Mom of missing Wisconsin grad student pleads for her daughter’s return: ‘Trying to stay positive’

Authorities are searching for a 22-year-old graduate student who went missing early Sunday morning in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Eliotte Heinz was last seen walking near the waterfront just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the La Crosse Police Department.

Less than an hour before she disappeared, she was with friends at Bronco’s Bar in the city’s downtown area. The bar closed at 2:30 a.m. and the walk to where she was last seen was 0.4 miles, lasting about 2 minutes.

Her family, friends and police made several attempts to locate her with no success, officials said in a statement.

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Heinz, 5-foot-4 with blonde hair and blue eyes, was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and jean shorts.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Viterbo University shared a message from the Heinz family asking for help spreading the word on social media.

“On behalf of our entire family, thank you,” the Heinz family wrote. “The outpouring of support in the search for Eliotte has been overwhelming, and we are deeply grateful for the kindness, prayers, and encouragement from the community and beyond. Many of you have asked how you can help. At this time, the most important thing you can do is continue sharing Eliotte’s information on social media.”

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The family also asked those in the La Crosse area to review any home security camera footage from early Sunday between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

“Even the smallest detail could make a difference,” the family wrote. “If you see anything that may help, please contact the La Crosse Police Department. … Please continue to keep Eliotte and our family in your prayers.”

Heinz’s mother, Amber, told Fox News Digital Eliotte was studying in Viterbo’s mental health counseling program.

“Sunday morning, we tried to reach her, and we were unable to get a hold of her,” Amber Heinz, Eliotte’s mom, told Fox News Digital. 

“We talk all the time. We talked to her that week. We were texting back and forth, but on Sunday morning when we couldn’t get a hold of her, we knew that something was going on,” she continued. 

Amber said her daughter was just “trying to go home,” when she disappeared.

“We’re just really letting the police department focus on their job here right now and just trying to get her picture out there. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here for Eliotte and keeping our focus on her and getting her home,” Amber Heinz said. 

Police said they are continuing to follow up on all leads and information.

“We’re all just trying to stay positive and get her home. That’s our focus. We are praying for the best possible outcome, which is Eliotte to come back to us and continue on her journey as she grows and becomes the amazing person that she is,” her mom said. 

Heinz is not related to the prominent Pittsburgh family, according to her mother.

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The incident comes six years after University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, 21, was kidnapped and murdered by Nathaniel Rowland, who was posing as a rideshare driver, on March 29, 2019.

On the way home from the college town’s Five Points bar scene, in the early morning hours, Josephson mistook Rowland’s car for an Uber and was abducted.

During a police search for Josephson, an eerily similar sidewalk photo to Heinz’s was distributed by local authorities.

However, Heinz’s mother told Fox News Digital it is unclear if her daughter was attempting to call an Uber or Lyft when she disappeared.

Uber did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. Lyft told Fox Digital it was “not involved” in the incident.

Josephson was stabbed more than 100 times, and her body was later found in a wooded area more than an hour from her pickup location.

State Circuit Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Rowland to life in prison.

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Anyone with information about Heinz’s whereabouts is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 608-782-7575. 

Information can also be sent anonymously to La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS or submitted online at https://www.p3tips.com/459.

The La Crosse Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing the active investigation.

Bronco’s Bar did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.