Dad dies in lake after jumping in to help his daughter, Colorado officials say

A man died in a Colorado lake while trying to help his daughter on June 7, officials said in a Tweet.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife rangers received a report at 4:38 p.m. that a swimmer had gone missing in Lake Pueblo. After “search and rescue efforts,” they found the man’s body at 6:01 p.m., the department said.

The man’s body was found in 25 feet of water. Witnesses told officials that the man was in an inflatable about 300 feet from the shore. He feared his “daughter was in distress” and had jumped off to help her when he disappeared into the water, officials.

The man’s daughter was not injured, officials said.

Officials are working to determine a cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing, the department said.

The man’s death was the second at Lake Pueblo within 24 hours and the fourth in nine days, The Pueblo Chieftain reported. The day before, a 16-year-old boy drowned at the lake, the outlet reported.

Joe Stadterman, park manager at the lake, called the recent deaths “devastating,” the outlet reported.

He also said the man’s death was a “senseless loss of life,” ABC 7 reported.

“We are all heartbroken to lose yet another park visitor,” he told the outlet. “Especially so soon after the two recent drownings here. We will continue to educate our guests to recreate responsibly and to wear life preservers when on or near the water.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Dad dies in lake after jumping in to help his daughter, Colorado officials say."