The body of a 50-something man was discovered by a railway conductor in the River Arun in Littlehampton this morning.
Sussex Police and the RNLI went to the scene after the grim discovery at around 11.30am.
Police and lifeboat crews brought the man's body back to shore.
Police now believe the man was from Arundel, and had been reported missing in the last previous 24 hours. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
A spokeswoman for RNLI Littlehampton said it was beieved the man had not been in the water very long before he was discovered.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: "A body was spotted in the River Arun near the Ford railway bridge at 10.40 this morning by a conductor on a passing train.
"The body was located by the Sussex police helicopter and recovered near Arundel Bridge by a Coastguard boat from Littlehampton.
"It was taken to Littlehampton lifeboat station."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here