JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The body of a paddleboarder was recovered from Chatfield State Park Monday evening following an extensive search and rescue effort, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced.
A man was sharing a paddleboard with his two children when a “large wind gust” knocked them all into the reservoir around 4:25 p.m. Nearby paddleboarders were able to rescue the children, but lost sight of the man.
Multiple agencies, including CPW, South Metro Fire Rescue, West Metro Fire and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the park to search for the man.
In an update around 7 p.m., SMFR said boats and divers had completed “extensive grid searches of the area” and “this has now moved from a rescue to a recovery operation.” The man’s body was recovered around 7:15 p.m., according to CPW.
A total of nine boats — five from CPW and four from SMFR and West Metro Fire — were in the water searching for the paddleboarder. Divers were also used to conduct a grid search…