Body of missing paddleboarder recovered at Rampart Reservoir
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- After four days, the body of a missing paddleboarder was recovered at Rampart Reservoir.
On Sunday, September 5, a paddleboarder went missing around 2:40 p.m. Since then, El Paso County Sheriff deputies, El Paso County Search and Rescue, and the Colorado Springs Fire Department dive team have been out looking for the victim.
After about an hour, the mission became a recovery effort. Officials say the paddleboarder was not wearing a life jacket.
CPW's Marine Evidence Recovery Team (MERT) conducted a grid search at the 500-acre lake using sonar devices. However, the search was hindered by underwater rock formations and the depths of the water in the reservoir behind its 230-foot-tall dam.
According to CPW, there was a boulder field with rocks the size of an SUV and steep granite embankments.
Wednesday, around 8:30 a.m., the Colorado Springs Fire Department dive team and members of the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife found the swimmer underwater.
The victim was found in water approximately 140-feet deep.
“This is a tragedy and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of the victim,” Hawkins said. “We’ve experienced far too many water deaths in Colorado. We had a record 34 drownings in 2020. Please just wear a life jacket. This is another example why we urge everyone to wear life jackets when in or near the water.”
The El Paso County Coroner's Office will determine the official cause of death.
If drowning is confirmed, it would be the 18th recreational drowning so far this year in Colorado. There have been 22 total drownings, including four people who died in July during a flash flood and mudslide in Poudre Canyon.
