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Grad student, 22, disappears after leaving Wisconsin bar

Grad student, 22, disappears after leaving Wisconsin bar

USA Today5 days ago
Authorities in Wisconsin are searching for a missing graduate student who has not been seen or heard from since leaving a bar early Sunday, July 20.
La Crosse police are asking the public to help find Eliotte Heinz, 22, after she was seen around 2:30 a.m. local time on July 20 at Bronco's Bar, according to Viterbo University, where she studied mental health counseling.
Police said Heinz was last spotted walking south on the 500 block of Front Street South at about 3:22 a.m. Authorities, along with Heinz's family and friends, have made several attempts to locate her with no success, according to police.
Heinz is 5 feet 4 inches tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, police said, adding that she was wearing a white T-shirt and jean shorts at the time of her disappearance.
Where is Bronco's Bar?
Viterbo said Heinz was last seen soon after leaving Bronco's Bar in La Crosse, a city near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, about 150 miles southeast of Minneapolis.
Viterbo University coordinates search efforts for Eliotte Heinz
Viterbo University is assisting authorities in the search for Heinz, with the school announcing in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, July 22, that it needs volunteers to help find the missing student.
In the social media post, the private university in La Crosse said the public can help by joining the search and sharing posts on social media.
"Every share, every prayer, and every helping hand matters," the school's post reads.
Family calls for any related video: 'Anything at all'
Amber Heinz, Eliotte Heinz's mother, spoke during a news conference on Monday, July 21, where she asked the public to please share all footage they have of her daughter from the night of her disappearance.
"We ask if you have seen anything, even if it's small, anything at all, you please call La Crosse Police Department," Amber Heinz said. "If you have Ring cameras and you think you might have captured an image of Eliotte, please call, let them take an image of your footage."
Any related footage could end up being a "really big deal" for the search, Amber Heinz said.
In response to the support in the ongoing search for Heinz, Viterbo University shared a statement from her family on its Facebook page.
'On behalf of our entire family, thank you," the statement reads. "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."
The family added that the best thing the public can do to help is share Heinz's information on social media, hand over any helpful security camera footage to police, and donate to support the volunteers or the missing graduate student's parents.
Contributing: Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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