OAN Staff Abril Elfi 
1:53 PM – Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Wisconsin graduate student Eliotte Heinz has been found dead in the Mississippi River after days of searching. 

The La Crosse Police Department stated that Heinz’s body was found in the river just before 10:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, over a dozen miles from her last known location.

According to the department, Heinz, 22, vanished while walking home from Broncos Bar in La Crosse at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. 

The La Crosse Police Department stated that she was last seen walking along the Mississippi River waterfront at about 3:30 a.m., and was later spotted on surveillance footage walking in the direction of her apartment.

La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron said the entire department is sending its condolences, adding that authorities are continuing to investigate and are waiting on autopsy results for an official cause of death.

“This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search,” Kudron wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts are with Eliotte’s family, friends and all those who knew Eliotte. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from so many within the La Crosse community, the State of Wisconsin and nationally to locate Eliotte.”

Heinz’s parents told “Fox and Friends” that they knew something was wrong when they were unable to reach their daughter on Sunday morning. 

Authorities stated that Heinz’s family, friends, and local police have made “several attempts to locate her with no success.”

Her mother stated that Heinz’s cellphone was located by her friends during the search.

Anyone with information about Heinz’s is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 608-782-7575. 

Information can also be sent anonymously to La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS or submitted online at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=459# 

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