Police Looking To ID Woman Whose Body Was Found In Charles River

BOSTON — Police are trying to identify the body of a young woman that was found in the Charles River Wednesday. The woman's body was discovered by a kayaker between the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge on the Boston side of the river just after 7 a.m., according to Massachusetts State Police.

It's not clear how long the body was in the water, or who the woman was.

State police detectives brought in the Crime Scene Services and a medical examiner early Wednesday, and into the evening said the investigation remains ongoing. Police are not sure just yet how the woman, who was fully clothed, got into the river or what the circumstances were surrounding her death. The cause of death is not yet known, either, they said.

Police have not been able to identify the woman, and are asking for the public's help with that. They describe her as a black woman between the age of 18 and 25 years old, around 5'5 and about 120 pounds. Police said if anyone knows of a missing person who matches this general description, or knows what happened here, to call the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at 617-727-8817.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

By 9 a.m. Wednesday, joggers were running along the river from the Longfellow Bridge past Community Boating, the Hatch Shell and along the Esplanade to the Mass Ave Bridge. The river seemed peaceful, but one observer could see no boats out on the water between the Longfellow and the Mass Ave bridge.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).