MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — In a Manitowoc County courtroom on Thursday, new details surfaced in the case of three-year-old Elijah Vue, who went missing on February 20th.
- New details emerged in Manitowoc County courtroom regarding three-year-old Elijah Vue's disappearance on February 20th.
- Court proceedings revealed additional chronic child neglect and mistreatment allegations involving both Elijah and his sibling.
- Katrina Baur's mother, Jodi Baur, issued a statement urging the judge to ensure her daughter remains incarcerated.
The boy’s mother, Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang are the only people implicated in the case.
The court proceedings uncovered additional details of chronic child neglect and mistreatment of both Elijah and his six-year-old sibling.
For the first time, Katrina Baur’s mother, Jodi Baur, wrote a statement read in court urging the judge to ensure her daughter stays behind bars.
During the proceedings, a modified criminal complaint was presented, upgrading the charges against Baur and painting a grim picture of events preceding Elijah's disappearance. According to the documents, Jesse Vang, Katrina's partner, had been responsible for Elijah's care. The complaint detailed disciplinary measures by Vang, including threats of cold water and forced standing for hours.
The documents also detailed a deleted photo taken from Baur’s cell phone on February 13th, showing Elijah with a blindfold over his eyes and visible bruising on his jaw, neck, and upper left arm. However, this evidence was not presented in court.
In a dramatic turn of events during court, Jodi Baur pleaded with the judge to deny any changes to her daughter's bond. Expressing concerns about Katrina's history of erratic behavior and potential flight risk, Jodi asked to the judge to keep her daughter behind bars.
The District Attorney highlighted Katrina's history of failing to appear in court and her extensive history of charges both in Wisconsin and across the country. Ultimately, the judge sided with the prosecution, maintaining Katrina Baur's bond at its current level.
Now facing charges of chronic neglect of a child, two charges of obstructing an officer, and another count of neglecting a child, Katrina Baur’s preliminary hearing has been rescheduled for March 14th.
Meanwhile, Jesse Vang has yet to be appointed an attorney. Vang will also return to court on March 14th.
