Authorities in Wisconsin revealed on Monday that a car of interest had been identified in the search for a missing 3-year-old boy as they asked nearby homeowners to review security camera footage for any sign of the toddler.
In an update posted on Facebook Monday evening, the Two Rivers Police Department requested that homeowners and businesses review surveillance footage captured between 2 and 9 p.m. on Feb. 19 as they continued to search for Elijah Vue. Police urged residents in the Two Rivers area to review video, as well as those in adjacent counties.
Authorities also said a vehicle of interest was identified and was in the possession of law enforcement. Police released pictures of the car, a 1997 four-door beige Nissan Altima. The vehicle has a Wisconsin license plate that begins with "A" and ends with "0." Authorities haven't provided any additional details on the vehicle or who the owner is.
Elijah vanished on Feb. 20 from an apartment, where he was staying with his mother's boyfriend, Jesse Vang. Vang told police that he had fallen asleep while watching the 3-year-old and when he woke up, the child was gone.
This past weekend, crews from the Wisconsin National Guard conducted ground searches, while the Department of Natural Resources helped dive teams check near the shorelines of Lake Michigan and Twin River, KARE 11, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, reported.
On Tuesday, police will expand their rural search efforts with large-scale operations and assistance from law enforcement from across the state, according to the Two Rivers Police Department.
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On Feb. 27, the FBI announced a $15,000 reward for anyone with information leading to Elijah's return and the arrest of whoever may be responsible. Both Vang and and Elijah's mother, Katrina Baur, were charged with child neglect in relation to the toddler's disappearance.
Baur told police she had left Elijah with Vang on Feb. 12 because she wanted him to teach her son âto be a man," and she had intended to pick him up on Feb. 23, court documents revealed.
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Vang explained to authorities that he was trying to correct the toddler's bad behaviors.
He said that Elijah was afraid of him, and the boy was disciplined using "time outs," including being forced to stand for 1-3 hours and requiring him to pray at times, documents stated.
Vang also forced the 3-year-old to take a cold shower and regularly threatened him with cold water for not complying, the criminal compliant stated. Both Baur and Vang maintained that they didn't have anything to do with Elijah's disappearance.
Nearby homeowners and businesses with video footage that might be of interest to police were asked to upload it here.
Anyone with information on Elijah's whereabouts was asked to contact the Two Rivers Police Department at 844-267-6648 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
