Skeletal remains discovered by a deer hunter in Wisconsin over the weekend have been positively identified as Elijah Beau, a 3-year-old boy who went missing from the home of his mother's boyfriend in February.
The remains – a skull and multiple bones – were discovered on private property in Two Rivers by “an individual who was preparing the land for hunting season,” Two Rivers Police Chief Ben Meinert said in a statement. Press Conference Friday.
The property is near the grounds of Girl Scout Camp Manitou, and the remains were found in a wooded area with thick undergrowth, Meinert said.
“This location is just over three miles northwest from where Elijah was first reported missing,” he said of Elijah, adding that the area has already been searched by police “several times.”
The remains were DNA tested at the Wisconsin State Crime Lab and positive results were communicated to the victim's family before being released to the public.
“This is not the outcome we wanted. The family is heartbroken, we are heartbroken, the community is heartbroken,” the police chief said, asking anyone with further information about Elijah's disappearance to contact him.
The boy went missing on Feb. 20 from the apartment of Jesse Vann, who was in a relationship with the victim's mother, Katrina Bauer. CBS 85 Reported.
Baur reportedly sent his son to Vann's Two Rivers home for “disciplinary reasons.”
The Vu family told the outlet they did not know how Baul met Vang, who was serving a six-year sentence for selling methamphetamine.
The couple were arrested on suspicion of child neglect two days after Elijah disappeared but have denied any involvement in the boy's disappearance.
Elijah's blanket Found He was found about 3.7 miles from where he went missing in March, according to CBS News.
