UPDATE: The woman has been identified as Joan M. Smith, 59, of Joliet. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
The body of a woman was discovered Thursday afternoon in the Des Plaines River near southwest suburban Joliet.
Illinois State Police Capt. Cindy Benson said the body was found in the water near Brandon Road in unincorporated Joliet Township.
"It is the body of a white female who appears to have died very recently,” she said, according to the Joliet Herald-News.
Investigators will wait for the Will County Coroner’s office to conduct an autopsy before determining whether the death was the result of foul play, Benson said.
"We are currently checking all recent missing persons reports," she said Thursday afternoon.
