Coroner IDs man who drowned in Pueblo Reservoir
UPDATE: The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office identified the man who drowned Monday at the Pueblo Reservoir.
The coroner said Tuesday that it was 38-year-old Frederico Guzman of Pueblo West who died in an accidental drowning at the lake. It happened at about 3:30 p.m.
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office deputies are still investigating the drowning.
Details surrounding Guzman’s death are still unclear, however, the Coroner will perform an autopsy this Thursday.
The North Shore Marina/North Picnic Road portion of the lake is no stranger when it comes to search and rescue boats in recent years.
“(Around here) there have been three or four drownings the past three years,” said Monique Mullis, a Lake Pueblo Park Ranger.
It is not clear why there have been so many drownings in this area of Lake Pueblo. Mullis believes it is a coincidence.
Park rangers urge people to play by the rules when they visit the state park. Lake Pueblo, and all state parks for that matter, have a strict no-swimming policy. Wading in the water is prohibited.
If caught swimming in the lake without a life jacket on a person can be fined a minimum of $100.
However, swimming can be difficult to police. According to Bill Vogrin with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Lake Pueblo is the most visited state park in Colorado. With only six full-time rangers on staff, swimming can be difficult to keep track of.
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State Park officials at Lake Pueblo State Park are investigating after a man reportedly drowned at the Pueblo Reservoir Monday.
Earlier, a witness had told KRDO that the man was swimming with a group of people, and four of them started a race back to the shore. Rangers later disputed that report, but could not elaborate further.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says rescue teams were called to the lake off North Picnic Road Point, just east of the marina at approximately 3:30 p.m. Divers used sonar equipment to recover the body within an hour.
“We offer our condolences to the family of this person,” said Monique Mullis, manager of Lake Pueblo State Park. “We hate seeing lives lost so tragically.”
The man’s identity hasn’t been released. His body was turned over to the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office to determine his official cause of death.
We’re working on gathering more details. Check back on KRDO.com for updates.
