Paddle boarder reports body in the Spokane River

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered the body of a man from the Spokane River near Trent and Hamilton Friday.

The body was reported by a paddle boarder Friday afternoon, said Spokane Police Major Crimes Lt. Steve Wohl. The paddle boarder’s height above the surface and the clarity of the water allowed him to see the body even though it was on the bottom of the river, Wohl said. He dived down to confirm the find before calling police.

Police will be checking recent missing persons reports in an effort to identify the man, Wohl said. “It doesn’t look like he’s been in there long,” he said.

The case will be investigated as a homicide until investigators can prove otherwise, Wohl said.