Family of woman recovered at Lake Pueblo State Park share memories of her life

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials located the body of a missing adult female Monday, July 27, following a search at Lake Pueblo State Park.

The Pueblo County Coroner has identified the woman as 34-year-old Jacqueline C. Montez.

Her body was recovered by CPW from the water near the Yucca Flats Campground, close to where they found her fishing pole and other belongings.

KRDO13 spoke with her family, who said Jacqueline was always ready for an adventure and the type of person to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

“She made friends with everybody, and she was a well-loved person that left a lot of people heartbroken,” said Rachael Plazola, Jacqueline's aunt.

Her father, William Montez, said she’s been fishing ever since she could hold a pole.

They would take advantage of fishing holes across the country when they traveled together for work and have participated in derbies and tournaments.

“She was the greatest fisher, hunter, camper, hiker, outdoors person that I knew,” Plazola said.

Fishing was a special bond that let Jacqueline and her father escape together. 

“Fishing ain’t going to be the same for me,” Montez said.

Jacqueline's wife said she had gone night fishing that Sunday before she went missing, something she did often. When her wife woke up Monday morning, she discovered Jacqueline had never returned. Plazola said she could see Jacqueline's phone’s last location was in the water.

Her family desperately hoped she had just dropped it in.

“She didn’t call me back the night before, and she always did," Plazola said. "If she said she was going to call me back, she would call me back. She never did.” 

About five hours after the family reported that Jacqueline was missing, CPW conducted a search and later found Jacqueline's body in the water.

Her family told KRDO13 they want Jacqueline's death to serve as a reminder to take caution near the water at Lake Pueblo.

The Pueblo County Coroner says the cause of Jacqueline’s death is still under investigation. 

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