Police say Wuaniata Gibson was last seen in late December and reported missing Dec. 24.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Authorities have identified a body recovered from the Mississippi River near Festus, Missouri, as 18-year-old Wuaniata Gibson, a St. Louis woman who had been reported missing in late December. Investigators said barge workers found the body Monday morning, Feb. 16, in Jefferson County.
The identification closes a nearly two-month search that began after Gibson was last seen leaving her neighborhood in north St. Louis. It also opens a new stage of the case, as police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol work to determine how she died and how she ended up in the river south of the St. Louis area. Officials have not released a cause of death and have said the investigation remains active.
Barge workers spotted the body about 8:30 a.m. Feb. 16 near River Cement Road, just south of Festus, in unincorporated Jefferson County, authorities said. Troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded and recovered the body from the Mississippi River, then transported it for an autopsy and identification work. The St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the body as Gibson, St. Louis police said in a statement released Wednesday, Feb. 18.
In the first hours after the recovery, investigators said little about the person found in the water. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Andy Gadberry told a local newspaper at the time that the body was a woman and that investigators did not know where she had come from or how long she had been in the river. “We do not know where the subject came from or how long they have been in the water,” Gadberry said. Police have not said whether the body was found near the shoreline, caught on debris, or moving with the current when it was discovered.
Gibson was reported missing from St. Louis City on Dec. 24, 2025, after she was last seen leaving the 8800 block of Portland Terrace on Dec. 22, according to St. Louis police. In the days after her disappearance, the police department issued an endangered missing person advisory and asked the public to help locate her. A television station reported that police said Gibson was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with a pink pattern on the left sleeve and gray sweatpants. The advisory asked anyone who saw her to call 911, and tips were directed to the Missing Persons Unit.
The Portland Terrace address is in the Baden area of north St. Louis, a part of the city where families and neighbors often rely on quick word-of-mouth when someone disappears. Police have not released details about Gibson’s last known movements beyond the location where she was last seen leaving, and they have not said whether she was believed to be alone or with someone at the time. Authorities also have not said what evidence, if any, has been collected about her movements between Dec. 22 and the time her body was found nearly eight weeks later in Jefferson County.
Festus sits along the Mississippi River roughly 35 miles south of downtown St. Louis, and River Cement Road runs near industrial sites and river access points used by commercial traffic. The Mississippi is a working river in that corridor, with tows, barges, and heavy equipment common along the banks. Officials have not said whether the location where the body was found was near a boat ramp, a barge fleeting area, or a stretch of shoreline with limited public access. They also have not said whether river conditions, including winter water levels and currents, complicated the recovery or the timeline of when the body entered the water.
St. Louis police said the medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy, but the agency has not released findings. Investigators typically look at identifying marks, clothing, and medical records to confirm identity, and they may use fingerprints or DNA when needed. Police have not said what method was used to confirm Gibson’s identity or whether her family was involved in the identification process. They have also not said whether toxicology results are pending, which can take weeks in many cases, or whether the death is being treated as suspicious.
Authorities have been careful in their public wording, saying only that an investigation into the official cause of death remains underway and that the case remains active. Police have not announced any arrests, named any suspects, or described any potential criminal charges. They have not said whether they are treating the case as a homicide, an accident, or an unattended death pending further testing. They also have not said whether the case could involve jurisdictions beyond St. Louis city and Jefferson County, which sometimes happens in river recoveries when a person may have entered the water miles from where they were found.
The case also highlights the long, uncertain stretch families face when a loved one vanishes and the only public updates are advisories and tip lines. Endangered missing person advisories are used when police believe a person may be in danger due to age, health, circumstances, or other risk factors. In late December, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said it needed help finding Gibson and asked the public to report sightings. Police have not said what investigative steps were taken during the search, such as checking surveillance video, tracking phone data, or interviewing potential witnesses, and they have not said whether any tips led investigators to new information.
Recoveries from the Mississippi River often raise questions that take time to answer, even after a person is identified. Water can obscure injuries, alter physical evidence, and complicate determinations of time of death. Investigators may also need to reconstruct river travel based on current speed, weather conditions, and where the body was found. Police and the highway patrol have not released details about the condition of the body when it was recovered, and they have not said whether they have any indication of where Gibson entered the water.
For now, officials say the investigation continues, with the medical examiner’s findings and follow-up interviews expected to guide the next steps. Police have not announced any scheduled news conference or public briefing, and they have not released additional records about the case. The highway patrol and St. Louis police have not said whether they are still seeking tips specific to the river discovery site near River Cement Road, or whether they are focusing on Gibson’s last known location in St. Louis.
As of Thursday, police have identified Gibson and confirmed the recovery site near Festus, but they have not released a cause of death or explained how she ended up in the Mississippi River. Officials have said the case remains active as investigators await additional medical findings and continue to review information tied to her disappearance and the Feb. 16 recovery.
Author note: Last updated February 19, 2026.