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Body of missing swimmer found, ID’d

Staff report
Glenwood Springs, CO

RIFLE – The body of a man who went missing in the Colorado River Thursday has been found.

The body was recovered at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon and has been identified as that of Javier Martin Morales-Reyes, 18.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, a report came in that four young people were swimming and swinging on a rope in the river east of Rifle.



Morales-Reyes fell into the water on his side and witnesses believe he had the “wind knocked out of him,” according to a release from the Garfield County Sheriff’s office.

His companions jumped in and tried to bring him to shore, but the victim reported went into a panic, “making it virtually impossible to hold on to him,” the sheriff’s office said.



Late Thursday searchers turned the rescue effort into a recovery effort.

None of the four swimmers were wearing life vests or other flotation devices.

Resources today included 6 Garfield County Search and Rescue Inc. personnel, 13 members of the Summit County Water Rescue Team as well as Garfield and Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Victim specialists, Rifle Fire Department and Union Pacific Rail Road


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