Colorado City man pronounced dead after failing to resurface in Lake Powell

Houseboats in the buoy field at Bullfrog Marina at Lake Powell, Utah, date unspecified | File photo courtesy of Nathan Zaugg, St. George News

PAGE, Ariz. — A Colorado City man was killed in Lake Powell on Sunday after authorities say he entered the water in an area where swimming is prohibited.

National Park Service dispatch received a call just before 8 p.m. that a man, later identified as 31-year-old Jacob Jessop, jumped into the main marina of the Wahweap District but failed to resurface.

Rangers with the National Park Service responded and conducted a search of the water. Jessop’s body was located between 20 and 30 feet below the water’s surface, according to a joint press release from the National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities say that while Jessop was in the water, he appears to have become entangled in wires and cables.

For safety reasons, recovery of Jessop’s remains was suspended until Monday morning.

The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Dive Team successfully recovered Jessop at a depth of 249 feet. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Coconino County Medical Examiner. An autopsy will be conducted to determine an official cause of death.

The incident is still considered under investigation by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Swimming in the marinas of Lake Powell is considered dangerous, according to the press release, and has been prohibited as a result.

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