Police release the identity of the body found in St. Joseph River

OSCEOLA, Ind. – The individual found dead inside a car in the St. Joseph River early Sunday morning has been identified.

Officials say 31-year-old Houston Rayburn of Mishawaka was found dead inside the vehicle after a witness saw his vehicle submerged near the 700 block of Vistula Road.

The call came in at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning from a newspaper delivery driver who said they saw a vehicle nearly 60 feet from shore, completely submerged with a body inside.

First responders got to the scene to find Rayburn in the submerged car.

County Police scuba divers came to remove the vehicle from the water, and then the body of Rayburn was taken to the St. Joseph County Coroner’s office.

It is unknown why Rayburn’s vehicle entered the water, or how long he may have been submerged.

St. Joseph County Police are calling this an ongoing investigation at this time.

This is a developing story.