Katrina Baur, the mother of missing toddler Elijah Vue, will stand trial in case of 3-year-old, who police say was abused and forced to stand immobile in "time outs" lasting hours.
The mother of missing Wisconsin toddler Elijah Vue, and her boyfriend, made brief court appearances Thursday as police and concerned neighbors continued their desperate search for the 3-year-old boy.
Elijah Vue has been missing since Feb. 20. Deeply disturbing details have been released by authorities about the little boy's life in the weeks before he vanished.
The most recent information came last week in an amended complaint filed by prosecutors against Elijah's mother, Katrina Baur, whose charges now include chronic child neglect. The newest complaint alleges Baur acknowledged to investigators she had taken a photo of Elijah, who was lying bruised and blindfolded on a bed, days before his disappearance.. She deleted the photo hours after taking it, she allegedly told authorities.
Baur and her partner, Jesse Vang, appeared in court Thursday. Baur was ordered to stand trial on charges of felony and misdemeanor counts of child abuse. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 22.
Vang is charged with felony child neglect. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Thursday, but the judge postponed it until March 21 because a public defender has not yet been appointed.
"I just want to say I'd like to exercise my rights to due process, my rights to an attorney, my rights to a speedy trial and my rights to a fair trial," Vang told the judge.
Inside Edition Digital reached out Friday for comment to Baur's court-appointed attorney.
According to online court records, neither defendant has entered a plea.
Elijah's disappearance has gained widespread attention. His mother allegedly told police she had sent the toddler to Vang so the boy could "learn to be a man," according to criminal complaints filed against the adults by prosecutors in Manitowoc County.
Vang, 39, is being held at the Monitowoc County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail, according to online records. Baur, is being held on a cash bond of $15,000.
The amended complaint against Baur alleges the mother told investigators she had gone to visit Vang on Feb. 14 at about 2:30 a.m. to have sex at his apartment. She left her 6-year-old daughter, who is autistic, alone in the car while she went inside, the complaint alleges.
The low temperature for that day was 27 degrees and the high temp was 36, the complaint said, citing National Weather Service records.
Baur acknowledged the car was not running while she was in the apartment for about two hours, the complaint claims.
Inside Vang's home, Baur allegedly told investigators she took a photo of Elijah at 3:13 a.m. as he lay on a bed with a blindfold over his eyes and bruises on his jaw, neck and arm, according the complaint.
Baur "confirmed she took the picture and later deleted it around 4:12 a.m.," the complaint says.
Elijah was reported missing on Feb. 20 by Vang, who said he had woke up at 7:30 a.m. and roused Elijah, who was sleeping on the couch, authorities said. He fed the boy cereal without milk, then ordered the toddler to stand by Vang's bed and pray because the child had soiled his diaper, according to police.
Baur told investigators she had left her son with Vang for several days because he was the disciplinarian for the boy, and she wanted him to teach Elijah "how to be a man," authorities said.
The mother allegedly said she wanted Vang to punish the boy for his bad behavior, which included not being potty trained, according to authorities.
Vang said his discipline involved making Elijah stand for one to three hours in "time outs," during which he was told to pray and to repeat “I’m sorry, Mommy,” the complaints against them allege.
Vang also told investigators that he created a "boot camp" environment for the boy to make him understand that "going home was a privilege," the complaints said.
The man said he fell asleep while Elijah stood next to his bed and prayed. When Vang woke up, the toddler was gone, he told police, according to the complaints.
Local, state and federal agents have helped in the search for the missing boy, as well as local residents. An Amber Alert issued for the child remains active, police said.
Rewards now total $40,000 for information leading to the location of Elijah Vue.
Related Stories
