Woman's body recovered from Mississippi River in South St. Paul, sheriff says

SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. — An investigation is underway after a woman's body was discovered in the Mississippi River over the weekend.

A body was reported Saturday morning in the river near the Wabasha Bridge in St. Paul, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.

Responding officers from the St. Paul Police Department were able to get a visual of the body in the fast-moving waters, but lost sight of it near the Highway 52 bridge.

Due to conditions on the river, the sheriff's office requested help from Dakota County for search efforts.

A search group — comprised of Dakota County officials, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department — searched the river and located the body near the Wakota Bridge in South St. Paul.

Officials say the body of a woman was recovered from the river and has been taken to Ramsey County's medical examiner for an autopsy.

"At this time it is unknown how and when the body entered the water," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing.

The river, which has flooded several parks in St. Paul, is projected to crest at 20.3 feet , which would make it the seventh-worst flood of the Mississippi River on record.

On Friday evening, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Minnesota, ordering federal aid to help areas affected by the storms and flooding.