Body of Woman Found in Grand River After Days of Searching

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The body of a woman was recovered from the Grand River Thursday afternoon after she had been missing since Saturday night. Authorities confirmed that the body, which had been carried downstream by ice, was found about a quarter mile from where she was last seen.

The search began Saturday, when the woman was spotted in the river near the Fulton Street Bridge at around 10:25 p.m. According to Grand Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Keusch, the woman was initially seen on a piece of ice floating downstream. Bystanders reportedly shouted at her as she drifted, and a Grand Rapids police officer last saw her near the south side of the bridge.

Authorities believe that the woman struck a log, which caused her to fall into the river’s open water, which was about 8 to 10 feet deep. Despite swift action by the Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD), who launched divers into the frigid, fast-moving water for a search that night, no sign of the woman was found by midnight. The search was suspended on Sunday afternoon and later transitioned into a recovery operation.

On Thursday, the Michigan State Police (MSP) Marine Division and a cadaver dog assisted in the search, launching boats into the Grand River south of the Fulton Street Bridge. As warmer weather caused the ice to recede, search teams were able to cover areas previously inaccessible. According to Keusch, the cadaver dog led teams to a strip of land near “Jackson Island” south of the US-131 bridge, where the woman’s body was ultimately found in approximately three feet of water.

Keusch credited the success of the search to the dog’s ability to detect the body, as well as the moving ice that helped push the woman’s remains downstream. The woman, believed to be in her early to mid-20s, was found with clothing visible near the riverbank. Her identity has not yet been released as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her fall into the water.

Grand Rapids police are working to determine how the woman ended up in the river, and her death is still under investigation.

In the wake of the incident, Keusch urged the public to avoid going onto ice over bodies of water, especially when temperatures fluctuate. “You should never go on any ice that has a moving body of water. Rivers and streams are very dangerous,” he cautioned.

Authorities expressed their condolences to the woman’s family as the investigation continues.