Missing 22-Year-Old Grad Student Found Dead in River After Disappearing on Way Home from Bar

A 22-year-old graduate student who went missing after leaving a bar in Wisconsin has been found dead.

In an update about Eliotte Heinz’s case on Wednesday, July 23, the La Crosse Police Department said that shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time that day, they were notified by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department in Minnesota that her body had been found in the Mississippi River.

“In what has been an ongoing proactive effort to locate Eliotte Heinz who had been reported missing on July 20th, 2025, today Eliotte’s body was recovered in the Mississippi River near Brownsville, MN,” the Wisconsin department added, noting that their investigation remains ongoing.

Police went on to say that they’re awaiting autopsy results before an official cause of death can be determined.

“This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search,” La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron said 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.”

Police previously said that Heinz was last seen walking southbound on the 500 Block of Front Street South — which is close to the Mississippi River — at approximately 3:22 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 20.

According to Viterbo University, the school Heinz attended, she had been at Bronco’s Bar in La Crosse around 2:30 a.m. that day.

Family members said that she was on her way home when she disappeared, according to local station WKBT.

olice have confirmed that she was walking home from the bar when she disappeared, according to Fox News.

Before her body was found, her mother, Amber, spoke to those who had gathered for a prayer service at the university on Monday, July 21, local radio station WIZM reported.

“We ask that if you’ve seen anything, even if it’s small, anything at all, please call the La Crosse Police Department,” Amber said, according to the station. “If you have Ring cameras and you think you might have captured an image of Eliotte, please call them, let them take a look at your footage. Even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it could be a really big deal for her.”

Amber also spoke to local station WKBT, tearfully telling the outlet, of Heinz, “We love you, we miss you, and we’re doing everything we can to get you back to us.”

A 22-year-old graduate student who went missing after leaving a bar in Wisconsin has been found dead.

In an update about Eliotte Heinz’s case on Wednesday, July 23, the La Crosse Police Department said that shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time that day, they were notified by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department in Minnesota that her body had been found in the Mississippi River.

“In what has been an ongoing proactive effort to locate Eliotte Heinz who had been reported missing on July 20th, 2025, today Eliotte’s body was recovered in the Mississippi River near Brownsville, MN,” the Wisconsin department added, noting that their investigation remains ongoing.

Police went on to say that they’re awaiting autopsy results before an official cause of death can be determined.

“This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search,” La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron said 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.”

Police previously said that Heinz was last seen walking southbound on the 500 Block of Front Street South — which is close to the Mississippi River — at approximately 3:22 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 20.

According to Viterbo University, the school Heinz attended, she had been at Bronco’s Bar in La Crosse around 2:30 a.m. that day.

Family members said that she was on her way home when she disappeared, according to local station WKBT.

olice have confirmed that she was walking home from the bar when she disappeared, according to Fox News.

Before her body was found, her mother, Amber, spoke to those who had gathered for a prayer service at the university on Monday, July 21, local radio station WIZM reported.

“We ask that if you’ve seen anything, even if it’s small, anything at all, please call the La Crosse Police Department,” Amber said, according to the station. “If you have Ring cameras and you think you might have captured an image of Eliotte, please call them, let them take a look at your footage. Even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it could be a really big deal for her.”

Amber also spoke to local station WKBT, tearfully telling the outlet, of Heinz, “We love you, we miss you, and we’re doing everything we can to get you back to us.”