The mother of 3-year-old Wisconsin boy Elijah Vue and her partner were charged Thursday with child abuse and neglect resulting in the boy’s death, the Manitowoc County District Attorney’s Office said.
Elijah’s remains were found in September in woods northwest of Two Rivers, more than six months after a missing person report sparked an intensive search.
“Elijah was a young boy whose life was tragically cut short,” Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBrie said at a news conference.
His mother, Katrina Baur, is charged with chronic neglect of a child resulting in death, child neglect and obstructing an officer, LaBrie said.
Jesse Vang is charged with physical abuse of a child with repeated acts resulting in death, concealing a corpse and obstructing an officer, she said.
Baur and Vang were previously charged with child neglect, but the new charges allege the boy died. Vang is Baur’s partner,
Elijah was reported missing on Feb. 20, and authorities conducted a land and air search for him.
A hunter found his remains on Sept. 7 in a wooded area about three miles northwest of two Rivers, a city of about 11,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Baur and Vang remained in custody Thursday, records show. A bond hearing is expected Friday, LaBrie said.
Baur and Vang have pleaded not guilty in the earlier child abuse case. An attorney representing Baur did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night. Attorneys who had represented Vang are listed in court records as having withdrawn.