Community desperate to find Eliotte Heinz missing near Mississippi River

In La Crosse, Wisconsin, authorities are conducting an extensive search for Eliotte Heinz, a 22-year-old graduate student who was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday, July 23, 2025. Eliotte was last seen around 3:22 a.m. after she left Bronco's Bar where she had been with friends. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are concerning, as she was last spotted near the waterfront area, which raises fears over her safety. In detail, witnesses noted that the bar, where Eliotte and her friends enjoyed their evening, closed at 2:30 a.m. This means she had a brief window before going missing, as the distance from the bar to the location where she was last observed is approximately 0.4 miles. Surprisingly, her family and friends have made several attempts to locate her, but these efforts have yielded no results so far. The police have begun outreach efforts to engage the community, encouraging anyone who may have seen Eliotte or have security footage from early that morning to assist with information. Heinz is described as being 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The community response has been overwhelmingly supportive as local residents and students from Viterbo University have joined the search efforts. They have organized search parties and disseminated posters with her details, further highlighting the importance of community collaboration in situations of missing persons. Eliotte’s family has made public appeals, expressing their gratitude for the collective effort while urging for any information that could lead to her safe return. They have emphasized the need to maintain awareness and spread the word on social media, citing that even the slightest detail might prove crucial in locating her. The search remains ongoing, with the involvement of local authorities, drawing attention to the broader issue of safety within the vibrant nightlife of college towns. As the investigation progresses, concern for Eliotte’s welfare continues to rise, and her family holds out hope for her safe return amidst the uncertainty.