SOUTH BEND — A body was found in the St. Joseph River north of Keller Park in South Bend Tuesday morning.

Police were called to the scene just after 11 a.m. after two fishermen spotted the body in the 1600 block of North Riverside Drive just north of Angela Boulevard.

The badly decomposed body appears to have been in the river for quite some time, according to Capt. Phil Trent of the South Bend Police. It is not clear if the remains are that of a man or a woman, he said.

"It's going to be very difficult to make an ID anytime soon," Trent added.

South Bend Fire Batallion Chief Mark Catanzarite said the body was partially submerged at the river shore, where it was more shallow than other parts of the river.

Rescuers took extra precautions while removing the body from the water because of possible biohazards associated with the decomposing body.

"We made sure all of our swift water specialists and divers were properly protected," Catanzarite said.

The gruesome discovery near the Riverside Drive Apartment complex left more questions than answers for people who live nearby.

"I just moved into the neighborhood," said Deanna Voss. "So this is a lot of drama for just moving in this week."

"It's wild," added Charlene Delonis.

Trent said someone recently filed a missing persons report for 61-year-old Linda Rowe. She lives a block from where the body was found. Friends last saw her May 26.

The police report said Rowe has physical issues that impair her ability to walk, and she is dependent on several medications.

Still, Trent said it's tough to say whether Tuesday's discovery even could be Rowe's body.

He also said the body was found in a Notre Dame T-shirt, possibly light green.

The body was taken to a morgue facility in Fort Wayne where an autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.

Stay with WSBT for updates.