GUILTY MO - Mengqi Elledge, 28, found deceased, Columbia, 9 Oct 2019 *husband arrested*

[Dre]

So his Mom was going to help him flee? Sounds like they have an idea where to search

Sorry, where did you get this little tidbit? TIA

 

[Elgana]

Sorry, where did you get this little tidbit? TIA

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article236738238.html

In this article it says:

Police serving a search warrant on the couple’s Columbia, Missouri, apartment Friday allegedly found Joseph Duane Elledge, 24, attempting to leave town with his mother and child.

 

[mlhenn]

Family of missing woman travels to Columbia, plans to stay until "some type of resolution"

Steve Sapp told The Associated Press the family of Mengqi Ji Elledge has traveled from China to Columbia and plans to stay there until there is “some type of resolution.”
A Columbia police detective reported in a probable cause document that during the time he said his wife Mengqi Ji Elledge went missing and the time he reported her disappearance, Joseph Elledge "took a long drive through unfamiliar remote areas of Mid-Missouri."
Joseph Elledge did not tell anyone of her disappearance for more than 24 hours and did not report her missing to police for a day and a half.
He was arrested Oct. 25, and his bond was set at $500,000. A bond hearing for Joseph Elledge is scheduled for Nov. 5 and a case review is scheduled for Nov. 26.

 

[mlhenn]

Engineering Graduate Goes Missing From Missouri, Husband Arrested on Child Abuse Allegations

The female child’s mother had wanted to call police but was persuaded to back off after Joseph allegedly promised not to strike the child again, according to the document, the AP reports.

Interviewed by police on Friday, Joseph allegedly acknowledged causing the bruises in February, and said the child had been crying and would not stop, according to the document, reports the AP.

 

[mlhenn]

Engineering Graduate Goes Missing From Missouri, Husband Arrested on Child Abuse Allegations

Authorities who sought the bond to keep Joseph in jail wrote that he “is believed to be a flight risk because when police arrived at his house to serve a search warrant today, [Elledge] was packing items from his house in preparation to leave for an unknown amount of time,”

In an interview with the TV station 10 days prior to his arrest, Joseph said he and Mengqi “were growing kind of distant in the past few months.” He also said: “I know she was talking to somebody else on the side. I didn’t know that until she had left.”

 

[heuristicsdepartment]

Mother-in-law of missing Columbia woman files for guardianship of child

COLUMBIA - The mother-in-law of missing woman Mengqi Ji Elledge has filed for guardianship of Elledge's child.

Court documents show that the child's father, Joseph Elledge, gave his consent to hand guardianship over to his mother on Monday.

 

[KJ's Mamu]

Hoping for the best....but expecting the worst. I'm afraid that poor Mengqi did not get enough distance between herself and her spouse...prayers for her family for strength while they await answers.

 

[LotsaLatte]

I was hoping there would be an update........like they found her I feel so bad for her family and her little baby girl. Mengqi appears to be such a bright, beautiful girl. Her parents must be absolutely devastated. I hope they are getting time with their beautiful granddaughter. I haven't really seen anything new about searches. Maybe this....uhhh....husband will help LE find her.

 

[heuristicsdepartment]

Parents of missing woman seek custody of grandchild

My clients must be allowed to intervene in the guardianship case for their granddaughter,” attorney Amy Salladay said. “Because of the suspicious circumstances of their daughter’s disappearance, the uncertainty in who all was involved, and a lack of communication from the Columbia Police Department, my clients need the court to hear from Ke Ren and Xiaolin Ji to protect the best interests of their granddaughter.”

Ke Ren and Xiaolin Ji were not contacted by Joseph Elledge, Jean Elledge or
the Columbia Police Department to inform them of Mengqi Ji’s disappearance

The guardianship case is scheduled to be heard in a closed hearing in Boone County Circuit Court on Nov. 4 at 2:00 p.m.

 

[Elgana]

Parents of missing woman seek custody of grandchild

Oh gosh, I honestly think it wouldn't be right for Jean Elledge to have custody of the baby as she was allegedly caught trying to run away with her son who is obviously guilty of child abuse at least and probably more IMO. I feel sorry for poor Mengqi's parents and I hope they are able to get custody of the baby.

 

[Dre]

None of them told her family she had gone missing? Wow just another huge red flag... justice for this family, for Mengqi.. and hoping Anna gets placed in the right hands ASAP!

 

[LotsaLatte]

Oh my gosh, they better let Mengqi's parents have some say. Oh lordy, that poor family

 

[LotsaLatte]

It really irks me that Mengqi's parents were NOT made aware that she was missing before LE was made aware. Like maybe a phone call asking if she had contacted them and asking if they may have heard from her. To me, that seems like a reasonable call to make if the mother of a child leaves the child behind and is gone when you wake up in the morning. But instead they find out that their baby granddaughter had been abused and their beautiful daughter is God knows where. ugghh I would be heartbroken.

 

[modesty blaise]

I hope her parents are given custody,clearly him and his mama are lacking human decency.

 

[Knox]

It really irks me that Mengqi's parents were NOT made aware that she was missing before LE was made aware. Like maybe a phone call asking if she had contacted them and asking if they may have heard from her. To me, that seems like a reasonable call to make if the mother of a child leaves the child behind and is gone when you wake up in the morning. But instead they find out that their baby granddaughter had been abused and their beautiful daughter is God knows where. ugghh I would be heartbroken.

Surely the Elledge family knew one of Mengqi's friends who could have communicated with her parents. I call BS on that and hope her parents gain custody of Anna. Really chaps my hide, but I'll stay within TOS. Can my fellow posters guess what I'm thinking?

 

[LotsaLatte]

I don't know how much his mother and/or father knew "for fact" until after their son was arrested. At that point, I think, as a mom.........I would immediately seek guardianship/custody (to avoid baby going into foster care or God forbid, the son getting out on bail or something insane like that) and work with my daughter in law's parents to 1. find their daughter asap and 2. make sure my granddaughter was safe. Period. Son is on his own. And I love my son tremendously, as I am sure they love their son. But right is right. In my opinion (best guess at this point), I think JE probably spun some stories and as parents, that's all they "knew" until LE made them aware of what is real.
I really hope Mengqi's parents get to be 100% involved in the granddaughter's life. It appears they did a wonderful job raising their beautiful daughter and Anna deserves that same love. This is heartbreaking.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Missing Columbia woman's parents file for guardianship of their granddaughter

 

[LotsaLatte]

Has anyone seen anything about any searches? I keep waiting for news of searches

 

[LotsaLatte]

Happy to see that Mengqi's parents are getting support

Custody hearing for missing woman's child begins, draws supporters for maternal grandparents

ETA: Originally posted asking if I can post probable cause statement. But removed that question as it's actually available in the linked article

 

[mlhenn]

"No resolution" in custody hearing for daughter of missing woman and incarcerated husband

An attorney for the parents of Mengqi Ji said Monday there was "no resolution" in the custody hearing for Anna Elledge, the daughter of Mengqi Ji and her husband Joseph Elledge.

All of the supporters were hopeful the judge would make a decision, but the attorney for Mengqi Ji's parents, Amy Salladay, spoke after the hearing, saying that was not the case.

"There wasn't any resolution today. This family remains committed to try and find out what happened to their daughter," Salladay said.