A body was pulled from the water in Arbroath on Monday lunchtime.
The grim find, in water beneath the cliffs area in the town, follows weeks of intense searching for missing marine Ralph Hebden.
Police have not confirmed the identity of the body which was recovered by lifeboat in a joint operation with the coastguard.
Mr Hebden (32), who has not been seen since he left his home in Arbroath on the morning of March 11, is the only outstanding missing person in the area at present.
Several searches of the coastline have previously been made for the marine who is based at Condor, home of 45 Commando in Arbroath.
His wife Sarah, who was heavily pregnant at the time of his disappearance and subsequently gave birth to a healthy baby girl on March 22, has made several public appeals for her husband to return home.
A police spokesman added: “Tayside Divison can confirm that at 1155hours police and coastguard attended at the shoreline below Arbroath cliffs where a body was recovered from the water.