The body of an 86-year-old St. Charles man was recovered from the Mississippi River at Hug’s Landing in Crystal City on Sunday afternoon (May 31), 12 days after he apparently jumped from the Hwy. 340 (Page Avenue) bridge over the Missouri River in Maryland Heights.
Raymond Kline was reported missing May 19 after his car was found parked on the bridge and a witness reported seeing him climb over the side of the bridge.
At 2:05 p.m. Sunday, members of the Plattin Rock Boat Club were launching a pontoon boat at Hug’s Landing when they spotted a body in the water.
The body was removed from the river by the Crystal City Fire and Rescue boat team, said Capt. Mike Pruneau of the Crystal City Police Department.
The St. Louis Medical Examiner’s Office had not made a positive identification by the Leader’s deadline on Tuesday, but Pruneau said the body had a wallet containing Kline’s driver’s license.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Maryland Heights Police Department are investigating the death, Pruneau said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the distance from the Hwy. 340 bridge over the Missouri River to the confluence of the Mississippi River is 32.6 nautical miles. From the confluence to Hug’s Landing is another 46 nautical miles.