In a tragic turn of events, officials have now disclosed the cause of death for Eliotte Heinz, a graduate student from Wisconsin. Her body was discovered floating face down in the Mississippi River just days after she disappeared during a walk home from a local bar in July.
The La Crosse County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Heinz died from drowning, with the manner of death being ruled an accident. This information comes from a recently released autopsy report obtained by Fox News Digital.
Eliotte Heinz, a 22-year-old student at Viterbo University, was last seen at approximately 2:30 a.m. on July 20. She was on her way home from Broncos Bar in La Crosse, Wisconsin, after spending an evening out with friends.
Tragically, her body was discovered three days later, on July 23, just before 10:30 a.m. A fisherman found her in the river near Brownsville, Minnesota, which is over a dozen miles away from where she was last observed, according to authorities.
The autopsy report revealed that there was “no gross evidence of trauma,” indicating that there were no signs of foul play, physical assault, or inflicted harm in her death.
There was “no gross evidence of trauma,” according to the autopsy report, which noted that there were no indications of foul play, physical assault or inflicted harm.
Authorities were desperately searching for missing grad student Eliotte Heinz, 22, who was last seen early on July 20, 2025. Her body was recovered in the Mississippi River on July 23, 2025. (Amber Heinz)
Toxicology tests showed Heinz had no drugs in her system, though she tested positive for alcohol. She had 193 mg/dL of ethanol in her system, according to the report, which is roughly a 0.19% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).
According to health experts, a BAC of 0.19% is associated with severe impairment to gross motor skills, speech, vision and reasoning. For comparison, the standard legal limit for driving is 0.08%.
Heinz was last seen walking along the Mississippi River waterfront at about 3:30 a.m. and later spotted on surveillance footage heading toward her apartment, which was less than a mile away.
The owner of a marina bar near the location where Heinz’s body was spotted told Fox News Digital in July that the young fisherman found the body face down and wrapped in duckweed. The body could be seen from the shore.
Jonathan Strike, who lived in Heinz’s apartment building, told Fox News at the time that Heinz had only moved in a few months ago, but her kindness radiated in the community.
“Very sweet, quiet girl,” Strike said. “[She] always said ‘Hi’ every time she walked by. Ever since she moved in, [she] always made an attempt to be as friendly as she can be, even with my dog jumping all over everybody. It’s just heartbreaking.”
Heinz’s family released a statement to Fox News Digital in July remembering the 22-year-old as a “beautiful person.”
Eliotte Heinz, 22, was a graduate student at Viterbo University in Wisconsin. (Amber Heinz)
“She was smart, funny, caring, and loved fiercely by us. We don’t know why we were so blessed to have her as a daughter, or why we are unable to keep her,” it read, in part. “She is amazing and would have continued to amaze us. We are devastated that she is no longer with us. Our family will forever have a missing piece.”
“Eliotte’s walk home is finished. Unfortunately, our family’s walk down this new hard path is just beginning. We love you Eliotte,” the statement concluded.
The University of Wisconsin River Watch, a program started in 2006 to prevent alcohol-related accidental drownings, reported that eight college students drowned in the Mississippi River as a result of excessive drinking between 1997 and 2006.
