TWO RIVERS – Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office is investigating human skeletal remains found on private property near Camp Manitou in the town of Two Rivers Saturday.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release posted to Facebook Sunday evening it was unable to confirm whether the remains were related to the case of missing 4-year-old Elijah Vue.
The remains were found by a local deer hunter who immediately notified law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said, adding it was an ongoing investigation and determining the identify of the remains “will be a lengthy process.”
No specific information, such as the race, sex or age of the remains was given, but the post said the sheriff’s office will be working with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Anthropology Department, Two Rivers Police Department and the Manitowoc County Coroner’s Office.
The post said “further updates will be provided as they become available.”
Dan O’Donnell, host of the Dan O’Donnell Show on News Talk 1130 in Milwaukee, first reported in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that a child’s remains had been found at the camp Saturday.
A representative for Two Rivers police Sunday night said the department had “no comment” on reports that human remains were found near Camp Manitou Saturday.
Camp Manitou is owned by Girl Scouts of Manitou and encompasses 140 acres of land.
Two Rivers Police Department has repeatedly stated throughout the search for Elijah that the department is “the sole source or factual information” in the investigation.
In an Aug. 20 news release on the six-month anniversary of Vue being reported missing, Two Rivers Police Capt. Andrew Raatz warned that “the spreading of false and misleading information is disrespectful to the family of Elijah and detracts from our efforts in locating him.”
Elijah was 3 years old when he was reported missing Feb. 20. His fourth birthday was celebrated in his absence Aug. 25 during a community event at Kiwanis Park in Appleton.
Elijah was reported missing Feb. 20 by Jesse Vang, 39, of Two Rivers, boyfriend of Elijah’s mother, 31-year-old Katrina B. Baur, who was at her Wisconsin Dells residence at the time.
Vang told police the last time he saw Elijah was at around 8 a.m. Feb. 20 after Vang had ordered the 3-year-old to stand next to Vang’s bed and pray as a punishment.
Vang said he fell asleep, and when he woke up nearly three hours later, the boy was gone and he called 911 to report him missing at 10:59 a.m.
Vang’s apartment was in the 3900 block of Mishicot Road in Two Rivers, a little more than 3 miles from Camp Manitou.
Baur and Vang were both arrested in February shortly after Elijah’s disappearance and were charged with child neglect. They remain in custody at Manitowoc County Jail. Baur is being held on a $15,000 cash bond while Vang is being held on a $20,000 cash bond. The Wisconsin court system requires people to pay the full cash bail to be released from custody.
Baur has been charged with felony child neglect, misdemeanor child neglect involving another child, and two misdemeanor charges of resisting or obstructing an officer. Her next court date is a status conference at 3 p.m. Oct. 22 before Judge Robert Dewane.
Vang also faces neglect charges in relation to Elijah’s disappearance. He is due in court for a status conference at 2 p.m. Sept. 27 before Judge Dewane.
The search for Elijah has been wide-ranging and included canvassing of urban and rural neighborhoods; searches of rivers, shores, a landfill in Calumet County and a farm waste container in Manitowoc County; aerial searches using drones; K9 teams “checking and rechecking various areas”; searches by horseback of rural farmland; investigation in Baur’s hometown of Wisconsin Dells; and the analysis of extremely large amounts of video data. Investigators have previously searched the area in and around Camp Manitou.
Reward money is still being offered for information leading to the discovery of Elijah or the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for his disappearance: $15,000 through the FBI, $10,000 through Manitowoc County Crime Stoppers and $15,000 through the city of Two Rivers, funded through community donations.
Anyone with information about the case could contact the tip line at 844-267-6648 or submit information via the Crime Stoppers app P3.
This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Elijah Vue search: Sheriff confirms human remains found near Two Rivers
