Elijah Vue Case Study Guide

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Elijah Vue Quiz: Short-Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in two to three sentences each, based on the provided source materials.

1. What was the stated purpose of the "disciplinary arrangement" or "boot camp" that brought three-year-old Elijah Vue to Jesse Vang's apartment in February 2024?

2. Describe the key piece of digital evidence Katrina Baur created and later deleted during her visit to Vang's apartment on February 14, 2024.

3. How did Jesse Vang's Netflix viewing history on February 19, 2024, serve as a false alibi, and what evidence directly contradicted it?

4. What critical forensic evidence was discovered inside the suitcase that Jesse Vang was recorded disposing of at the St. Vincent de Paul donation center?

5. According to child abuse pediatrician Dr. Hilary Petska, what specific forms of maltreatment did Elijah Vue endure that were consistent with torture?

6. What evidence of a prior, healed injury was discovered during the anthropological examination of Elijah Vue's skeletal remains, and what did it indicate?

7. How did Katrina Baur attempt to coach Jesse Vang and obstruct the investigation immediately following his 911 call on February 20, 2024?

8. Describe the community's response to Elijah's disappearance, both during the seven-month search and after his death was confirmed through the "Operation: Elijah" initiative.

9. What was the official manner of death declared by Medical Examiner Dr. Adam Covach, and why was the specific cause of death ruled "unspecified"?

10. Explain the significance of the borrowed beige 1997 Nissan Altima in the investigation's timeline of events on February 19, 2024.

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Answer Key

1. The stated purpose of the "boot camp" was for Jesse Vang to teach three-year-old Elijah "how to be a man." According to criminal complaints and text messages, Katrina Baur sent her son to Vang for this disciplinary arrangement, which was scheduled to last from February 12 to February 23, 2024.

2. At 3:13 a.m. on February 14, Baur used her phone to photograph Elijah with a blindfold over his eyes, revealing visible bruising on his jawline, neck, and upper arm. She deleted this photo approximately one hour later, but digital forensics experts were able to recover the image, which became central to proving her knowledge of the abuse.

3. Vang claimed he was home watching the movie "Ready Player One" on Netflix on the evening of February 19. However, surveillance footage from multiple locations, including the St. Vincent de Paul donation center, captured him driving a borrowed car and disposing of a suitcase during the exact time the movie was streaming to what was presumably an empty apartment.

4. The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory conducted a DNA analysis on the contents of the suitcase. The analysis revealed a single-source male DNA profile matching Elijah Vue with a statistical probability of one in one quadrillion. A presumptive test for saliva on the suitcase interior also returned positive.

5. Dr. Petska's expert analysis concluded the treatment was consistent with torture, identifying multiple forms of maltreatment. These included forced position holding (standing for one to three hours), sleep deprivation, isolation from family, terrorizing with threats of cold water, and severe physical neglect.

6. Dr. Jordan Karsten, a biological anthropologist, identified a healed fracture on the right zygomatic process of the temporal bone (the cheekbone area). This injury required significant blunt force trauma and its healing pattern indicated it had occurred at least several weeks before Elijah's death, proving a pattern of repeated, severe abuse.

7. Immediately after Vang made the 911 call, Baur sent him a series of Facebook messages which she later deleted. The recovered messages included instructions like "Say you guys were taking a nap and he left" and "Don't say anything about the child lock," demonstrating a coordinated effort to create a false narrative for law enforcement from the very beginning.

8. During the search, the community mobilized hundreds of volunteers, held vigils, and raised a $40,000 reward fund. After his death was confirmed, this grief was channeled into "Operation: Elijah," a holiday toy drive partnered with the Two Rivers Police Department that benefited over 200 local children in need.

9. The medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide. The specific cause was "unspecified" because the advanced decomposition of the skeletal remains, which had been exposed to the elements for seven months, made it impossible to determine the exact mechanism of death (e.g., asphyxiation, blunt force trauma).

10. The borrowed Nissan Altima was central to proving Jesse Vang's actions on the night before Elijah was reported missing. Surveillance cameras tracked this specific vehicle as Vang drove to a remote area and then to the St. Vincent de Paul to dispose of the suitcase containing Elijah's DNA, directly contradicting his alibi and establishing a timeline of evidence concealment.

