TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — One year ago, on Feb. 20, 2024, the search for Elijah Vue began along Mishicot Road in Two Rivers.
For the past year, I have closely covered this story—from our community’s response to the police department's search for the missing boy, who was later tragically found dead.
On that first night, dozens of people came out around Two Rivers to look for the missing little boy.
"I have children and grandchildren of my own, so it really tore at my heart,” said Laurie Hamblen.
Hamblen was one of the first searchers I met nearly a year ago. She looked for Elijah Vue around the Lakeshore for more than a month.
"It was just an internal drive,” said Hamblen. “I don't know if you want to call it a mother's instinct."
Two Rivers police, including Capt. Andrew Raatz, searched ditches, waterways, and wooded areas across the Lakeshore for seven and a half months. They vowed not to stop until they found Elijah.
"Something like this, of this magnitude—how long does that stick with the station?" I asked Raatz.
"Well, I think forever,” he said. “As long as there's people here that have been through the situation, it stays with our department."
In September, police announced they had finally found Elijah's remains.
"There's always going to be the thought of him as a little boy. The images of him,” said Hamblen.
One year without Elijah.
As Laurie told me, it was a tragedy that tore us apart but also brought us together.
"I think that's what I remember the most,” she said. “It didn't matter what the weather or the conditions were like—there was a true camaraderie going on."
Over the past year, and again this week, people in Two Rivers and across the Lakeshore have told me Elijah will never be forgotten.
