July 25, 2025
La Crosse Police released a statement earlier today stating that autopsy result are likely to take some time, but they do not believe at this time their was any foul play in the death of 22-year-old Eliotte Heinz who went missing on July 20, and whose body was later recovered from the Mississippi River on July 23.
The statement reads:
The La Crosse Police Department continues to follow-up on information surrounding the death of Eliotte Heinz. Based on the preliminary autopsy results, we do not believe there was any criminal conduct related to Eliotte’s death. Final autopsy results will not be completed for several months.
This remains an open investigation.
We would like to thank the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, La Crescent Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice; Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Fort Mc Coy Fire and Rescue, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, La Crosse Fire Department, La Crosse Dive and Rescue, Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota DNR, La Crosse County Medical Examiner Office, Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office-Mayo Clinic, Viterbo University staff, students, and families and the many community members, business owners and residents who volunteered and assisted in the search for Eliotte.
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Body of missing Viterbo student recovered from the Mississippi River
July 23, 2025
La Crosse Police issued a statement today that the body of 22-year-old Eliotte Heinz who had been reported missing on July 20, was recovered in the Mississippi River near Brownsville, Minn. The La Crosse Police Department said they were notified by the Houston County Sheriff’s Department that a body had been located around 10:30 this morning.
Few other details have been released about the circumstances of how the body was found but the search for Heinz has been an ongoing proactive effort to locate La Crosse Police. They say they will continue to investigate and will await the results of an autopsy for an official cause of death.
“This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search,” said La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron. “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 had last been spotted by a security camera as she walked alone from a downtown La Crosse bar near the Mississippi River at around 3:22 a.m. Sunday morning.
In an interview posted earlier on Wednesday, Eliotte’s mother, Amber Heinz, told Fox News someone had found Eliotte’s phone afterward and the family immediately called police. The police department had also been requesting any public tips and security footage from downtown businesses.
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