A body pulled from the Conestoga River Monday night had been in the water for a long time, making it difficult for investigators to immediately determine whether the deceased is a male or female, city police said.

Sgt. Mark Radmore said the body, discovered by fishermen around 6 p.m., appears to have been in the water for more than a week and is "severely decomposed."

"At this point, all we know is we have a deceased body," Radmore said. "Beyond that, we have a lot to piece together. It may take a couple days to make a positive identification."

He said an autopsy will likely be completed today. County coroner Stephen Diamantoni was at the scene Monday night.

The partially clothed body, which Radmore said appears to be that of an adult, was found floating facedown in the water in the 400 block of South Conestoga Drive, in the area of Betz Road, in Lancaster Township.

Although there did not appear to be any signs of foul play, Radmore said the area where the body was found was being treated as a crime scene Monday night. City detectives and state police forensic specialists collected evidence within an approximately 30-yard area along the river bank.

Radmore said emergency personnel had to navigate a steep bank to reach the body.

A member of the state police dive team was assisted by crews from Lafayette and Lancaster Township fire companies in removing the body from the water, police said.

Radmore said he was not immediately aware of any recent reports of missing persons in the area. He said recent rains could have helped wash the body downriver from another location.

South Conestoga Road from Chesapeake Street to Betz Road was closed for much of the evening.

E-mail: jtodd@lnpnews.com