A body was discovered Wednesday in the Mississippi River at St. Paul Park, said Commander Cheri Dexter of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The body was found about 9:15 a.m. near Hidden Harbor Marina. It was spotted by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employees, who were doing research in a side channel south of the marina, Dexter said.

The Sheriff's Office, and St. Paul Park police and firefighters, recovered the body. It was taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner for identification, but "the body has been in the river for some time and this will slow the identification process," she said.

St. Paul Park, a city of about 5,300 residents, is just west of Cottage Grove in the southern end of Washington County.

Kevin Giles