Nearly a month after Elijah Vue vanished from an apartment in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, police have announced that new evidence has been founding during the frantic search for the missing 3-year-old.
Investigators on Monday revealed that a red and white plaid blanket was recovered on a road about 4 miles from where Elijah dissapeared, and confirmed it is the same blanket he was last seem with on Fewb. 20 when he vanished.
Elijah's mother, 31-year-old Katrina Baur, allegedly told investigators she dropped her son off at 39-year-old boyfriend Jesse Vang's apartment on Feb. 12 because she wanted the toddler to "be a man" WBAY-TV reported, citing the criminal complaint. She claimed she hadn't seen her son since.
Baur allegedly told detectives Vang "was the enforcer of rules in the relationship, and that was the reason for sending [Elijah] to stay" with him. She said she planned to pick Elijah up on Feb. 23.
Vang said he reported the boy missing Feb. 20, when he couldn't find him after waking up from a nap.
Vang allegedly told detectives Elijah was sent to stay with him as "punishment" to get the toddler to realize "going home is like a privilege." He allegedly admitted he regularly sent Elijah to timeout for one to three hours at a time, during which he was forced to repeat, "I'm sorry, mommy," the complaint stated.
During a search of Baur's phone, detectives allegedly recovered a deleted photo of Elijah laying on a bed, blindfolded and with several bruises to his body, according to the complaint, WLUK-TV reported.
Vang and Baur have both been charged with child neglect. Baur also faces an additional charge of obstructing officers. Neither have entered pleas.
Attorney information for both suspects was not immediately available.
Meantime, the search for Elijah continues. He was last seen wearing gray pants, a long-sleeved, dark-colored shirt, and red and green dinosaur slip-on shoes, said police.
