Human remains found near East Prairie, Mo.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Human remains were found along the Mississippi River Tuesday just east of East Prairie.

Mississippi County Coroner Terry A. Parker said a worker with Fitzgerald Marine Service found bones at Belmont Landing around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

"We have no clue who it is, and we sent the bones to a forensic anthropologist with the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office," Parker said. "They're able to go into a national system of missing persons and match dental records and possibly DNA."

The skull was intact with both the top and lower teeth, which appeared to not have much dental work, Parker said.

"Most of the bone structure appears to be a small-framed person," Parker said.

Parker said he's not sure how long the remains have been there and that it could be weeks before results are available.

Rising waters have also delayed the process to retrieve the rest of the remains.

"When the remains were unearthed Tuesday, the water was down, but Wednesday morning the water came up," Parker said.

Once the water recedes, work to recover the bones will continue, he said.