Missouri police resume search for body of mother, 28, believed to have been 'suffocated by her husband who wanted to stop her fleeing to her native China with their daughter' a year ago

A year after a young Chinese mother living in Missouri with her family vanished without a trace, police have resumed the search for her body. 

Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, was reported missing by her husband, Joseph Elledge, on October 10, 2019. He was charged in February with first-degree murder in her death and has pleaded not guilty. The couple has a young daughter together.

Joseph has been accused of suffocating his wife to death and disposing of her body in order to prevent her from returning to her native China with their child and to avoid a costly divorce.   

Police in Missouri are renewing their efforts to locate the body of Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, who went missing last October and is presumed dead. Her husband, Joseph Elledge, was charged in February with first-degree murder in her death

Police had searched for Mengqi's remains with divers, sonar and heavy machinery at the Lamine River near Booneville after cadaver dogs hit on a scent there

Police had searched for her remains with divers, sonar and heavy machinery at the Lamine River near Booneville after cadaver dogs hit on a scent there several times. A temporary levee was constructed at the site to help the search but the effort stopped in June.

Assistant Police Chief Jeremiah Hunter said in a news release Wednesday that the water level at the site has recently dropped significantly, revealing that part of the levee was still present.

Elledge and Ji married in 2017 and welcomed a young daughter the following year

The remaining parts of the levee will be removed and searched by investigators for any evidence of Ji, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.

Elledge and Ji married in 2017 and attended the University of Missouri.

The Ji family said in a statement released by their attorney that they appreciate the police department's efforts during the last year but will not be satisfied until Ji's body is found. 

'We will never give up looking for Mengqi,' the family said. 'We continue to hope for answers so that she can have a proper burial and we can have a funeral.'

Elledge also pleaded not guilty in March to domestic assault and child abuse charges related to the couple´s young daughter. 

Elledge did not report his wife missing for more than 36 hours after she was last seen at their Columbia, Missouri, home on the evening of October 8 and prosecutors say in the hours after he visited rural areas where he could have disposed of a body.

Ji's parents said they had been trying to get in touch with Elledge and his mother since October 8 when their daughter stopped responding to them. They usually had daily conversations on the phone.

A temporary levee was constructed at the site to help the search but the effort stopped in June

The water level at the site has recently dropped significantly, revealing that part of the levee was still present. Divers are seen searching the site last winter

Elledge has pleaded not guilty to murder, domestic assault and child abuse charges related to the couple´s young daughter.

Elledge says he last saw his wife around 11.30pm on October 8 at their home in the 2600 block of Eastwood Drive in Columbia, reported KRCG. 

He had given her a massage with her lying on her stomach and him on her back. A probable cause statement filed Wednesday suggested he may have intentionally strangled or suffocated her.

Authorities have found no blood from the victim in Elledge's home or vehicle but note the methods of killing are 'relatively bloodless, silent'.

Elledge claims on October 9 he woke up and found her gone. He spent time playing video games and contacted his mother and a friend without mentioning that she was missing, even though her disappearance was unusual, according to a statement.

He didn't mention he didn't know where she was until one of her friends came to the house the next day at the request of her parents.

Mengqi's mother and father (pictured with a translator) said they will rest until her body is found so she could be laid to rest

At that point, he put his wife's mother on a video call and told her Ji was missing and then began contacting her friends to see if they knew where she was.

None of her family or friends have had contact with Ji since she went missing and there has been no activity on her financial accounts.

During the hours after his wife disappeared, Elledge took two drives with the couple's one-year-old daughter to rural areas and to a popular biking and hiking trail with access to the Lamine River near Boonville.

When interviewed by police, Joseph revealed that the couple had been having marital problems for several months, and that Mengqi had been unwilling to have sex with him, which was 'frustrating' to him,' according to charging documents cited by Missourian. 

Elledge remains at the county jail.