A medical examiner has determined the cause of death for graduate student Eliotte Heinz, who was found dead in the Mississippi River days after leaving a bar in La Crosse, Wis., earlier this year.
Heinz, 22, was last seen around 3:22 a.m. local time on July 20, walking southbound on the 500 block of Front Street South, close to the Mississippi River, according to the La Crosse Police Department.
Her body was recovered from the river near Brownsville, Minn., on July 23.
The La Crosse County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that Heinz died from drowning and that her death was accidental, according to a new autopsy report. Officials noted there was “no gross evidence of trauma.”
Toxicology testing showed that Heinz had alcohol in her system and no drugs. Her blood-alcohol concentration was 0.193 — more than twice the legal driving limit in Wisconsin, NBC affiliate WEAU reported.
Heinz, who was from Hortenville, Wis., was a student at Viterbo University in La Crosse. Her body was found about 10 miles downstream from the university, ABC affiliate WBAY reported.
According to Viterbo University, Heinz had been at Bronco’s Bar in La Crosse roughly an hour before she was last seen. Family members have said she was on her way home when she disappeared, CBS affiliate WKBT reported.
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“This was not the outcome we had hoped for throughout this search. Our thoughts are with Eliotte’s family, friends and all those who knew Eliotte,” Police Chief Shawn Kudron said in a statement in July.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of support from so many within the La Crosse community, the State of Wisconsin and nationally to locate Eliotte,” Kudron added.
In the aftermath of her death, Heinz’s family described her as someone who “loved fiercely.”
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“We don’t know why we were so blessed to have her as a daughter or why we are unable to keep her. She is amazing and would have continued to amaze us,” her family said in a statement, according to ABC affiliate WISN. “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,” the family continued. “We love you, Eliotte.”
