Missing Person Archives

Police: Missing Columbia teen found safe

May 12, 2020 5:49 AM Brittany Wiley

Columbia police say a teen who was reported missing has been found and is safe.

Authorities continue search for Mengqi Ji at the Lamine River

May 8, 2020 7:51 PM Zach Boetto

Crews returned to the De Bourgmont Access at the Lamine River near Highway 41 in search for a missing Columbia mother.

Authorities continue to build levee in search for Mengqi Ji

May 7, 2020 8:26 PM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ) Crews gained ground Thursday on the Lamine River levee construction to aid in the search for Mengqi Ji. Authorities began building the levee in order to get heavy machinery onto the river in attempt to reach the south column of the Highway 41 bridge where they believe Mengqi Ji may be located.

Crews return to Lamine River in search of missing mom

May 6, 2020 9:37 PM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ) Search teams returned to the Lamine River on Wednesday, in search of a missing Columbia mother. “Our goal is really to gain some closure for the family and to truly investigate to a point where we find evidence of her body and close the case,” Brittany Hilderbrand, a Columbia Police Department spokesperson

Building of Lamine River levee in missing mom search begins

May 5, 2020 6:49 AM Brittany Wiley

The De Bourgmont Access on the Lamine River in Cooper County closed Tuesday to allow Columbia police to continue searching for a missing Columbia mom, Mengqi Ji.

Columbia police to build levee on Lamine River to find missing Columbia woman

April 29, 2020 3:43 PM Sydney Olsen

The Columbia Police Department announced Wednesday it will work with local and state partners to build a levee at the Lamine River to help in the search for a missing woman.

Cole County authorities seek information on missing man

April 29, 2020 1:51 PM Matthew Sanders

The Cole County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public for help finding a man who went missing this week.

Officers identify human remains of Columbia man missing since September

April 28, 2020 3:51 PM Matt Ragsdale

The Columbia Police Department said Tuesday that human remains found two weeks ago have been identified as a Columbia man who had been missing for months.

Endangered person advisory for Lake Ozark teenager canceled

April 26, 2020 3:52 PM Sydney Olsen

The Camden County Sheriff’s Department has issued an endangered person advisory for a missing teenager.

Howard County deputies looking for missing teen last seen in 2019

April 23, 2020 2:36 PM Matt Ragsdale

A new release said 19-year-old Cornell Craig-Baker was last seen by his family on July 6, 2019.

Group raising money to fund new search for Mengqi Ji

April 19, 2020 5:46 AM Ben Fein

The Missing Person Support Center posted an update in fundraising for missing Columbia woman Mengqi Ji.

Search for missing Columbia mother could cost more than $500,000

April 4, 2020 7:21 AM Associated Press

The search for the body of a Missouri woman presumed to have been murdered by her husband could cost at least $500,000.

Search back on for man who jumped into Missouri River

March 30, 2020 1:57 PM Matthew Sanders

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it resumed its search Monday for a man who was seen jumping into the Missouri River.

Search continues for missing Columbia mother

March 21, 2020 7:26 AM Molly Stawinoga

The Columbia Police Department said it has not found any new evidence after it searched additional locations for the remains of Mengqi Ji.

AMBER alert canceled after Hillsdale child found safe

March 4, 2020 11:23 PM Katie Greathouse

The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an AMBER alert Wednesday night for a potential abduction in Hillsdale, which is in the St. Louis area.

Friend of missing Columbia woman speaks out about disappearance

February 21, 2020 9:08 AM Joe McLean

Less than a month before Mengqi Ji went missing in October, the Columbia mother called her friend, Muzhen Li, to complain about a fight she was having with her husband, Joseph Elledge.

Court documents reveal additional details of days leading to Mengqi Ji Elledge disappearance

February 20, 2020 9:35 AM Madison Fleck

New court documents suggest Joseph Elledge might have killed his wife under the pretense of giving her a massage.

Crews continue search for missing mother 3 months after disappearance

January 8, 2020 2:19 PM Connor Hirsch

COOPER COUNTY, Mo. Authorities were at the Lamine River Wednesday continuing their efforts to find Mengqi Ji Elledge three months after her disappearance. On Wednesday, ABC17 crews saw a team of five people go out on a boat upstream around 12:30 p.m. It appeared divers were a part of that team. The search continued until

Authorities return to search for Mengqi Ji Elledge

January 7, 2020 4:22 PM Zach Boetto

Law enforcement agencies returned to the De Bourgmont Lamine River Access on Tuesday, to search for the missing Columbia mother. The Columbia Police Department along with the Columbia Fire Department and a team of divers took a CFD boat east from the access point on the Lamine River. A CPD detective said this is not

Crews continuing search for Mengqi Ji Elledge

January 3, 2020 5:07 PM Matt Ragsdale

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department confirmed Friday officers are continuing their search for Mengqi Ji Elledge, who’s been missing since October. CPD spokesman Jeff Pitts said officers will start the search for Elledge on the Lamine River in Cooper County. Pitts could not say what day the search will start again. A photo