'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Investigation Discovery's crime documentary series On The Case With Paula Zahn focused on the brutal 2019 murder of Mengqi Ji Elledge in its latest episode. Titled A Needle in the Mud, the official synopsis of the episode read:
''A young mother vanishes, leaving behind nothing but puzzling clues and disturbing questions; a needle in the mud may reveal the truth behind her disappearance.''
Mengqi Ji was reported missing by her husband on October 10, 2019. Her husband Joseph Elledge was later charged with first-degree murder before Ji's body was discovered. But a shocking truth came to light almost a year and a half after Ji's disappearance. Read further ahead to find out what happened to Mengqi Ji Elledge and other important details pertaining to the case.
ID's On The Case With Paula Zahn: Who was Mengqi Ji Elledge?
Mengqi Ji was born in China in April 1991. According to her friends, Ji was a friendly and popular woman. After her graduation, Ji moved to the United States for higher studies. She earned her master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri. While working at Nanova Biomaterials in Columbia in 2015, Ji met a man named Joseph Elledge. The two married in 2017 and had a daughter named Anna.
On October 10, 2019, Ji's husband Joseph Elledge reported Ji missing to Columbia police. He reportedly told authorities that she'd been missing for 1.5 days and she'd walked away after they got into a fight. Authorities continued their search for Ji and charged Elledge with first-degree murder in February 2020 before they found her body. He was earlier also charged with child abuse and domestic assault. Police later discovered that Elledge and Ji had trouble with their marriage.
How did Mengqi Ji die?
In a major development, police found Ji's remains in a state park near Missouri in March 2021, almost two years after she went missing. During the trial, Elledge said that he and his wife got into a heated argument on October 8, 2019 after he found out she was exchanging s**ual texts with a Chinese man. The argument soon got physical and Elledge pushed her, resulting in Ji falling and hitting her head.
He later left the house for a walk and returned home at night to find Ji sleeping in their bed. The next morning, Elledge said, Ji was found unresponsive. He said he didn't make an emergency call in order to avoid making him look like a suspect. He put Ji's body in his car's trunk and thought about what needed to be done. After driving to many places looking for a place to bury Ji's body, Elledge decided to dig a grave and bury Ji at Rock Bridge State Park. He said that Ji's death was an accident but admitted to lying to the authorities about Ji's disappearance. He told the court that he and Ji had problems in their marriage due to several cultural differences.
Joseph Elledge was ultimately sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of his wife Mengqi Ji after a recommendation from a 12-member Boone County jury. He also received an additional 10-year sentence in February 2022 after pleading guilty to child abuse.
Don't miss On The Case With Paula Zahn - A Needle in the Mud on Investigation Discovery.
