Authorities believe they have found the body of Nathan Ashby, 22, who was reported missing in Warren County at the beginning of August.

Sheriff Kevin Harrison said a recovery effort on the Missouri River Dec. 29 led to a truck being pulled from the water with human remains inside. After months in the water, the remains were not clearly identifiable, but Harrison said the truck and the clothing on the remains match the description provided to authorities when Ashby disappeared.

“The clothing is consistent with exactly what (family members) said he was wearing when he left home,” Harrison said.

However, to be sure about the identification of the body, Harrison said investigators hope to match the remains to Ashby’s dental records, or else run DNA testing.

Harrison said local authorities have known about the truck in the Missouri River for some time, but hadn’t been able to facilitate a recovery until now because of long-term flooding this year that created dangerous and unpredictable conditions in the water.

“The river level and speed of the current were not safe,” Harrison said.

He added that a private dive team that volunteered to do the recovery said they couldn’t operate until the depth of the Missouri River fell below 14 feet. That didn’t happen until mid-December.

Until the dive team found the body on Sunday, Harrison said authorities couldn’t be sure the submerged truck was Ashby’s missing vehicle. He said at the same time the sheriff’s department was receiving information about the truck, tips were also coming in that Ashby might have been spotted in other areas.