The Murder of Mengqi Ji
Warning, this case does discuss domestic violence and crimes against a child.
For this case, I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 24 episode 15, titled ‘Needle in the Mud.’
A young mother disappears from her house in the middle of the night.
Background
Mengqi Ji was born and raised in China. At the time of her death, she had been living in the U.S. for about 7 years.
In 2014, Mengqi graduated from the University of Missouri with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Mengqi was offered a job by one of her professors, but left after meeting and marrying her husband, Joe Elledge, in 2017. They had a daughter a year later.
Mengqi was described as ambitious and always trying to better herself.
Mengqi Ji
Joe, Mengqi, and their daughter, Anna
The Disappearance
On October 10, 2019, Joe Elledge called the Columbia, Missouri police at 5:45pm.
Joe said that he had woken up to his daughter crying, and discovered that Mengqi was not at home. Mengqi had only taken her purse, but left behind her phone, car, and computer.
Joe said that he thought Mengqi had left to run errands, and had possibly gotten a ride with someone else. Joe said Mengqi had never done anything like this before.
Joe was also asked if they had any issues in their marriage. Joe said they fought, and Mengqi had changed since the birth of their daughter. Joe said they had an argument the night before. He said Mengqi was irritable, and she stormed off into their bedroom. Joe said he gave her space, and when he went to bed at 11:30pm, she was there, and asleep.
A Possible Motive
An APB was put out for Mengqi. Joe had described her as an Asian woman, about 5’0” and 100 pounds.
Mengqi’s friends put up flyers, and said that they hadn’t heard from her. Mengqi’s mom, who was back in China, also said she hadn’t heard from her.
The police looked at Mengqi’s electronics, and learned from Joe, that she had been communicating with a man in China. Joe had discovered some romantic messages between them on her computer.
Mengqi’s friends hadn’t heard of this man. It seemed like the two had an online relationship, but had no plans to meet. The police weren’t able to find anything to suggest that Mengqi had went back to China. She had spoken about wanting to plan a trip back, but she hadn’t purchased a ticket, or left the country.
The Chinese authorities also spoke to this man at his home. He said that they had never planned to meet. The man was in China, so there was no way he had killed Mengqi.
Joe made many statements to the media. He referred to Mengqi in the past tense, and laughed and smirked at the camera. The police took notice of his behavior, and focused on him as their suspect.
Joe’s Stories
The police asked Joe to speak with them at the station. The conversation was obviously recorded.
Joe now changed his story. He said that after he discovered his wife was missing on the 10th, he went for two long drives with his daughter in the car. He said the first drive was around 10:30am, and that he returned around noon. The second drive lasted 4 hours from 6-10pm. Joe said he went to bed instead of looking for his wife.
The police were baffled. They asked Joe why he wasn’t out looking for Mengqi. Joe said he thought Mengqi had left on purpose, and had taken these drives to relax.
The police thought that Joe had been driving around looking for a place to put Mengqi’s body, and discard any evidence.
The Evidence
The police obtained a warrant for Mengqi’s phone, computer and iPad. Joe willingly handed over his cellphone, and the couple’s apartment was searched again. There was no sign of a struggle or blood found.
Several articles of Joe’s clothing were collected, and a pair of boots with mud caked on them were also collected.
The police found some writings of Joe’s. One was a rehearsed statement of what told the police, almost word for word. The second was a list of what not to do or say to the media. Joe had written to only use present tense, something that he had failed to do.
The police knew that Mengqi was probably dead, but the police had circumstantial evidence against Joe.
On Joe’s cellphone, the police discovered that he had driven out to Lamine River, which he didn’t tell the police about. Several searches were done. Excavation equipment and dive teams searched the area, but Mengqi’s body wasn’t found.
The Recordings
While searching through Joe and Mengqi’s phones, the police learned that they both had been secretly recording each other.
On Joe’s recordings, Joe can be heard threatening Mengqi about her immigration status. Joe had been furious about their failing marriage, and told her that he knew she wanted him to hit her. He said he was ready to act on it.
On Mengqi’s recordings, Joe asked her if she wanted him to hurt someone. She said no, but he said that he could kill someone, and break their neck.
Mengqi’s friends said that Mengqi didn’t leave Joe because of her immigration status, and because of her daughter.
The Conviction
On February 19, 2020, Joe Elledge was arrested, and charged with murder. The trial was delayed due to COVID-19.
In March 2021, 13 months after Mengqi disappeared, a hiker saw a skull in Rock Bridge Park. A woman’s purse was found nearby. An ID was found inside, and the remains were identified as Mengqi’s.
Mengqi had been found in a shallow grave. The medical examiner was able to determine that it was a homicide, and four of Mengqi’s ribs had been broken.
Some soil was collected from the area. The soil from the grave, and the soil on Joe’s boots were a match. There were also juniper trees in the area. The investigators were able to match three needles from a tree that was just above where Mengqi was found.
A trial, Joe claimed that he had confronted Mengji about her messages to this other man. They fought, and she hit her head. He said he left the house, and when he returned, Mengji was dead. He then put her body in the car, and buried her.
Joe was found guilty of murder, and in January 2022, he was sentenced to 28 years in prison. A 10 year additional sentence was also added, after Joe was charged with child abuse, child endangerment and domestic assault. He will serve the 10 additional years after serving time for Mengqi’s murder.
Joe had admitted to abusing his daughter. He had spanked his daughter hard enough to cause bruising on her bottom.
Joe testifying in court
Other
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799- SAFE
FINAL THOUGHTS
Joe’s media interview reminded me of Chris Watts. The interview was chilling, and it’s clear that Joe was the only person with a motive to do this. Joe was verbally, and maybe physically abusive too. Joe took away his daughter’s mother, and took away the life he could’ve had watching her grow up.
At least Mengqi can rest in peace, and that her family received the justice they all deserve. Joe can rot in prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/mengqi-ji-murder-where-is-joseph-elledge-now/
https://apnews.com/article/university-of-missouri-missouri-columbia-216284c1ec05a2c6f2f9df771075c428
