Body pulled from river identified as Cape man

The body of a man found in the Mississippi River near Alton, Il., was positively identified Tuesday as Lance A. Daugherty, a Cape Girardeau man reported missing last May.

A bargeworker discovered Daugherty in the river on May 23 and notified authorities, said Capt. Brad Wells, Chief of Detectives with the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

They spent the next three months trying to identify the man. Numerous missing persons reports were gathered, and Wells said they suspected the man might be Daugherty, but dental records and fingerprint analysis confirmed their suspicions.

A friend of Daugherty's, with whom he had been staying in Cape Girardeau, reported him missing on May 15. He was last seen by his parents the night before.

Both Cape Girardeau and Madison County police continue to investigate the death.

Homicide is not suspected at this time, said police spokesman Sgt. barry Hovis.