x
Breaking News
More () »

Missing boater's body recovered at Estes Lake

The man was with four others when he fell from a boat Thursday and could not be located, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

ESTES PARK, Colo. — Larimer County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said Saturday they've recovered the body of the missing boater at Estes Lake – the man was found submerged in the water.

The Larimer County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy to confirm the identity of the man and how he died and plan to release that information at the end of the investigation. 

The man, in his 20s, was visiting from out of state and fell off a pontoon boat around 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Fisherman's Nook area on the north side of the lake, according to the LCSO.

He was with another man and two women on the boat who attempted to locate the man, but couldn't find him and that's when they beached the boat to call for help, according to LCSO.

The others on the boat are from the Boulder area, the sheriff's office said.

>The video above is about water safety during spring runoff season.

The Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Estes Park Police, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, LCSO Emergency Services, and the Larimer County Dive Rescue Team responded.

RELATED: Water access limited for multiple Colorado creeks due to safety concerns

Resources from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) were requested. CPW has a Marine Evidence Recovery Team (MERT) which assists with this type of situation. The team had special equipment used to help locate victims in water when visibility is very difficult.

Shore-based and dive operations continued until it got dark Thursday and search operations using boats with sonar were used until about 2 a.m. Friday.

Crews were back at the lake Friday looking for the man and while that search continued the lake was closed to all watercraft including boats, paddleboards, kayaks.

RELATED: High-flowing rivers lead to rescues on the Poudre River in Fort Collins

Investigators worked to interview all witnesses to determine how and why the man fell into the water. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Pete Mesecher at 970-498- 5144.

SUGGESTED VIDEOSLatest from 9NEWS

MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS 

Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.   

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP

iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n  

HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE 

ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA. 

For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.


Before You Leave, Check This Out