Authorities have recovered the body of 22-year-old Viterbo University graduate student Eliotte Heinz from the Mississippi River, bringing an end to a four-day search for the missing Wisconsin student. Heinz vanished from the waterfront in La Crosse, Wisconsin, after leaving a bar and walking home late Sunday night, with her body ultimately found in the river near Brownsville, Minnesota. Her disappearance has left her family and friends devastated, as well as the broader community and police department, which has expressed its condolences to the family and all those who knew her.
According to the La Crosse Police Department, Heinz was last seen walking along the Mississippi River waterfront at around 3:30 a.m. and was later spotted on surveillance footage heading toward her apartment, which was located about three-quarters of a mile away. Despite multiple attempts to locate her, her family and friends were unable to find her by Sunday morning when they first realized something was wrong. Her cellphone was eventually located by her friends during the search, but the body was not discovered until Wednesday morning, more than a dozen miles from her last known location. The police department is now awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death, which could provide crucial insights for the investigation.
The community of La Crosse, along with the State of Wisconsin, has shown immense support for the Heinz family during this tragic time. Amber Heinz, her mother, has spoken publicly about her daughter’s kindness and the impact she had on those around her.