on people's leads, which was constant, I'm sure," she said. "So, I kind of hope it's him to get it done so that everybody can have some peace."

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities say further updates will be provided as they become available.