The human remains discovered by a hiker in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park are believed to be those of Mengqi Ji, who has been missing since October 2019 and who police and prosecutors suspect was killed by her husband, Joseph Elledge.
Columbia police learned about 1 p.m. Thursday that skeletal remains were found in an isolated part of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, 30 feet away from a road. Police had previously searched other parts of the park soon after Ji’s disappearance but found nothing.
Police Chief Geoff Jones and Assistant Chief Jeremiah Hunter said at a news conference Thursday night that Ji’s driver’s license, credit card and bank card were found in the area of the remains, along with clothing and “other items” they believe belonged to her.
Confirming whether the remains are Ji’s will take a while and will depend on DNA evidence and perhaps dental records. The Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office will do an extensive investigation.
Amy Salladay, who represents Ji’s parents, Ke Ren and Xiaolin Ji, confirmed to KOMU 8 on Thursday that police called them to say their daughter’s remains had been found. Salladay said the family is still processing the news and is taking some comfort in having closure.
Jones said at the news conference that he understands the family’s sentiment.
“As a parent,” he said, “I can only imagine how important it is to have some measure of closure in a tragedy such as this.”
Ji’s husband, Joseph Elledge, was charged Feb. 28, 2020, with the murder of his wife and has been a prime suspect in her disappearance and apparent death. Elledge is scheduled for a three-week jury trial Nov. 1.
On Thursday, police, park rangers and Missouri Highway Patrol troopers were investigating the site where the remains were found off South Rock Quarry Road. Jones said detectives will be there for some time combing the scene for evidence.
Mayor Brian Treece praised the Police Department for its work on the case over the past 17 months.
“This case has served as an example that CPD does not give up on providing closure for families and community members impacted by incidents like this,” he said.
The discovery appears to be a breakthrough in the homicide investigation that frustrated Police Department efforts to find Ji’s body. They spent months searching for her remains below a bridge over the Lamine River in Cooper County, to no avail. That effort involved divers, sonar, police dogs and the construction of a levee to help them gain better access to parts of the river where they believed they would find her.
Elledge has been a prime suspect since his wife’s disappearance. He has told police he woke to find her missing on the morning of Oct. 9, 2019, but he told no one she was missing until a friend visited their home the next morning. Police said in a news release after Thursday’s news conference that he waited a day and a half to report her missing.
For more on this story, visit our reporting partners at the Columbia Missourian.