Police confirmed the body found in the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish is that of LSU freshman Kori Gauthier, according to reporter Brian Holland.
Gauthier had been missing for a week.
No foul play is suspected and no cause of death was released, according to reporter Shakari Briggs.
Her car was found unoccupied last Wednesday at the scene of an accident on the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, according to CNN. The Louisiana Department of Transportation confirmed there was an accident on the I-10 bridge that shut down two lanes of traffic.
According to The Advocate, Sheriff Mike Tregre confirmed the body was recovered from near Milepost 137.
A crewmember on a tugboat spotted the body in the middle of the river and called police around 9:18 a.m. CT Tuesday, according to Tregre.
LSU police have been in contact with authorities in St. John the Baptist Parish since the body was found, LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard III said Tuesday.
<a href="https://www.wafb.com/2021/04/09/investigators-brpd-did-not-contact-registered-owner-after-missing-girls-car-was-found-abandoned-bridge/">WAFB</a> reported Gauthier’s car appeared to be abandoned and left running on the bridge. “Once officers got to the scene, they found Gauthier’s personal belongings — including her phone — inside and they had her car towed to a junkyard,” WAFB said.
The search was narrowed after a K-9 cadaver dog alerted the same area of the river twice earlier Saturday, the school said in its statement.
The school’s police department has been in touch with Gauthier’s parents, and they are sharing details with them privately, LSU said.
Gauthier was an 18-year-old freshman at LSU.