The agonizing search for Anna ended just before noon today when the missing 7-year old girl’s body was discovered in the Merrimack River.

At an afternoon press conference, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the body of Anna Mburu was found in Tewksbury near the Trull Brook Golf Course about 15-20 feet from shore in the Merrimack River. As a result of the rainy summer, the Merrimack is about 4-6 feet higher than normal and is moving at 4mph. The spot where Anna was located was about 8-9 feet deep.

Anna was located by state Environmental Police Monday using side sonar scanner technology. Divers from the Massachusetts State Police then worked to retrieve her body. Official identification is pending from the chief medical examiner.

Ryan added it was unusual for a body to be located this quickly in a moving body of water, but said it spoke to the commitment of those searching for Anna.

“Lowell does an amazing job of responding,” she said.

Ryan further said there was no evidence of foul play or that anyone contributed to the young girl’s death.

Anna was last seen in the Belvidere neighborhood on Sunday, July 9, between 2 and 3 p.m. in the area of East Merrimack Street in the Belvidere neighborhood. The young girl, who was on the autism spectrum and non-verbal, lived with her family on Geanna Lane.

Lowell Police deployed multiple officers, the K-9 Unit, and the Drone Unit to the area, and were also assisted by the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council K-9 Unit, the Massachusetts State Police Airwing, the Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit and the Lowell Fire Department. They had also asked residents of  Lowell and Tewksbury who lived in the areas of East Merrimack Street and River Road to check hidden areas of their properties.

(Jacob Vitali and Teddy Panos contributed to this story)