Chainkeen Exchange-Search for Elijah Vue, 3, broadens in Wisconsin following his mother's arrest

TWO RIVERS,Chainkeen Exchange Wis. – Authorities in Wisconsin continued a massive search effort on Sunday for Elijah Vue, a 3-year-old boy who was reported missing on Tuesday, in a case that has galvanized the local community and led to the arrest of the child's mother and a male acquaintance.

Elijah was last seen at a home in Two Rivers, a city 40 miles southeast of Green Bay, on Tuesday, police said. The boy's caretaker reported him missing to local law enforcement at approximately 10:59 a.m. An Amber Alert was issued later that day and has remained active since.

On Friday, police announced the arrest of Elijah's mother, Katerina Baur, 31, and Jesse Vang, 39, a man who lives at the Two Rivers home where Elijah was last seen. Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre said Baur had sent Elijah to stay with Vang in Two Rivers for "disciplinary purposes." Baur was not in Two Rivers when Elijah went missing but lied to police when asked about her recent whereabouts, the district attorney said.

"She intentionally sent that child for disciplinary reasons for more than a week to the residence,” LaBre said in a statement to the court. “She was aware of the tactics (Vang) used and the lack of care (he) provided."

Authorities have not explained the relationship between Baur and Vang and officials at the police department and district attorney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday. Baur faces a charge of party-to-a-crime child neglect; Vang faces a child neglect charge. Additional charges are expected, according to the district attorney. Their initial appearance hearings are scheduled for Monday.

At Vang's bail hearing, LaBre noted that he has a history of criminal convictions, including drug trafficking charges and a child abuse charge from 2002. Vang is also on a federal hold, similar to a probation hold, from when he was convicted of federal drug trafficking charges in 2017.

Multiple agencies, hundreds of locals search for Elijah

Since his disappearance was reported, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been looking, and hundreds of area residents, have begun to scour the city on the coast of Lake Michigan in search of Elijah.

On Saturday, Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinnert said advanced searches of rivers and other waters were underway with a combination of boats, drones and trained dogs in the area. Search teams were also looking through landfills in the Manitowoc County region. Meinnert said at a news conference that local residents might also see “extensive teams of officers and agents out on foot speaking with people door-to-door.”

The police department has also set up accounts for monetary donations toward search efforts or a cash reward for information leading to the child.

Meanwhile, hundreds of residents from the city and neighboring communities turned out to help search for Elijah, and several Facebook pages were created to organize the grassroots efforts. One community member created a Google map where people with a Google account could mark areas they had already searched. Locals also turned up in large numbers for a candlelight vigil for Elijah on Wednesday at the St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Parish in Two Rivers.

Police said Elijah comes from Hmong and white parents with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is approximately 3 feet tall and has a birthmark on his left knee. He was last seen wearing gray pants, a dark-colored, long-sleeve shirt and a pair of red-and-green dinosaur slip-on shoes. He may be carrying a red-and-white plaid blanket.

What we know:Here's what we know about the search for 3-year-old Elijah Vue in Two Rivers