UPDATED: Man dies on Jackson Lake

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Further information will be added as it develops.

A man has died at Jackson Lake in western Morgan County as a result of a “significant and sudden cardiac event,” Morgan County Coroner Don Heer said Friday.

John Buscho, 57, of Fort Lupton is believed to have been kayaking with his wife when he succumbed to a heart condition. He was pronounced dead at 2:58 p.m. June 21.

“He had a pretty significant cardiac history,” Heer said.

The initial autopsy report did not find evidence of a drowning, Heer added, and the coroner’s office is awaiting results of a toxicology report to determine if other causes could have been involved.

“The report from the scene did not indicate alcohol as a factor,” Heer said.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department was the lead investigator in the case, with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office also responding. Although a law enforcement report defined the call as a “possible drowning”, Sheriff Dave Martin said that did not turn out to be accurate.

“We are waiting on the completion of work by the coroner to determine a definitive cause,” said Jason Clay, spokesperson for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. “It appears they were out for a day on the lake. They made it to shore and it sounds like an unfortunate event right after they got to shore.”

Martin clarified: “He was not under water and we did not conduct a search for him.”

Buscho and his wife each had kayaks and he was wearing a life preserver, Martin said.

“He appeared to have been doing everything right,” he said, to which Clay also agreed. “He unfortunately died as a result of a cardiac event.”

There have been 18 water-related deaths on CPW-operated lakes during 2022 so far, compared to 34 in 2021 and 22 in 2020.

“That is a pace we don’t want to be at,” Clay said. “We want people to be safe and participate in activities they are comfortable with based on their abilities.”

The death is a reminder for others, Martin said, that as an extended holiday weekend approaches precautions should be taken while on the water.

“It is a crime to boat under the influence. The parks department will be patrolling for that at Jackson Lake,” Martin said. “On any vessel we want you to have a life jacket for every person aboard. This means an adequate life preserver, something that would support the weight of the person wearing it.”

Added Clay: “Make sure to have all required safety equipment. Wear your life jackets. We want people to have fun, but to be safe. Take a look at the weather forecast before you hit the water, because you’ll want to know if there are times you should not be on the water.”