Body found in Shell Rock River identified as Northwood woman
Sep. 18—By Lisa Grouette, Mason City Globe Gazette
A north Iowa woman has been identified as the deceased person found in rural Worth County on Friday.
According to Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank, a resident called to report they had discovered a female body in the Shell Rock River while on a regular morning walk near the intersection of 390th Street and Raven Avenue, southeast of Kensett.
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The body was identified as that of Melissa Jo Olson, of Northwood, according to a press release by the sheriff's office.
The area in which the Olson was found was a shallow portion of the river with no trail access to the water. On Friday, Fank said it was unclear how long she had been in the water, but he didn't believe her body had traveled downstream.
Olson's body transported to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy, and the Department of Criminal Investigation is assisting in the investigation.
