Authorities will have to use dental records to determine whether a body pulled from the Scioto River just south of Downtown on Tuesday is that of Joseph "Joey" LaBute Jr., a 26-year-old man last seen at a Short North bar in early March. Columbus police said the body, of a white male in his 20s, potentially fits the LaBute case and a few other missing persons cases that are open in the city. Sgt. David Sicilian of the Columbus police homicide squad said a forensic dentist is due in Columbus tonight to compare the body's teeth to the dental records that the police have on file for those cases.

Update: Authorities have confirmed that the body pulled from the Scioto River belongs to Joseph "Joey" LaBute Jr.

Authorities will have to use dental records to determine whether a body pulled from the Scioto River just south of Downtown on Tuesday is that of Joseph "Joey" LaBute Jr., a 26-year-old man last seen at a Short North bar in early March.

Columbus police said the body, of a white male in his 20s, potentially fits the LaBute case and a few other missing persons cases that are open in the city. Sgt. David Sicilian of the Columbus police homicide squad said a forensic dentist is due in Columbus tonight to compare the body's teeth to the dental records that the police have on file for those cases.

>> Video: Columbus Police Sgt. David Sicilian discusses discovery Tuesday afternoon

An autopsy on the body conducted earlier today failed to reveal a cause or manner of death. Sicilian said there were no obvious injuries such as stab or gunshot wounds. He said detectives were treating the death as suspicious, which is standard given the circumstances.

While the dental comparison could confirm the body's identity as early as tonight, further medical testing in a search for the cause of death is more involved and could take several weeks.

Columbus police said detectives with the missing persons unit had been searching the river when they spotted the half-submerged body near the boat launch off Whittier Street near the Scioto Audubon Metro Park.

The condition of the body made its immediate identification impossible.

LaBute, of Gahanna, was last seen at the Union Cafe in the Short North about 12:30 a.m. on March 5. His car was found near Goodale Street and Michigan Avenue, where he usually parked when visiting the area.

Hundreds of volunteers have searched the Short North and Arena District at various points during the past four weeks for clues to the whereabouts of LaBute, a 2011 graduate of Ohio State University and employee at Morgan Stanley. He grew up in the Worthington area until high school, when his family relocated to southwestern Ohio.

tdecker@dispatch.com

@Theodore_Decker