Husband Charged With Murder Of ‘Missing’ Chinese Woman, Search For Body Continues

A man was charged with the murder of his wife, a Chinese national, after she went missing in October. The body of the woman was not located. The man hailed from Missouri and was charged Wednesday in a presumed-death case.

The accused, Joseph Elledge, was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Mengqi Ji, his 28-year-old wife, the court reports suggested. It was added that the prosecutors had requested his bail to be set at a $5 million cash-only bond.

According to local media, Elledge has a history of child abuse and endangering the life of a child. Police said Elledge did not report his wife missing until Oct. 10 though Ji was missing since Oct.8.

It was revealed that Elledge was negligent and was playing video games while his wife went missing. He had reportedly also called his mother and a friend and had not noticed that his wife was missing. He realized she was missing only after one of her friends came to check on her based on her parents’ request.

Police said Ji was not with any of her friends and that there were no financial activities on her bank account. The attorney representing Ji’s family, Amy Sallady, told the media that the family was very helpful in the process and had agreed to file charges than to wait till the body was found.

Sallady, in a statement to the media, said, “They understand the risks associated with double jeopardy but they also need resolution for their granddaughter. They have full confidence that Mr. Knight (Boone County Prosecutor) has carefully considered all the factors related to filing the case now.”

Ji’s mother, in a statement, said that Elledge was very controlling and had earlier restricted her daughter's social life. The police were searching the Lamine River near Boonville for Ji’s body.