DIXON – The body of a man was found Tuesday on the south side of the Rock River, several yards southwest of the Peoria Avenue bridge.
Officers responded around 2:30 p.m. to a report of a body in the water, just downstream from the bridge and near the shoreline of a sandbar that jutted out into the river. The man was white with a white beard, according to police and witness reports.
His body was removed shortly before 4 p.m.
![Law enforcement officers responded to a report of a body in the Rock River, near the Peoria Avenue Bridge on Tuesday afternoon. The body appeared to be found near the edge of a sand bar in shallow water.](https://www.shawlocal.com/resizer/ojdqIedyfTKyLoRjOK2LQND8B5c=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/SV5MP6BNJVEZHGKNBBKRZMCD54.jpg)
His name was not released; notification of the man’s next of kin is pending and an investigation is underway, police said in a news release Tuesday evening.
As is procedure with such a death, Illinois State Police crime scene investigators also responded to process the scene, in case it turns out a crime may have been committed.
Anyone with information is asked to call Dixon police at 815-288-4411 or the anonymous reward tipline Crimestoppers at 888-228-4488.
Shaw Local News Network editor Earleen Hinton contributed to this story.
![Authorities walk along the Rock River's shoreline near Dixon's Peoria Avenue bridge on Tuesday as they investigate the discovery of a body.](https://www.shawlocal.com/resizer/rOGI2Bhs0LdIqEbnmB9mZPJ5g9g=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/PQA4ZCXSS5B4ZKSW2KMMBFKOZ4.jpg)