Knoxville police said today a body found in the Holston River on July 23
is that of a woman missing for a week.
Using the FBI fingerprint file, authorities concluded the body is
Bhavini Patel.
The Medical Examiner's office has classified her death as a drowning,
according to a Knoxville Police Department statement.
There were no signs Patel had jumped or fell from a bridge, and there
were no signs to indicate she was a victim of foul play, according to
KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk.
Patel went missing on July 16 after reportedly becoming sick,
according to her husband.
She went for a walk and never returned.
Her husband called E-911 and a search for her by police, the
Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad and the Knox County Sheriff's
Office was unsuccessful.
On July 23 about 7:25 p.m., a woman's body was found floating in the
Holston River near 1502 Cliffside Lane. It had been caught underneath a
pontoon boat that was tied to a boat deck.
Visual identification was not possible, so authorities awaited an
autopsy and fingerprint identification.
Knoxville police search for missing bride -
July 17, 2006
KNOXVILLE - Knoxville Police officers are keeping a look out for a missing bride.
Bhavini Patel, 25, was last seen Sunday walking on Asheville Highway.
She married Yatin Patel about two months ago after meeting him on the Internet.
She is from India and knows no one locally except her husband and his family.
Yatin Patel says Bhavini was sick to her stomach during the night and left the Gateway Inn to try to walk off indigestion.
Police do not believe foul play is involved. She left all of her personal belongings behind.
Bhavini Patel is 5'2" tall, weighs 105 pounds, and has long black hair.