ALTON - A body of a male was found floating in the Mississippi River late Thursday morning.
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Several calls to the Alton Police Department placed the body near the "Welcome to Alton" sign along the Great River Road Thursday, and witnesses on the scene spotted the body floating downstream along the current. Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons confirmed a body was found, and said it likely belonged to a man who went missing late Monday afternoon near Grafton, but said the coroner would have to confirm.
The Missouri Highway Patrol has been searching for a man who went underwater Monday after his boat apparently ran adrift on a sandbar. After pushing the boat, he went under the surface of the river and never came back, Missouri Highway Patrol Officer Dallas Thompson said Wednesday. This occurred near the Missouri side of the Mississippi River across from Grafton.
Thompson said Missouri officers are en route, but the body has yet to be identified. He said he was not sure if the body was related to Monday's incident or an entirely different one. He said Missouri Highway Patrol troopers were going to join both the Alton Police Department and Illinois State Police at the scene Thursday morning.
Marine units and a fixed-wing aircraft were utilized by the Missouri Highway Patrol to search for the man's body along the current Wednesday to no avail. More information on this story should emerge as details are released by the Alton Police Department, Madison County Coroner and Missouri Highway Patrol.Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
