UPDATE: Body found in MO River identified as a man

UPDATE 9/5: The autopsy results on the body found in the Missouri River near Malta Bend on Monday identify the victim as male. The autopsy also revealed that the body was in the water for a long period of time, making the body difficult to identify.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Saline County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Monday it’s investigating after a resident found a body in the county in the Missouri River.

Sheriff Cindi Mullins says a bystander saw the body just after 8:00 this morning and called authorities. She says it happened at 295th Road just northwest Maltabend.

The sheriff says the coroner now has the body and is doing an autopsy.

Sheriff Mullins tells ABC 17 News she expects to get preliminary results back by tomorrow. She says the department won’t be able to identify the victim or say how that person died until then.