Body, vehicle recovered from St. Francis River near border of Stoddard and Butler counties

FISK — Missouri State Highway Patrol dive team members removed a body from a passenger car found submerged in the St. Francis River, just south of the U.S. 60 bridge, Tuesday morning.

Authorities are not releasing information concerning the identity of the victim at this time.

Authorities say a boater reported seeing the wheels sticking out of the water Monday night and contacted the highway patrol.

With officers from the Butler and Stoddard County sheriff’s departments, and Dexter Police Department watching from the bridge deck, patrol Marine Division troopers and dive team members approached the vehicle from downstream at just before 9:50 a.m.

The vehicle was located about 60 to 70 yards south of the bridge.

Once in their gear, the divers entered the water to check the vehicle.

Wrecker personnel subsequently arrived and lowered a cable into the river to allow dive team members to hook it onto the car’s undercarriage.

Traffic was reduced to one lane as the wrecker personnel slowly pulled the dark-colored passenger car over onto its wheels.

At about 10:40 a.m., troopers removed a body through the car’s broken back passenger glass.