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.
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.
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.
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