MURDERED: Mengqi Ji
When a young mother is reported missing, investigators quickly realize she was probably murdered. Their prime suspect is her husband, but a slew of suspicious statements and circumstantial evidence isn’t enough to put him behind bars… until a lucky discovery gives them everything they need.
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Joe on the stand at his own trial where he is being charged with first degree murder for the death of his wife, Mengqi Ji.
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Episode Source Material
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Police ask public for help in finding missing Columbia woman, by Gregory Dailey.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Husband of missing Columbia woman speaks on her disappearance, by Gladys Bautista.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): One week later, police still searching for missing Columbia woman, by Skyler Rossi.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Police: Disappearance of Columbia woman now a criminal investigation, by Gregory Dailey and Meghan Lane.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Neighbor reacts to arrest of missing woman’s husband, by Gladys Bautista.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Police investigating man in wife’s “suspicious disappearance,” child abuse charge filed, by Gregory Dailey and Kyreon Lee.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Custody hearing for missing woman’s child begins, draws supporters for maternal grandparents, by Hunter M. Gilbert.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Prosecutor: Joe Elledge prime suspect in disappearance, murder of his wife, by Gregory Dailey and Gladys Bautista.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Attorney of missing woman’s parents says ‘limited’ child custody arrangement reached, by Gregory Dailey and Gladys Bautista.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Columbia police seek help from hunters, landowners in search for missing woman, by Hunter M Gilbert.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Joseph Elledge pleads not guilty on child welfare charges, by Emily Wolf.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Divers search Lamine River for missing woman’s body, by Missourian Staff.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Nightfall stops second day of search for Columbia woman, by Missourian Staff.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Search underway again Thursday for missing woman, by Missourian Staff.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Despite freezing temperatures, teams continue search for Mengqi Ji Elledge at Lamine River, by Mark Slavit.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Activity declines in search for missing Columbia woman, by Austin Walker.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Search continues in Lamine River for missing Columbia woman, by Evan Lachnit.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Sonar fails to find Mengqi Ji Elledge, by Morgan Riddell.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Grand jury indicts Joseph Elledge; charge added, by Missourian Staff.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Elledge pleads not guilty to child endangerment following indictment, by Gregory Dailey.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): UPDATE: Elledge jury to be chosen from Warren County residents, by Danielle Duclos.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Knight signals aggressive strategy for ‘proving’ Joseph Elledge killed his wife, by Danielle Duclos.
- AP News (New York, NY): Missouri man charged in Chinese wife’s death despite no body, by Margaret Stafford.
- Associated Press (New York, NY): Joseph Elledge probable cause statement, by AP Staff.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Elledge first-degree murder charge based on strangling scenario, by Jessica Blake.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Mengqi Ji’s family lawyer says they support murder charge against Joseph Elledge, by KCRG 13 Web Staff.
- AP News (New York, NY): Missouri man charged with murder in wife’s presumed death, by Heather Hollingsworth and Margaret Stafford.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): High profile defense attorney to represent Elledge on murder charge, by Maria Miller.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Columbia police to build levee to help find missing woman, by Dan Claxton, Ashley Eddy.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): CPD believes body of Mengqi Ji is entangled in log jam, plans to use net, by Ethan Stein.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): CPD ends excavation process in missing Columbia woman river search, by Katie Athey.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, Mo): Columbia police end search for missing mother Mengqi Ji in Cooper County, by Mark Slavit.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Joseph Elledge denied bond; murder case could go to trial by April, by Hunter M Gilbert.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): November trial date set for Joseph Elledge case, by Kyle Jones.
- Columbia Missouri Police: Property consistent with missing Columbia woman, Mengqi Ji, has been found in Rock Bridge State Park, March 25.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Police believe human remains found near Rock Bridge State Park belong to Mengqi Ji, by KRCG 13 Staff.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Columbia Police confirm human remains belong to Mengqi Ji, by Cameron Barnard.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Prosecutor’s brief in Elledge case paints abusive picture, by Dan Claxton.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, Mo): Prosecutor Knight says recordings are critical to murder case against Elledge, by Kelsy Armstrong.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Trial against Joseph Elledge for murder set to start on Monday, by Jessica Hart.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Elledge trial, Day 1: Jury selection ends Monday after pointed questioning narrows pool, by Anna Watson and Annasofia Scheve.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 2: Defense says Elledge killed his wife, but it was an accident, by Anna Watson.
- AP News (New York, NY): Defense attorney: Chinese woman’s death a ‘tragic accident’, by Associated Press.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 4: Prosecutor claims a ‘script’ shaped Elledge’s strategy after his wife died, by Anna Watson.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Former Columbia police detective questioned about Elledge notebook, by Meghan Lane.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 5: Prosecution calls witnesses in Elledge trial to describe discovery of his wife’s body, by Anna Watson.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Several witnesses take the stand Friday afternoon in the Joseph Elledge murder trial, by Meghan Lane.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 6: Experts say material from Elledge’s boots matches plants and soil around his wife’s gravesite, by Anna Watson.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Experts testify about matching Juniper needles on Joseph Elledge’s boots, by Elise Person.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 7: Prosecution focuses on Elledge’s diary and cellphone activity, by Anna Watson and Annasofia Scheve.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Testimony over messages, computer searches, “list of grievances” in Elledge murder trial, by Meghan Lane.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 8: Elledge testifies that he found his wife dead and ‘freaked out’, by Anna Watson.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Joseph Elledge takes the stand in his murder trial, by Meghan Lane.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Elledge continues testimony Tuesday afternoon, talks about fight that lead to wife’s death, by Meghan Lane.
- Columbia Missourian (Columbia, MO): Day 9: Attorneys in Elledge trial make final push to determine how his wife was killed, by Anna Watson.
- AP News (New York, NY): Testimony ends in Missouri man’s trial in wife’s death, by Associated Press.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Joseph Elledge found guilty of second-degree murder of wife, by KRCG Web Team.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Jury recommends 28 years for Joseph Elledge, by KRCG Web Team.
- Columbia Daily Tribune (Columbia, MO): Joseph Elledge sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder of wife Mengqi Ji, by Charles Dunlap.
- KRCG TV (Jefferson City, MO): Elledge asks court to vacate his conviction, by Dan Claxton.
- 48 Hours: The Tree that Helped Solve a Murder (Season 3, Episode 15).
- CBS News: Timeline: The Disappearance of Mengqi Ji, by CBS News.
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