MCDONALD — A body of a woman found in the Mahoning River last year has been identified.

McDonald police confirmed the body to be 40-year-old Bessie Ryan who was reported missing in March 2020. Her body was found in the river by a kayaker July 5 last year.

Now authorities are asking for the public’s help to determine what happened to her.

After the body was found, police requested assistance from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation to identify the body. Lt. Ryan Ronghi said several people came forward with information. Forensic testing and DNA analysis confirmed the body to be Ryan.

“We hit a bit of a dead end, but we submitted DNA from her to the BCI and they have a program they run that can match DNA samples,” Ronghi said. “The DNA was matched to Ryan.”

The next step for police is to follow up on leads and Ronghi said the department “has received a bunch of calls already.”