By Staff
BUCHANAN - On, Tuesday, June 28, at approximately 3:45 p.m., an Indiana and Michigan Power employee was working at the Buchanan Dam on the St. Joseph River in Buchanan Township and noticed what appeared to be a human body floating in the water on the upper side of the dam.
He notified authorities of his observation. Officers from the Buchanan City Police Department, arrived at the scene a short time later to confirm the employee's sighting.
The body was floating along a skimmer wall on the east side of the St. Joseph River. Officers could determine that the body was that of a female, who appeared to have been in the water for an extended amount of time.
The confirmed identity of the female found will take some time to determine due to the deteriorated state of the body. Dental records and DNA will have to be used in the identification.
The Buchanan Police Department stressed they cannot at this time confirm this is the body of Marquette Bowen, a female who has been missing since Dec. 15, 2004 from the city of Buchanan.
The female's body was removed from the river by the Buchanan Township Fire Department Water Rescue Team and the Berrien County Marine Unit.
Buchanan City Police Officer Dave Capron will be working with the Sheriffs Department detectives to determine the body's identity.
At press time, Buchanan City Police Chief William Marx and Officer Dave Capron were unavailable for comment as they were at the autopsy.
On Wednesday, June 15, cadaver dogs from Wolverine K-9 Search and Rescue were brought to Buchanan to search along the St. Joseph River where Bowen was last seen walking on North Red Bud Trail. The search ended when nothing was located.
At the time of the search police had not received any new information, but conducted the search in an effort to cover all possible theories of Bowen's disappearance.
The police used the cadaver dogs in order to investigate every possible means to try and locate the missing person, rather that suggest Bowen may be deceased.
Bowen, 56, who stands 5'6" and weighs about 100 lbs., was reported missing on Dec. 15. On that day she was seen around 11:30 a.m. in front of her residence, and later that day was seen walking north-bound on Red Bud Trail. At the time she was wearing a brown wool coat, blue jeans and brown frame glasses. Her hair was shoulder length, brown and gray. She was under doctor's care and was without medication.