A Wisconsin grad student who vanished while walking home from a bar died by accidental drowning in the Mississippi River, the local medical examiner revealed in a report Wednesday.

 

 

Eliotte Heinz, 22 — who sparked a frantic, four-day search when she mysteriously disappeared after a night out with friends in La Crosse on July 20 — had alcohol in her system but no sign of drugs, officials said, according to People magazine.

 

 

There was “no gross evidence of trauma,” according to the La Crosse County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Eliotte Heinz
Eliotte Heinz, 22, died by accidental drowning, according to the medical examiner.
Eliotte Heinz
A toxicology report revealed Eliotte Heinz had alcohol in her system but no drugs.

Heinz, who was studying mental health counseling at Viterbo College, was last seen on camera not far from the waterfront at 3:20 a.m. — roughly 50 minutes after leaving Bronco’s Bar in the city’s downtown area.

Her disappearance baffled police along with her heartbroken parents, who later said they were desperately “trying to stay positive.”
Heinz
Heinz’s disappearance sparked a four-day search in July.

Her body was later found in the river near Brownsville, Minnesota, with no apparent sign of foul play.

The student had a blood-alcohol level of 0.193, more than double the state’s legal driving limit, WEAU reported.

 

 

 

“Eliotte’s walk home is finished. Unfortunately, our family’s walk down this new hard path is just beginning,” her family said in July. “We love you, Eliotte.”