Authorities have identified the man whose body was pulled from water where a submerged vehicle was found earlier this week.

48-year-old Ezequiel Contreras-Vasques of St. Joseph has been identified by the Missouri State Highway Patrol as the individual found in water Tuesday night near Bankers Crossing just off of 59 Highway.

As we previously reported, authorities responded around 7:30 p.m. to a call of a partially submerged vehicle but when the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene less than 12 minutes later the vehicle was already fully submerged.

The Highway Patrol was called in to assist about 15 minutes later.  The vehicle was removed from water with no one inside.  A search of the water in the area lead to the discovery of Contreras-Vasques’s body.

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department has previously said the Patrol is taking over the case as it appears to be a crash however the Patrol has not yet ruled it an accident.  The Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control continues to investigate.  Autopsy results are pending.