Missing La Crosse graduate student Eliotte Heinz found dead, officials say
A graduate student who was reported missing from La Crosse, Wisconsin, over the weekend has been found dead.
The La Crosse Police Department said Eliotte Heinz's body was found in the Mississippi River near Brownsville, Minnesota, around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search," La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron said. "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."
The department said preliminary autopsy results indicate Heinz's death was likely not criminal in nature.
The community had been searching for Heinz since she disappeared in the early morning on Sunday near the 500 block of Front Street South. Her school, Viterbo University, had been acting as a headquarters for volunteers in the search.
Police are still investigating. Her cause of death is not yet known.
Brownsville is about 15 miles down the river from La Crosse.
