Missing swimmer found dead in Green Mountain Reservoir

SUMMIT COUNTY ” Search divers recovered the body of missing swimmer Hernando Almeida in the Green Mountain Reservoir on Sunday, concluding a search that began soon after friends reported him missing at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Commerce City man was swimming with two friends at Prairie Point beach when he began to struggle and went under the water, said Paulette Horr with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

“A boat patrolling the area with a video camera spotted the body,” Horr said. “There were no suspicious circumstances so it appears to be an accidental drowning. Friends saw him struggling but they couldn’t reach him so they called for help.”

Summit County Dive Rescue responded to the scene Saturday evening but were unable to find the man once the area became dark.

According to Summit County coroner Joanne Richardson, the body was discovered approximately 80 feet offshore in 12 feet of water on the east end of the reservoir.

The coroner ruled that the circumstances surrounding the death were consistent with accidental drowning.