Divers recover body at Cottonwood Lake

Santa Clara County authorities recovered a body from Cottonwood Lake at Hellyer County Park in San Jose on Sunday after park rangers reported a person in distress in the water, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. 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 were then called in to search the lake. Authorities said a body was found during the search and the person was pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m. ### Where did the recovery happen? Cottonwood Lake is at Hellyer County Park in San Jose, where Santa Clara County park rangers first responded to the report Sunday afternoon, authorities said. NBC Bay Area, citing the sheriff’s office, reported the incident occurred at Cottonwood Lake within the county park. Hellyer County Park is operated by Santa Clara County Parks, and the sheriff’s office said county park rangers were the first to be alerted to the emergency in the water. (nbcbayarea.com) The available public accounts did not say how the person entered the lake. ### What did responders do after the distress call? Santa Clara County park rangers received the initial report of a person in distress in the water at about 1:40 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office accounts carried by local media. (nbcbayarea.com) The San Jose Fire Department responded to the scene along with sheriff’s personnel. The sheriff’s Dive Team and Underwater Search Unit were called to search the lake after the initial response, authorities said. (nbcbayarea.com) The body was recovered during that search, and officials said the person was pronounced dead at 4:11 p.m. ### What have authorities said about the person who died? The sheriff’s office said the person’s identity had not been confirmed as of the initial public statements reported Sunday and Monday. (nbcbayarea.com) Authorities also had not released the person’s age or hometown in those accounts. The Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner will determine the cause and manner of death, according to the sheriff’s office. (nbcbayarea.com) That means the recovery itself has been confirmed, but the official findings on how the person died had not yet been released. ### What is still unknown in the investigation? The sheriff’s office said the circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation. (nbcbayarea.com) Public reports based on the sheriff’s statement said it remained unclear why the individual entered the lake. No agency statement available in the reports reviewed named witnesses, described a rescue attempt before the dive search, or said whether foul play was suspected. (nbcbayarea.com) In the absence of a coroner finding, authorities have not publicly stated a cause of death. ### What happens next? The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner is expected to identify the person and determine the cause and manner of death, according to the sheriff’s office. (msn.com) Any additional details are likely to come from that office or from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation proceeds. (nbcbayarea.com)