The Wake County Sheriff's Office said the two fishermen came across the body near the Cheek Road Bridge just before noon. Witnesses say they thought the body's legs were tied with chains.
Durham police are waiting to leran if the body could be a missing Durham woman.
Janine Sutphen, 57, a cellist with the Durham Symphony, was last seen Jan. 22 on her way to rehearsal.
Police searched the area surrounding her home for days, but found no clues. Authorities later arrested Robert Petrick, Sutphen's husband, on 11 fraud charges they say are related to her disappearance. He was later released on bond.
Within hours of Thursday's discovery, Durham police arrested Petrick, 49, on a charge of using false information to obtain a North Carolina driver's license. Petrick was held on $15,000 bail in the Durham County jail and made a court appearance Friday morning.
The state medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill is conducting the autopsy.
Durham authorities have labeled Sutphen's disappearance a homicide, though they will not elaborate.
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