Investigators say foul play is not currently suspected, but key questions remain about how a missing Chester woman’s car entered the river.
CHESTER, Pa. — Police are trying to reconstruct the final movements of missing Chester woman Kortney Staples after her car was recovered from the Delaware River with a body inside, while authorities await formal identification and a determination on the cause of death.
Investigators said the body discovered Sunday has identifying characteristics consistent with the 33-year-old Staples, including matching tattoos. The gray Nissan Altima recovered from the river also carried the license plate associated with her missing vehicle. The Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office, however, must complete the official identification process.
Staples was last seen by her family July 11 and was reported missing July 18, according to Chester police. Investigators have since tried to establish where she traveled and whom she may have encountered. Police said a photograph taken at 4:23 a.m. July 12 showed her vehicle on Highland Avenue South, providing one of the known points in the timeline after her family last saw her.
That timeline took on new importance after a volunteer search group found the Nissan in the Delaware River near Front and Norris streets Sunday. Chaos Divers, an Illinois-based team that searches for missing people in waterways, was contacted by a friend of Staples’ family and used information about her home and the last known image of the car to choose a search area.
The divers found the car quickly near the point where Norris Street ends at the river. A license plate recovered by the team matched Staples’ vehicle, and authorities later removed the car from the water. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the recovery was completed at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
Police are examining the circumstances at the riverfront while cautioning against conclusions about how the vehicle got into the water. Investigators said a fence that had previously restricted access to the area was damaged and that the front of the Nissan also showed damage. Officials have not established publicly how either was damaged or whether those details explain what happened.
Authorities said there were no initial signs of foul play. That assessment does not close the investigation. Police Commissioner Katrina Blackwell said detectives still want to hear from anyone who saw or spoke with Staples, even briefly, because such information could help establish her movements before the vehicle entered the river.
The medical examiner’s work remains central to the case. Until that office confirms the identity of the person found in the vehicle, authorities are describing the body as believed to be Staples. The office is also responsible for determining the cause of death, a finding that could help investigators understand the circumstances surrounding the recovery.
Staples’ disappearance had prompted a public search by relatives and supporters before the discovery in the river. Police records described her as 33 years old and listed the gray Nissan Altima as the vehicle associated with the missing-person case. Her family had continued seeking information about her whereabouts during the weeks before the recovery.
Chester police have not announced evidence that another person was involved and have not identified a confirmed cause for the car entering the Delaware River. The investigation remains active as detectives gather information about Staples’ final known contacts and movements and await the medical examiner’s official findings.
Author note: Last updated August 11, 2026.