Body Of Missing Wisconsin Graduate Student Found In Mississippi River

The search for a missing Wisconsin graduate student has ended tragically.

The body of 22-year-old Eliotte Heinz, who was a graduate student at Viterbo University, was found in the Mississippi River on Wednesday.

Heinz was last seen alive on a surveillance video, walking on La Crosse Street, which is located just a block from the Mississippi River.

WISN reported more details on the tragic incident:

The body of Eliotte Heinz, a 22-year-old Viterbo University graduate student who went missing early Sunday morning, was found Wednesday morning.

Friends, family and police spent much of Monday and Tuesday searching for Heinz by air, land and water.

Eliotte’s body was found in the Mississippi River near Brownsville, Minnesota, La Crosse police said.

Heinz was last seen on surveillance video around 3:30 a.m. July 20 walking along Front Street in La Crosse, about one block from the Mississippi River.

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

La Crosse police are continuing to investigate and will await the results of an autopsy for an official cause of death.

Authorities recovered the body of Eliotte Heinz, a 22-year-old graduate student from Viterbo University, from the Mississippi River after she vanished while walking home from a La Crosse bar. pic.twitter.com/Xa28E5rCaL

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 23, 2025

BREAKING: Body of Wisconsin grad student who vanished after leaving bar found in Mississippi River

Eliotte Heinz, 22, was found dead in the river near Brownsville, Minnesota, more than 10 miles from where she was last seen

She had been missing for four days after a night out in… pic.twitter.com/dfC9om9tXk

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) July 23, 2025

UPDATE: It is with great sorrow that we report the passing of Eliotte Heinz, whose body was recovered from the Mississippi River near Brownsville, MN. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family. #TheAWAREFoundationInc pic.twitter.com/8Xb8NSpQWq

— The AWARE Foundation (@aware_the) July 23, 2025

The family of Heinz talked to Fox News:

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. … She is our oldest. Her brother and sister, and her dad and I want her back.”

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.

In a statement posted by Viterbo University, the family thanked the community for its efforts in helping to find their daughter.

“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.”

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