Elijah Vue's heartbroken grandmother sobs as she begs mother and boyfriend charged with neglect to tell them where he is: 'A piece of our hearts is missing'

The grandmother of missing toddler Elijah Vue has begged his mother and her boyfriend for his return, after he disappeared from their torture 'boot camp'.

Hundreds of people have been searching the area around Two Rivers in Wisconsin since the three-year-old vanished from the home of his mother's boyfriend Jesse Vang on February 20.

The little boy was forced to take cold showers, forbidden his toys and made to stand for hours on end in a dirty diaper because mother Katrina Baur wanted him 'to be a man'.

The couple have been charged with felony child neglect as the hunt for Elijah continues and his paternal grandmother Lia tearfully pleaded with her neighbors not to give up.

'I want everybody to continue to help us look for my grandson,' she told a press conference, 'I want my grandson to be home with my family, so I want everybody to continue, don't stop.'

Elijah's grandmother Lia, herself a mother of nine, wept as she pleaded for the return of the boy

Elijah, 3, was reported missing on February 20 from Jesse Vang's 'bootcamp' where mother Katrina Baur left him eight days earlier

Baur's boyfriend Jesse Vang, 39, (pictured) claimed he was asleep when Elijah vanished, and is facing charges of party-to-a-crime child neglect 

Elijah's aunt Linda Vue described him as a 'joyful, curious boy, full of life and love' and addressed him directly in case he was watching somewhere.

'If you can hear us, know that you are deeply missed and loved and we will not rest until you are safely back in our arms,' she said.

'We cannot express the depth of our sorrow, nor the desperation that consumes us as each moment passes without news of Elijah's safety,' she added.

'Every day without him feels like a piece of our hearts is missing. We long to hear his laughter, to witness his curiosity and to feel the warmth of his embrace.

'The emptiness left in his absence is a void that cannot be filled by anything else.'

Baur, 31, and Vang, 39, remain in custody as details of their lengthy criminal records were revealed.

Vang was on supervised release after spending three years in prison for drug trafficking and was jailed in 2002 for felony child abuse after he battered a 12-year-old with a chair while serving time on another charge at Outagamie County Jail.

Vang's history also stretched back to her teenage years and includes convictions for disorderly conduct misdemeanors in 2011 and 2015.

Elijah was reported missing from the 3900 block of Mishicot Road in Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Elijah's aunt Linda Vue spoke of the 'desperation that consumes us as each moment passes without news of Elijah's safety', 'We long to hear his laughter' she said

Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig was in tears as he joined Elijah's grandmother and aunt at the press conference on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people have been helping police scour the area for the missing child 

Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre said that Baur had sent Elijah to stay with Vang on February 12 for discipline, and was 'aware of the tactics used and the lack of care provided'.

Baur told detectives that Vang 'was the enforcer of rules in the relationship', and that was the reason she sent her son to stay with him, reports WBAY.

Vang's alleged harsh discipline involved forcing Elijah to stand for up to three hours at a time, while he was forced to repeat the phrase 'I'm sorry, Mommy.'

Detectives said that he didn't identify specific incidents that led him to punish the boy, but said that if the boy failed his punishments, he would ask him: 'Do you want the cold water?'

Vang also reportedly claimed that he didn't know why the boy was afraid of the phrase.

'He's fine. It's not like his knees are shaking and about to fall over you know,' he allegedly told detectives.

In an interview before his arrest, Vang also allegedly said he was trying to make Elijah understand that 'going home is like a privilege for him.'

After saying the boy was afraid of him, he reportedly changed that to say Elijah 'respects me.'

A few days before Elijah's disappearance, Vang texted Baur to say he was 'angry' because the child had 'overfilled' his diaper, so Vang gave him a cold shower, the complaint alleges.

Vang called police on Feb 20 and reported Elijah missing, telling police he had taken a nap that morning and brought Elijah in the bedroom with him, but when he awoke some three hours later, he was gone, the complaint states.

Fears for the little boy grew when one of the green and red dinosaur shoes he was wearing at the time of his disappearance was found in a street nearby.

Police are searching rivers, woods and landfill sites in the hunt for the sandy-haired child who is three-foot-tall and weighs 45 pounds.

Baur is facing one felony count of party-to-a-crime child neglect and two misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, and is being held on a $15,000 cash bond.

Vang was formally charged with one felony count of party-to-a-crime child neglect. He was being held on a $20,000 cash bond.

Both Baur and Vang both appeared in court Monday afternoon for their initial court appearances, during which their preliminary hearings were set for March 7, according to court records.

Officials also claimed that Baur lied to investigators about her whereabouts at the time Elijah disappeared on 'at least two occasions.'

The criminal complaint against Baur states that she denied being in Two Rivers between February 12 and February 20, and denied being in the Manitowoc County area on February 16 or 17.

However, she later admitted to being in Two Rivers on February 14 and again overnight on February 16 after a check of her phone data.

A multi-agency manhunt has since been launched for the missing child, which has so far failed find the child - nine days after he was last seen

Manitowoc Police Officer Nick Place and a K-9 dog search for the missing 3-year-old in Two Rivers, Wisconsin 

The FBI is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to finding Elijah, and Local Crime Stoppers is offering another $1,000.

Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig was in tears as he joined Elijah's grandmother and aunt at the press conference on Tuesday.

'Everyone has seen that kid's photo,' he said.

'It's pulling at everyone's heartstrings. Somebody knows something.'