Wisconsin graduate student Eliotte Heinz found dead in Mississippi River after disappearing from waterfront

Authorities found the body of a missing Wisconsin graduate student Eliotte Heinz in the Mississippi River on Wednesday following four heartbreaking days of search.

Heinz, 22, vanished while walking home from Broncos Bar in La Crosse, Wisconsin at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the La Crosse Police Department.

She was last seen walking along the Mississippi River waterfront at about 3:30 a.m., and later spotted on surveillance footage walking in the direction of her apartment, which was three-quarters of a mile away.

Her body was found in the river just before 10:30 a.m. local time Wednesday near Brownsville, Minnesota—more than a dozen miles from her last known location.

MOM OF MISSING WISCONSIN GRAD STUDENT PLEADS FOR HER DAUGHTER’S RETURN: ‘TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE’

La Crosse Police are continuing to investigate and are waiting on autopsy results for an official cause of death.

La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron said the entire department is sending its condolences.

“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 mother, Amber, told “Fox and Friends” earlier Wednesday her daughter was “beautiful inside and out.”

“She has got the biggest heart and unending kindness for everyone,” her mother said. “I think that is noted by how many people have showed up for her.” 

Heinz’s parents knew something was wrong when they were unable to reach their daughter on Sunday morning. Her family, friends and local police have made “several attempts to locate her with no success,” authorities said in a statement. 

Heinz’s cellphone was located by her friends during the search, according to her mother. 

NEW PERSON OF INTEREST EMERGES IN DOCUMENTARY ON DECADES-OLD DISAPPEARANCE OF IOWA NEWS ANCHOR

Members of the LaCrosse Fire Department search the Mississippi River in La Crosse, WI, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.  (LB/Splash for Fox News Digital)

“She is our oldest,” Amber Heinz said. “So her brother and sister, and her dad and I want her back.” 

Viterbo University previously shared a statement on Facebook from Heinz’s family as they pleaded for the safe return of the graduate student. 

FATHER PRESSES FOR ANSWERS IN COLLEGE FRESHMAN DAUGHTER’S DEATH AFTER FALL FROM DORM: ‘SHE WAS OUR WORLD’

Members of the LaCrosse Fire Department search the Mississippi River in LaCrosse, WI, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.  (LB/Splash for Fox News Digital)

“On behalf of our entire family, thank you,” the Heinz family wrote. “The outpouring of support in the search for Eliotte has been overwhelming, and we are deeply grateful for the kindness, prayers, and encouragement from the community and beyond.”

Family desperately seeks missing graduate student known for her ‘biggest smile’ in La Crosse

Heinz was a student in Viterbo’s mental health counseling program, her mother told Fox News Digital. 

“In a case like this, the first priority is to reconstruct the timeline,” retired FBI Agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital. “Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage, gathering witness statements, and looking at any phone, social media, or financial activity that could help determine where she went and whether she was alone.”

PRINCETON STUDENT MISSING FOR DAYS AS POSSIBLE KEY CLUE LEADS POLICE TO LAKE

Rideshare services Uber and Lyft told Fox News Digital they are not involved in the investigation.

According to Pack, investigators are likely working to determine if Heinz was alone at the time of her disappearance and whether she left voluntarily. 

Authorities are desperately searching for missing grad student Eliotte Heinz, 22, who was last seen early Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Amber Heinz)

TWO STUDENTS DEAD IN SUSPECTED MURDER-SUICIDE AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE

“If investigators believe there was an abduction, or if there is evidence the person crossed state lines or was taken across them, federal involvement becomes more likely,” Pack said. “The FBI can be requested by local or state authorities when a case needs additional support or expertise.”

Local university launches ‘River Watch’ program to deter intoxicated people from Mississippi River waterfront

Eliotte Heinz, 22, is a gradudate student at Viterbo University. (Photos courtesy of Amber Heinz)

Danger along the riverfront

That area near the Mississippi River has been cause for concern to local officials in the past.

In 2006, the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse launched “River Watch,” a campus-based initiative in La Crosse that seeks to prevent alcohol-related accidental drownings in the Mississippi River.

Sigma Tau Gamma at UW-La Crosse took over coordination of the program in 2007, though student volunteers come from all three campuses in La Crosse. 

Volunteers donning reflective vests, flashlights and other gear patrol the walkway every weekend during the academic year on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in shifts of at least two.

They stop anyone walking into the park after closing time, and guide those who may be potentially intoxicated away from the river, according to the River Watch website.

MOM OF MISSING WISCONSIN GRAD STUDENT PLEADS FOR HER DAUGHTER’S RETURN: ‘TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE’

Partners include the La Crosse City Police Department, Radisson Hotel La Crosse, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo University and Western Technical College.

As the school year had not yet started, it is unclear if the program was operating on the night of Heinz’s disappearance.

River Watch did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Anyone with information about Heinz’s whereabouts 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/459.

The La Crosse Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.