The body of an adult male was recovered from the Harvey Gap Reservoir just after 6:30am on Sunday, June 22nd, by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Marine Evidence Recovery Team (MERT).
CPW officers first responded to multiple in-person reports of a missing person at Harvey Gap State Park near Rifle, Colorado, at around 8:30pm on Saturday, June 21. One report came directly from the missing individual’s family who indicated that they had not seen the man for over three hours.
Officers discovered the victim’s paddleboard intentionally placed on the shore of the reservoir with the paddles and a personal floatation device, supporting the belief that the victim went for a swim in an area where swimming is not allowed after paddleboarding. CPW officers searched along the shoreline before launching a patrol boat equipped with sonar equipment.
Colorado State Patrol and Garfield County Search and Rescue assisted in the search efforts. The efforts eventually shifted to a recovery operation after it was determined the victim had been missing under water for too long.
CPW Marine Evidence Recovery Team arrived from Littleton around 4:30am on Sunday and used a remote operated vehicle equipped with sonar, lights, and video to search the area. The victim’s body was located at around 6:30am. The events leading up to the death are unclear but strong wind gusts were reported in the area at the time the victim went missing.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy and we send our deepest sympathies to the family of this victim. We hope that this recovery will bring a little comfort to the family and friends as they mourn the loss of their loved one.” – Harvey Gap State Park Manager Brian Palcer.
This was the 6th water-related death to occur in a Colorado State Park since May 1st, 2025. If confirmed as a drowning, 2025’s recreation-related drownings in Colorado would reach above five.
Our condolences are with the friends and family of the deceased at this time.