Body Recovered from Hellyer Park Lake

Santa Clara County authorities recovered a body from Cottonwood Lake at Hellyer County Park in San Jose on Sunday after reports of a person in distress in the water, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Park rangers were alerted at about 1:40 p.m., and the San Jose Fire Department also responded, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's Dive Team and Underwater Search Unit searched the lake and found a body, authorities said. The person was pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m., and officials said the identity had not yet been confirmed. ### Where did the recovery happen? Cottonwood Lake is inside Hellyer County Park in south San Jose, at the park's Cottonwood entrance at 996 Hellyer Ave., according to Santa Clara County Parks. The county parks page lists fishing, picnic areas, trails and other amenities at that entrance. Hellyer County Park is a Santa Clara County park, and the lake named in the sheriff's account was Cottonwood Lake. (nbcbayarea.com) Local television and newspaper reports identified the same location in San Jose in accounts published Sunday and Monday. ### What did authorities say happened Sunday afternoon? The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said county park rangers first received word of a person in distress in the water at around 1:40 p.m. (parks.santaclaracounty.gov) Sunday. The sheriff's office said deputies responded with the San Jose Fire Department before the Dive Team and Underwater Search Unit were called in to search the lake. (nbcbayarea.com) At 4:11 p.m., authorities pronounced the person dead after the body was found during the search, according to the sheriff's office account carried by NBC Bay Area and other local outlets. ABC7 reported the victim was a man and described the death as an apparent drowning, citing the sheriff's office. ### What is still unknown? (nbcbayarea.com) The sheriff's office said the person's identity had not been confirmed as of the initial reports. Authorities also said it was unclear why the person was in the lake. The Mercury News reported investigators were working to determine how the person entered the water and the circumstances surrounding the death. (nbcbayarea.com) That account said an autopsy was pending. ### Which agencies are handling the case now? The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office led the emergency response described in the initial public accounts, with assistance from the San Jose Fire Department and county park rangers. (nbcbayarea.com) The sheriff's Dive Team and Underwater Search Unit conducted the lake search, according to the sheriff's office. (mercurynews.com) The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner will determine the person's identity, cause of death and manner of death, the sheriff's office said. Those findings typically follow notification of next of kin and completion of the coroner's examination. The sheriff's office has not publicly released additional details in the reports reviewed. (nbcbayarea.com) ### What should readers watch for next? Any formal identification is expected to come from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner, which authorities said will decide the cause and manner of death. The sheriff's office investigation into how the person entered Cottonwood Lake was still continuing in reports published May 17 and May 18. (nbcbayarea.com) Further public updates, if any, are likely to come from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office or the Medical Examiner-Coroner after the examination is completed and relatives are notified. No timeline for that release was given in the reports available Monday. (nbcbayarea.com) (mercurynews.com)