A body recovered in the Hudson River on Saturday has been identified as that of Vincent Viafore, the man who prosecutors say was killed by his fiancée as the couple kayaked last month, members of the fiancée’s defense team said on Sunday.

Since Mr. Viafore’s kayak capsized on April 19, the authorities have searched miles of the river. The police have said that forensic evidence from the body would be critical to their investigation. Mr. Viafore’s fiancée, Angelika Graswald, was arrested on April 29 on a charge of second-degree murder.

The body was discovered just north of the United States Military Academy on Saturday, not far from where the couple launched their kayaks. The body was transferred to the Orange County morgue, where an autopsy was planned. No official statement has been issued by the medical examiner.

At first, the police believed that the death of Mr. Viafore, 46, was an accidental drowning. But after arresting Ms. Graswald, 35, they said she had implicated herself in his death by making inconsistent statements. Later, at a bail hearing, the prosecution said Ms. Graswald told the police she had tampered with his kayak and quoted her as saying that it “felt good knowing he was going to die.”