Body pulled from river belongs to father, 64, who plunged to his death with his daughter, 29, and their Chihuahua 4 months ago

Father and daughter jumped from Bond Bridge in Missouri in March
They left no note about why they wished to commit suicide
But relatives and friends said she struggled with depression and had previously spoken of suicide after a string of failed jobs

PUBLISHED: 08:27 EST, 9 July 2013 | UPDATED: 08:28 EST, 9 July 2013

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A body pulled from the Missouri River has been identified as a 64-year-old father who plunged to his death while hand-in-hand with his 29-year-old daughter in March.

The man, who has still not been identified to the media by family members, jumped from the Christopher S. Bond Bridge with his daughter and their pet Chihuahua four months ago.

His body was found on May 10 by a fisherman at La Benite Park, around 15 miles west from the bridge. His daughter's body has never been recovered.

His ex-wife was contacted by authorities who asked her to help identify the body, the Kansas City Star reported. They also took DNA from his toothbrush to match with the body.

Hunt: Search crews scour the water after a father and his daughter jumped from a bridge with their dog in Missouri last week. The woman's mother has revealed she struggled with depression

Recovered: Rescue teams, pictured, look for a father and daughter who plunged from a bridge in March. The body of the father has now been found around 15 miles downstream from the bridge

His body has now been cremated but the family is waiting until the daughter's body is found so they can be buried side by side, the ex-wife said.

She said she is desperate to find her daughter's body for closure.

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'Right now, I have none,' she told the Star. 'I cry for my daughter every single day.'

The pair drove from their home in Peculiar to the bridge and parked their truck, before heading plunging more than 120 feet off the edge together. They left no suicide note.

The daughter had dreamed of becoming a model before battling with depression, her mother revealed after the pair committed suicide.

Freezing temperatures: The search has now been called off for the pair in the Mississippi River

Freezing temperatures: The pair are believed to have jumped to their deaths after suffering from depression

The woman's mother, who divorced her husband two decades ago, said her daughter had struggled with depression but had been planning activities for the summer.

She said she was stunned by the fact that her ex-husband joined his daughter in jumping from the bridge, as he had been so instrumental in helping her get through her depression.

'This has literally blown me away,' the mother told the Kansas City Star, adding that her ex-husband had also previously suffered from depression. 'I'm just numb.'

She told the Star that her daughter was slender and six-feet tall and had dreamed of becoming a model - but that they had been unable to afford her portfolio.

Friends remember how she worked different jobs after high school, but she quit when co-workers were mean to her. One friend told the Star that she simply did not learn things as quickly as others.

Investigation: Authorities have not yet suggested why the father and his daughter jumped from the bridge

Futile: The search was called off a day after the pair jumped from the Missouri bridge with their pet dog

Scene: They reportedly parked their car and climbed over the railing at the Bond Bridge in Kansas City

She began working as a babysitter and thrived at the job, her mother said.

But around 18 months ago, she had a 'dark period' and spoke of suicide, friend Ryan Wheale said.

'I tried to talk her out of it,' he said. 'But she wouldn't change her mind. She seemed at peace with it.'

Afterwards, she cut out many of her friends and started to take medication.

Her mother said she thought things began to get better and was planning fundraising events for the summer and told her mother she would download Skype so they could talk more.

'She didn’t seem to be in that state of mind, not when she’s texting about doing something that she thought would be so fun,' the mother said. 'There's no note. No nothing. I'm lost.'