It’s been more than a week since 3-year-old Elijah Vue went missing, but police must assume the child is alive, according to former Milwaukee Police Lt. Dr. Ken Harris, of 101.7 The Truth.
Investigators must continue to keep every option open, he explained Wednesday. Vue was reported missing more than a week ago. His mother and a caretaker are in custody facing child neglect charges.
“We don’t know why this child is missing,” Harris told Wis. Morning News. “We don’t know if the child was killed accidentally, killed intentionally or if the child was given away. He might’ve been sold. It could be anything. You (assume) the boy remains alive until you have evidence that leads you down a different path.”
Investigators must also take the Hmong culture into consideration, according to Harris. Vue’s mother told police she had asked Vang (who is Hmong) to watch the boy for disciplinary reasons.
“What drives discipline in the (Hmong) culture?” Harris questioned. “Would they have spanked the child? Would they have locked the child in a closet? What’s considered the norm in the Hmong culture?”
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