Montreal police say there's every reason to believe that a body found next to a dirt road in the east end is that of corrections worker Natasha Cournoyer.

The 37-year-old has not been seen since she left work in Laval last Thursday night.

Fisherman Michel Harnois called 911 late on Tuesday morning to say that he'd found a body near the banks to the St. Lawrence river off Notre Dame St. near 36th avenue.

The body apparently had clothing and hair that matched a description of Cournoyer.

Police say they'll wait for the results of an autopsy before formally identifying the body.

Homicide detectives from Laval have joined their Montreal counterparts to comb the area where the body was found.

Her boyfriend, Michel Trottier, had launched an emotion public appeal for the kidnappers to return her safe and sound.