Queensland police have recognized a body, found in the Pimpama River on the Gold Coast, to be a teenage girl. The identity of the body, discovered by people while fishing around 5:00 pm on Thursday, is still a mystery.

It was earlier announced that it was too soon to decide if it was a case of accident, murder or suicide. Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said at a press conference in the afternoon that the dark-haired girl, aged between 12 and 18, had died around a week back, ABC reports.

According to Hutchinson, the public can play a major role in the case. "It is really important to us to speak to anyone who was there over the past seven days whether they think they can help or not," he said. "Additionally if there is anyone out there who suspects they may know who the deceased is — someone who hasn't been reported missing — we would encourage them to come forward."

Detectives are now checking recent missing person reports to find a link to the unidentified body. Forensic and scientific officers are looking for clues in the crime scene as the body has been removed from the area earlier on Friday morning.

"There are, surprisingly, a number of potential people that it could be and we currently have detectives out there now trying to narrow the list down more," Hutchinson said.

Detectives are willing to speak to anyone from the “very popular place” for fishing, kayaking and swimming,” especially during the weekend. “Even if they saw nothing, that's really important to us,” Hutchinson said.

The identification of the teenage girl has been heavily hindered by the “significant decomposition” of the body which has been in the water for long. Detectives are unable to provide critical details like her build and the length of her hair, Brisbane Times reported.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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