Searchers recover woman's body from river where they have been looking for Jennifer Houle

Water rescuers with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday pulled the body of an adult woman from the Mississippi River near the 10th Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis.

Although the Hennepin County medical examiner's office has not yet officially identified the body, Jennifer Houle's father said he's sure it's his daughter.

"We want to thank law enforcement, all the Hennepin County sheriff's [deputies], the Minneapolis police ... and all the compassion they've shown to us," John Houle said in an interview Wednesday night.

"They've done such an amazing job keeping us informed about the investigation. We sincerely appreciate their tireless efforts to figure out what happened to Jennifer and to bring her home to us."

Authorities began searching the river for missing University of Minnesota student Jennifer Houle on Saturday after surveillance footage showed her entering the water from the 10th Avenue Bridge on March 27.

Officials had not determined if Houle had fallen or jumped from the bridge, but the footage showed she was alone at the time of the incident, said police spokesman John Elder. Officials are not seeking any suspects in the case.

Houle, 22, a Carlson School of Management student, was last seen early Friday morning at the Blarney Pub at 412 14th Av. SE in Minneapolis. On Saturday, police said Houle's purse had been found at 3 a.m. Friday about three blocks west of the bar, where Houle had been out with friends.

Minneapolis police have been working with the Sheriff's Office to recover Houle's body from the river. The bridge stands 110 feet above the water, about 10 stories.

John Houle said his family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from family, friends and the community. "The vigil last night was all so special," he said about an event that drew more than 1,000 friends and sympathizers to the University of Minnesota. "Jennifer would have been pleased to see the outpouring for her. As a family, we certainly feel that love from the community." Houle said the family will have a ceremony to celebrate his daughter's life April 12 at the university's Northrop Auditorium. "We'll talk about Jennifer there. It will give us time to compose ourselves and talk about her brilliant life." Houle said his family has no clue as to what happened the night his daughter died and he appreciated the media's ability to get the word out "when we thought she was missing."