Coroner identifies 34-year-old Puebloan as latest Lake Pueblo drowning victim
The man whose body was pulled out of Lake Pueblo Tuesday evening by Colorado Parks and Wildlife Rangers has been identified as 34-year-old Eric May of Pueblo.
May was the second person to die at the popular recreation spot in 24 hours, and the fourth in nine days.
Witnesses said they saw him jump into the reservoir from an inflatable, thinking his daughter was in distress, CPW said in a Twitter post.
Rescuers were alerted after he disappeared into the water. May's body was recovered just after 6 p.m. Tuesday in 25 feet of water, CPW said.
He was identified by the Pueblo County Coroner.
"He was pronounced dead on scene ... of an apparent drowning," Coroner Brian Cotter said.
An autopsy is scheduled to confirm the cause of death.
May's daughter was not injured in the incident, CPW said.
A call for a missing swmer came in @LakePuebloSP at 4:38 p.m. @COParksWildlife Rangers launched search and rescue efforts. A body was found at 6:01 in 25 feet of water. The remains were turned over to the Pueblo County Coroner at 6:31 to identify and determine cause of death.
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) June 8, 2022
The identity of a man who died in a separate incident on the Arkansas River in Florence, in Fremont County, was still unknown as of 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The man was seen at around noon Monday, floating past Florence River Park on a private, single-person inflatable raft, and appeared to be in distress, CPW cited witnesses as saying.
A search and rescue operation was launched at around 4 p.m., but had to be called off when night fell. It resumed early Tuesday, and the raft and body were found downstream from the river park at around 2:30 p.m.
The remains were turned over to the Fremont County coroner for identification and to determine the cause of death, CPW said.
More: Military couple died trying to save their kids in Lake Pueblo boat capsize, brother says
The two latest deaths on the Pueblo reservoir and the Arkansas River came roughly 24 hours after David Marez, 16, died in "an apparent drowning" at Lake Pueblo, and a man died in the Royal Gorge after he was flung from a private boat when it flipped over.
Nine days earlier, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, a married couple died on Lake Pueblo when the boat they were on with 11 other people capsized in high winds. They were identified as Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Prindle, stationed at Fort Carson, and Jessica Prindle.
Tuesday's Lake Pueblo fatality was "our fourth death ... in just over a week and it is devastating,” said Joe Stadterman, park manager at the lake. “Our sympathies go out to this victim’s family and friends. And again we urge all our guests to use proper caution when at the lake. Please wear life preservers when you are on or near the water.”
If May's and the Fremont County man's deaths are confirmed as drownings, they would be the 12th and 13th in Colorado this year, CPW said. The record for drownings in Colorado was 34 in 2020.
More: Teen drowns in Lake Pueblo, man dies when boat flips in Royal Gorge
Karin Zeitvogel can be contacted at kzeitvogel@chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 34-year-old Puebloan identified as latest Lake Pueblo drowning victim
