Body found in SUV after flood waters recede in south St. Louis County

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that police have not released the victim's gender.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Firefighters on Tuesday found a body inside a car after it was submerged in flood water in the area of Bayless Avenue and Interstate 55.

The person was found as the flood waters receded and Lemay Fire Protection District began checking cars, St. Louis County police said.

A business owner in the area saw the SUV submerged and told officers, who had been in the area all morning because of the flooding, police said.

That's when Lemay Fire Protection District firefighters found the person in the car.

They searched at least five other cars that were submerged in the area, and found that none of them were occupied.

Mehlville Fire Protection District and Lemay Fire Protection District conducted several rescues in the area earlier this morning, St. Louis County Police said.

Additional information about the person was not immediately available.

St. Louis police at about 1 p.m. said they were not aware of any flood-related deaths in the city.

A Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman also confirmed early Tuesday afternoon that the agency was not aware of any flood-related deaths in their jurisdiction, which does not include the county's municipalities.

The 911 dispatch center for Jefferson County confirmed around 2 p.m. there had been no flood-related deaths.

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