'Husband suffocated wife because he didn't want to pay for divorce'

A husband strangled his wife because he did not want to pay for a costly divorce, prosecutors said.

Joseph Elledge pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Tuesday in the presumed death of his Chinese wife, 28-year-old Mengqui Ji Elledge, whose body has not yet been found after she disappeared in October.

Elledge was charged with his wife’s death in February in Columbia, Missouri. He was also charged with domestic assault and child abuse charges related to his young daughter. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in March.

Prosecutors say Elledge strangled or suffocated his wife because he did not want to pay for a divorce and wanted to prevent his wife from fleeing to China with their daughter.

According to court documents, in the months before Ji’s disappearance, she asked a former boyfriend about finding a divorce lawyer. The documents go on to say that Elledge discovered his wife missing at 5am on October 9, 2019, but he did not tell anyone she was gone until the next day when a friend of his wife came to their house to check on Ji after she missed her daily phone call with her mother in China.

Police have reportedly searched an area in the Lamine River, where they believe Elledge dumped his wife’s body, numerous times but to no avail.

Columbia police spokesman Jeff Pitts said on Tuesday authorities are waiting for more heavy equipment to search the areas in the river that may have been missed.

Elledge made his court appearance this week via video and waived his right to a formal arraignment.

His attorney is currently seeking a continuance in the case and Elledge is set to appear in court for a status update hearing on June 26.

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