COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia police are investigating a death at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, near Columbia.
A Columbia Police Department official at the scene said a hiker found decomposing remains on Thursday. Police blocked Rock Quarry Road at the beginning of the High Ridge trail during the investigation.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Kyle Green said the soldiers are also helping rangers with their investigation.
Columbia police are trying to verify whether the remains found today are Menngqi Ji.
The remains found Thursday will undergo DNA testing and / or dental records to confirm identity.
Assistant Deputy Jeremiah Hunter said it is personal property that fits the description of what Ji was last seen when she disappeared. Hunter said they found bank documents, credit card documents and a Ji driver’s license with the human remains.
The Columbia police have been providing updates to the Boone County District Attorney and will provide further updates later.
Authorities reported that the police searched the state park, but not in the area where the body was found. The area was not searched, according to Hunter, because the area never appeared as part of a clue in the search for Ji.
Watch the replay of the press conference in the player below.
Lawyer Amy Salladay spoke to her family earlier today about updating the case.
Salladay says the family is still processing this information. No parent who has lost a child wants to lose hope, while also needing to know what has happened to their daughter in order for there to be an outcome.
The family wants to reiterate its support for the Columbia Police Department and the tremendous work done by Boone County District Attorney Dan Knight in seeking justice on behalf of Mengqi Ji.
Ji disappeared in October 2019. Prosecutors later accused her husband, Joseph Elledge, of murder. Elledge’s trial was scheduled for November.
The police searched her body extensively, including several dives in the Lamine River in Cooper County.
Check back for updates to this developing story.