Body found in Iowa River identified as missing Muscatine man

IOWA CITY -- The Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office has positively identified a body found in the Iowa River on Saturday as Cristian Martinez, a Muscatine man who had been missing for a week, according to a news release from Iowa City.

Martinez, 20, was reported missing on April 15, a week before his body was found, when he didn’t return home after a night out with friends. He was last seen by his friends on in the alley behind Bardot Iowa, a bar at 347 S. Gilbert St., sometime before 1 a.m.

Iowa City police investigators found security footage that showed Martinez at 12:56 a.m. April 15 in the 100 block of W. Harrison Street, walking west toward the river.

On Saturday, Iowa City police responded shortly after noon to Napoleon Park, 2501 S. Gilbert St., on the east bank of the river. A couple reported the body in the river, which was retrieved by Iowa City Police and Johnson County Deputies, according to the release.

A relative established a GoFundMe online fundraising account on Martinez’s behalf. It had raised more than $21,000 as of Monday afternoon.

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