(Police Reports - Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)

PARKERSBURG — Authorities in Wood County are investigating the discovery of a body in the Ohio River on Friday afternoon near the Blennerhassett Bridge, according to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

The body was discovered around 3:25 p.m. by a barge deckhand who noticed something floating in the water, the sheriff’s office said.

The deckhand notified the captain, who then alerted first responders and confirmed the sighting, the sheriff’s office said. First responders included the West Virginia Natural Resources Police, the Blennerhassett, Little Hocking and Lubeck volunteer fire department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Upon examination, the body was identified as male, but further identification is expected to take time due to the condition of the body, according to Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard.

Woodyard said investigators are starting from the beginning and it’ll take time before any progress can be made.

The body was taken to the West Virginia Medical Examiner in Charleston to determine a cause of death, when the death occurred and its identify, the sheriff’s office said.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com.