LEWISTON, Idaho -- Police in Oregon say they have contacted the family of Moscow City Councilor John Dickinson, who has been missing since January, to let them know a medical examiner is trying to identify a body found in the Columbia River.

"Mr. Dickinson is still considered missing," Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings told the Lewiston Tribune. "We did contact his family, but they're aware there's been no positive identification."

The badly decomposed body of an adult male was found Thursday by a fisherman in the Columbia River near the mouth of the John Day River, police said. The Gilliam County medical examiner in Oregon was working to identify the body, according to police.

Dickinson, 62, hasn't been seen since he stopped his car on Jan. 7 to help another driver whose car had crashed on an Oregon bridge over the John Day River. A third vehicle crashed into Dickinson's car.

Authorities say Dickinson might have jumped over a concrete rail in an attempt to get out of the way, not realizing in the dark that he was plunging into the river 35 feet below.

His position on the City Council has remained open since his disappearance.