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Essay Questions

Answer the following questions in a detailed essay format, drawing evidence and examples exclusively from the provided source materials.

1. Analyze the role of digital evidence (including text messages, cell phone location data, deleted photos, and surveillance footage) in dismantling the defendants' alibis and constructing the prosecution's timeline of events.

2. Discuss the central theme of "torture disguised as discipline." How did the defendants' own words, the analysis of medical experts like Dr. Hilary Petska, and the specific punishments inflicted on Elijah Vue support this characterization?

3. The source text highlights numerous "system failures" that contributed to the tragedy. Identify and explain at least three of these failures (e.g., medical, legal, community oversight) and discuss how they created an environment where the abuse could escalate without intervention.

4. Compare and contrast the roles and culpability of Jesse Vang and Katrina Baur in the abuse and death of Elijah Vue. Use specific examples from their communications, actions, and the criminal charges they faced to support your analysis of their dynamic.

5. Trace the evolution of the community's response throughout the case. Describe the initial mobilization during the search, the collective grief upon the discovery of remains, and the final transformation into advocacy and memorial initiatives like "Operation: Elijah."

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Glossary of Key Terms

Term	Definition
Amber Alert	A missing child alert system activated on February 20, 2024, for Elijah Vue. It remained active for 206 days, the longest in Wisconsin history, before being canceled on September 13, 2024.
Boot Camp	The term used by Katrina Baur and Jesse Vang to describe the disciplinary arrangement where Elijah was sent to Vang's apartment to be taught "how to be a man." Prosecutors and medical experts characterized this regimen as systematic torture.
Chain of Custody	The chronological documentation or paper trail showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical or electronic evidence. Mentioned in relation to the recovery of Elijah's blanket.
Chronic Neglect of a Child	A criminal charge filed against Katrina Baur, alleging she negligently failed to provide necessary care for her son over a prolonged period, with death as a consequence. It carries a potential 60-year sentence.
Diastasis	A medical term for the unnatural separation of bones that should be joined. This was noted in the fracture of Elijah's zygomaticotemporal suture, indicating a severe, non-accidental injury.
Digital Forensics	The scientific process of recovering and investigating material found in digital devices. In this case, it was used to recover over 15,000 messages, a deleted photo of Elijah, and location data from the defendants' phones.
Fingertip Contusions	A pattern of bruising consistent with being forcefully gripped by fingertips. Dr. Hilary Petska identified marks on the February 14 photo of Elijah as being suggestive of this type of injury.
Healed Fracture	An old bone break that has begun to mend. The discovery of a healed fracture on Elijah's cheekbone (zygomatic process) proved he had suffered significant blunt force trauma weeks before his death.
Homicide by Unspecified Means	The official manner of death ruled by the medical examiner. "Homicide" indicates the death was caused by another person, while "unspecified means" signifies that due to advanced decomposition, the exact physical cause of death could not be determined.
Instrumental Aggression	Goal-directed violence rather than a reactive emotional outburst. Forensic analysis noted this pattern in the defendants' systematic and documented abuse.
Mandatory Reporter	A professional, such as a teacher, doctor, or police officer, who is required by law to report any suspected child abuse or neglect. The source notes that Elijah had no contact with mandatory reporters during his final weeks.
Operation: Elijah	A holiday toy drive initiated by the community and the Two Rivers Police Department in November 2024. The initiative transformed grief into community action, benefiting over 200 local children in need.
Physical Abuse of a Child, Repeated Acts Causing Death	A Class A felony charge filed against Jesse Vang. This charge, which carries a potential life sentence, required prosecutors to prove a pattern of at least three instances of physical abuse that ultimately led to death.
Random Match Probability (RMP)	The statistical likelihood that a randomly selected person would have the same DNA profile as the evidence. In this case, the RMP for the DNA found in the suitcase was one in one quadrillion.
Status Conference	A judicial checkpoint in a legal case where attorneys update the court on progress, address procedural matters, and schedule future hearings. The case against Vang and Baur involved numerous status conferences due to the volume of evidence.
Zygomatic Process	The arch of the cheekbone. A healed fracture on Elijah Vue's right zygomatic process was a key piece of forensic evidence indicating a history of severe physical abuse.