CPW rangers recover body near spot boat capsized with 13 aboard on Lake Pueblo
Travis Duncan
Media AdvisoryToday at 8 a.m.
Lake Pueblo State Park Manager Joe Stadterman will provide an update to the media on last night’s search and rescue recovery efforts at Lake Pueblo’s south boat ramp.
May 31, 2022
CPW rangers recover body near spot boat capsized with 13 aboard on Lake Pueblo
PUEBLO, Colo. – After an all-night search, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Marine Evidence Recovery Team (MERT) recovered a body in 107 feet of water early Tuesday along the north shore of Lake Pueblo State Park.
CPW had been searching the area for a person who went missing Sunday evening after a boat carrying 13 people capsized in high winds.
A call for help came in around 7:37 p.m. Sunday after witnesses reported seeing the incident near North Picnic Area.
CPW Rangers responded by boat and began immediate search and rescue efforts. They rescued 8 juveniles and 3 adults. They also recovered the remains of a woman who apparently drowned. And they began searching for another missing adult.
"Our MERT team worked all night and around 5:45 a.m we located a victim in 107 feet of water," said Joe Stadterman, park manager at Lake Pueblo and MERT team member.
The body was turned over to the Pueblo County Coroner’s office for identification and an official determination of the cause of death.
Stadterman offered condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
“This is a tragic loss of life,” Stadterman said. “And it underscores the importance of being extremely careful around the water. If you are on or even near the water, we strongly urge you to wear a life jacket.”
If a drowning is confirmed by the coroner, it would be the eighth drowning in Colorado in 2022.
Colorado experienced its worst year on the water ever in 2020 when 34 people drowned. Another 22 people drowned in 2021.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.