Authorities found a man’s body in the Mississippi River south of Festus on Thursday night (July 13) and are seeking the public’s help to identify the man.
Cpl. Juston Wheetley of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said today (July 14) that all he knows about the body is that it’s “a black male.”
“The circumstances remain under investigation,” Wheetley said.
Jefferson R-7 Fire Protection District Chief Mark Earls said his and several other agencies responded to the scene after receiving a call about the body at 8:18 p.m.
“A tugboat operator called it in – he was following it down the river,” Earls said. “It was found just north of River Cement (now Buzzi Unicem).”
The plant is at 1000 River Cement Road.
Earls said the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Crystal City and Herculaneum fire departments and the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District all responded to the scene, but the Highway Patrol led the investigation.
Wheetley said anyone with information is urged to call the Highway Patrol at 636-300-2800.