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A Denver man who died in the chilly, turbulent Colorado River on Saturday was swimming while intoxicated, the Mesa County coroner’s office said Sunday.
Jesse Lee Melvin, 43, had been rafting west of Loma in the Black Rock area, according to authorities. He was not wearing a life-preserver, the coroner’s office stated.
Witnesses said he disappeared in the water after struggling briefly in the current.
The coroner’s office listed the cause of death as drowning and the manner as an accident.
After a brief search, volunteers pulled Melvin’s body from the river Saturday night.
The Mesa County coroner determined his death was an accident. He was not wearing a life vest.
