Eliotte Heinz, a 22-year-old Viterbo University graduate student, disappeared around 3:30 a.m. on July 20, 2025, after leaving her friends at a bar in La Crosse, Wisconsin, according to La Crosse police.
The night she disappeared
La Crosse is a small college town located about 100 miles northwest of Madison, and local law enforcement reports that Heinz left Bronco’s Bar in La Crosse around 2:30 a.m.
Security camera footage showed Heinz heading southbound on Front Street South in La Crosse, near the Mississippi River, about an hour later. She was reportedly walking toward her home less than a mile from Bronco’s Bar. She was wearing jean shorts and a white t-shirt when she was last seen. Her family says multiple attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful.
A massive search effort was launched after she was reported missing, involving local law enforcement, drones, dive teams, her family, and volunteers. According to Fox News, searchers found Eliotte’s phone, but no other details were provided.
Her family’s response
“The outpouring of support in the search for Eliotte has been overwhelming,” her family said in a statement amid the search, “and we are deeply grateful for the kindness, prayers, and encouragement from the community and beyond.”
“Even the smallest detail could make a difference,” her family added.
“We ask that if you’ve seen anything, even if it’s small, anything at all, please call the La Crosse Police Department,” Heinz’s mother later said at a La Crosse prayer vigil for Eliotte, according to Wisconsin news outlet WIZM.
“If you have Ring cameras and you think you might have captured an image of Eliotte, please call them, let them take a look at your footage. Even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it could be a really big deal for her.”
The ongoing search
According to La Crosse police, Eliotte is 5 feet 4 inches and 120 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Amid the ongoing search, they ask anyone with information to call the police non-emergency line at 608-782-7575. You can also report her whereabouts anonymously at La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS.
Home to Viterbo University and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse has roughly 50,000 residents, with a crime rate higher than other areas in Wisconsin or similar sized cities, but a violent crime rate lower than the national average.
