Husband arrested, criminal investigation opened in Missouri woman’s disappearance
The day Columbia, Missouri, police announced they were opening a criminal investigation into the disappearance of a Missouri woman, her husband was arrested and booked into jail.
Police arrested Joseph Duane Elledge, 24, on suspicion of child abuse or neglect, a felony. He was being held Sunday in the Boone County jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Police announced Friday they have been working extensively to find Elledge’s wife, 28-year-old Mengqi Ji Elledge, who has been missing for nearly three weeks. She was last seen Oct. 8.
“The investigation has led detectives to suspect foul play in her disappearance,” the Columbia Police Department said in a news release. Police declined to release any further details, saying they wanted to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Joseph Elledge, who has relatives in the Kansas City area, told police that he last saw his wife when she went to bed about 11:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the apartment in Columbia where they live with their infant daughter. She was gone when he woke up about 5 a.m. on Oct. 9, he told police. He reported her missing about 5:45 p.m.
Her phone, iPad, passport and clothes were left behind, but not her purse.
A week after his wife’s disappearance, Elledge told KRCG television in New Bloomfield, Missouri, that he didn’t know where she had gone. He said they had grown distant in the past few months and that she was talking to someone else.
“Whatever he’s doing, I just hope that she’s safe,” Elledge told the reporter. “I really hope that she can find herself and come back to me and (their daughter) and we can just have a big long talk and that’s all we need.”
Mengqi Ji Elledge, who is from China, was described as having brown eyes and black shoulder-length hair that she typically wears in a bun. She is between 5 feet 1 inches and 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 105 pounds. She has both ears pierced, but typically doesn’t wear earrings.
Police asked anyone with information about her whereabouts or disappearance is asked to call 911 for the nearest law enforcement agency; 573-874-7652 for the Columbia Police Department or CrimeStoppers at 573-875-TIPS (8477).
This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 12:58 PM.
