(KAIR)--The name of the man whose body was pulled from a Buchanan County, Missouri pond this week has been made public. 

According to a press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the victim is 48-year-old Ezequiel Contreras-Vasques. The Patrol identifies him as a resident of Saint Joseph. 

The results of an autopsy are pending. 

His body was recovered as part of a water rescue launched Tuesday evening near the Bankers Crossing Bridge, along U.S. Highway 59, south of Saint Joseph. 

Authorities were notified that a car was partially submerged in the pond, and rescue crews rushed to the scene, and the car was pulled from the water. 

Found to have no occupants, the search of the water continued, and that's when the body of Contreras-Vasques was found. 

It remains unclear exactly how the car went into the water. 

The investigation is continuing, and is being overseen by the Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control.