The mother of missing Wisconsin 3-year-old Elijah Vue appeared in court Thursday on child neglect charges and faced some harsh words from her own mother.
Katrina Baur appeared by video link from the Manitowoc County Jail, where she has been locked up since late last month after being charged in connection with her son’s disappearance.
The toddler was officially reported missing on Feb. 20 by Baur’s boyfriend, Jesse Vang, who was taking care of Elijah at his home in Two Rivers after Baur asked him to teach the boy how “to be a man.”
Vang is also facing child neglect charges after telling investigators he had fallen asleep and woken up to find Elijah gone. Prosecutors on Thursday amended the charges against Baur to also include chronic child neglect, a felony, in addition to two counts of obstructing officers. While Baur claimed not to have been in the area of Two Rivers at the time her son vanished, prosecutors have made clear in court documents that they’re not buying her version of events.
As Baur sought a bond modification in court Thursday, the district attorney read out a statement from her mother telling the court that she should not be released—or trusted. Identified only as “JB” in court documents, Baur’s mother said her daughter could easily flee if she were released, as she has ties to other states and no connection to her own family currently.
“She has contacts in other states that may be willing to assist her depending on the story she is telling. Her story always depends on her audience,” her statement said, warning that her daughter also had a “history of erratic behavior.”
She also suggested that Baur seems more interested in protecting Vang than cooperating with investigators or finding her own son, who has now been missing for more than two weeks.
“At this time rather than aligning in locating her son, she feels the need to reiterate what a good guy Jesse is and is fully defending him and his actions,” her mother said. “Katrina routinely will blame anyone and everyone for what happens without taking responsibility for what happens.”
Search efforts continue for the 3-year-old, as family members refuse to give up on finding him.
