photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Emergency responders are pictured on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, near downtown Lawrence after someone reported seeing a body in the water.

Updated at 4:43 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023

A human body was discovered in the Kansas River Thursday afternoon near downtown Lawrence.

Major Steve Buchholz with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office told the Journal-World shortly after 3:30 p.m. that an underwater search team recovered what is believed to be human remains, which were being removed from the water around 4 p.m.

Law enforcement officials had taped off an area east of the Kansas River dam near downtown Lawrence after a report of an object in the river shortly after 1 p.m.

Two fishermen at the scene — father and son David and Dalton Crim — told the Journal-World that they had been fishing for catfish when they saw what they believed to be a body and called 911.

Law enforcement then convened on the levee north of the river near Walnut Park, which is east of the Kansas River Bridge. About a dozen emergency responders were seen pointing at a pale object in the shallow water.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

First responders are pictured on a sandbar/island in the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, after a possible body was reported in the water.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Emergency responders are pictured on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, near downtown Lawrence.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Emergency responders are pictured on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, near downtown Lawrence.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

First responders are pictured on a sandbar/island in the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, after a possible body was reported in the water.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Emergency responders are pictured on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, near downtown Lawrence after a report of a body in the water.

George Diepenbrock with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office told the Journal-World that a person on the river at 1:13 p.m. reported seeing a possible body in the water about 300 yards east of the Bowersock Dam.

Sheriff’s Office deputies and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical responded initially, Diepenbrock said, and around 2 p.m. the Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery team and sheriff’s investigators were en route to recover items and evidence and process the scene.

Around 2:30 p.m., a red boat could be seen with at least five first responders, coming from the east toward the object and landing on an island or sandbar, where the two fishermen were standing.

A second boat with two additional people could then be seen approaching and waiting downstream.

The body was pulled from the river about an hour and a half later.

Diepenbrock said that deputies and Coroner Scene Investigators would work on making a positive identification of the person. Pending identification and notification of family members, no further details will be released, he said.

This is a developing story and will be updated as additional details become available.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Emergency responders are pictured on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, near downtown Lawrence, after a human body was reported to be in the water.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Emergency responders prepare to remove a body bag from the water on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Emergency responders prepare to remove a body bag from the water on the Kansas River Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.