BATON ROUGE, LA –  The body of a missing woman was reportedly found in water near Southern University’s campus Tuesday afternoon.

Officials have now identified the woman as 52 year old Yvette Nettles of Baton Rouge, according to WAFB TV.  

Nettles was reported missing to the Baton Rouge Police Department and was last seen on January 27, 2018. 

Tuesday, her body was found on the edge of the Mississippi River around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 6 near the school’s campus.

William Doran, a professor from LSU, says he and his class were working on a project along the river near the university when they spotted the body along the bank. The professor says at first, they thought it was a prank, but then realized it was an actual body.

“I think everybody’s just in shock that this even happened,” said Doran.  

“It looked like a body or it may be some clothes or something and when they got closer, they got kind of nervous and called me down there and I went to look and we weren’t sure,” said Doran.

He immediately called police and told his class to get away from the water. He says the most important thing was to make sure his students did not panic.

“I sort of went into crisis mode,” he said. “I told them we’re all okay, we’re here together and to just sit back and nobody leave because the police may have more questions for us.”

The interruption of an otherwise routine Tuesday drew students, staff, and administrators from the buildings to get a better look as investigators spent hours combing the area.

The scene was near the university’s administration building. The school released a statement about the incident Tuesday evening. The statement reads:

There was a body found in the Mississippi River today near the Southern University campus in Baton Rouge. This is an unfortunate incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victim. No identification has been made. The Baton Rouge Police Department is officially investigating this case, and the University will assist in any way possible.