Dillon Reservoir drowning victim identified as 25-year-old Englewood man

Summit County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
The Summit County coroner identified the body recovered Saturday, July 16, from the Dillon Reservoir as Miguel Mendez, 25, of Englewood.
He is presumed to have drowned, the Summit County Coroner’s Office said in a statement, but the office was still waiting on an autopsy for confirmation as of 2 p.m. Monday, July 18.
The death comes after the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at the reservoir around 2 p.m. Saturday. A microburst storm separated Mendez from his paddleboard.
According to a news release from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses said that he had a personal flotation device strapped to the board, but he was not wearing it. A report from the Sheriff’s Office said Mendez was out with a group of friends who were making their way back to shore when the storm struck.
Public safety officials warn that the cold temperatures of Dillon Reservoir can cause loss of muscle coordination quickly and that storms often create chaos on the water without much notice.

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