Mom of missing grad student Eliotte Heinz ‘trying to stay positive’ as search enters 4th day

The distraught mother of missing Wisconsin graduate student Eliotte Heinz said she is desperately trying to “stay positive” as the frantic search for her daughter enters its fourth day after she vanished while walking home from a bar.

“We’re all just trying to stay positive and get her home,” Amber Heinz told Fox News Digital of her 22-year-old daughter, who has not been seen since around 3:20 a.m. Sunday.

“That’s our focus. We are praying for the best possible outcome, which is Eliotte to come back to us and continue on her journey as she grows and becomes the amazing person that she is,” the mom said.

Her daughter, a Viterbo student, had been at the Bronco bar in the small city of La Crosse for a night out with friends, who said she left around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Security footage caught her about an hour later walking near the Mississippi River waterfront, about a 30-minute walk from the bar — the last time she was seen.

“Sunday morning, we tried to reach her, and we were unable to get a hold of her,” her mom said.

“We talk all the time. We talked to her that week. We were texting back and forth, but on Sunday morning when we couldn’t get a hold of her, we knew that something was going on,” she added.

The missing student’s loved ones spent the last few days posting missing person flyers around La Crosse as police and volunteers continue the search.

“We’re just really letting the police department focus on their job here right now and just trying to get her picture out there,” the mom said.

“That’s what we’re here for. We’re here for Eliotte and keeping our focus on her and getting her home.”

Viterbo University shared a message from the family on Facebook thanking the community for their support and emphasizing that “the most important thing you can do is continue sharing Eliotte’s information on social media.”

The family has also pleaded with those living in the areas where she was seen to review their security camera footage in the early hours of Sunday.

“Even the smallest detail could make a difference,” the family wrote.

Eliotte was enrolled at Viterbo’s mental health counseling program, her mother told Fox.