Fisherman found body on Friday, sent to coroner for autopsy

A body found in New Boston has been tentatively identified as Denise Ison, of Hanging Rock, who jumped off the Ironton-Russell Bridge on March 29.

Russell Police Detective Phillip Kerns said a fisherman reported that he had found a body in the Ohio River to the New Boston Police. That department doesn’t have a boat so the Portsmouth Police Department retrieved the body. Kerns said he saw the body around 4 p.m. Friday.

“I believe that it is her because of a tattoo on her wrist and the clothing matched what Ison was wearing the last time she was seen,” Kerns said.

The Russell Police Department is in charge of the search because the bridge is their jurisdiction. The Russell Fire Department and several other fire departments were going to search the Ohio River from the bridge to the dam on Saturday, but that was called off after the identification.

Kerns said he has talked to the family and told them he believes it was Ison.

“I’m glad we were able to locate her, especially for the family, to bring them some closure,” he said.

The body will be sent to the Montgomery County coroner for an autopsy. Kerns was told that it would take about three weeks before it would be finished and the body can be positively identified as Ison.

Until then, Ison is still considered a missing person.