Fire crews pulled a body from the Mississippi River in south St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon after a caller reported seeing a person in the water near S. Broadway and E. Soper Street. Firefighters worked along the riverbank in the Carondelet neighborhood as investigators arrived, and officials had not yet released the person’s identity or a possible cause of death while the operation was underway.
According to First Alert 4, firefighters said they received the call about a body around 2:30 p.m., and crews were dispatched to recover the remains. The outlet reported that other details were not immediately available while responders focused on the recovery.
Where it happened
The reported scene at S. Broadway and E. Soper sits in Carondelet, a south St. Louis neighborhood pressed right up against the river, with industrial properties and direct river access. That setting can make certain stretches tricky for first responders to reach, according to the City of St. Louis, which notes that the area’s riverside layout can complicate emergency and recovery work along this part of the Mississippi.
Recent river recoveries
This marks another river recovery in south St. Louis this spring. On April 30, a tug or tow crew reported seeing a body in the Mississippi near E. David Street, and First Alert 4 reported that those remains were later turned over to the medical examiner, with the cause of death still undetermined.
What happens next
After a body is recovered, remains are typically transported to the medical examiner’s office, where investigators work to identify the person and determine the cause and manner of death. That process can take days or longer, depending on what forensic testing is needed. Under Missouri law, coroners and medical examiners are charged with investigating deaths and maintaining related records and certificates, as outlined in the Missouri Revised Statutes.
