Body of Drowning Victim Recovered From Reservoir

The body of a man believed to have accidentally drowned was pulled from the Upper Oso Reservoir on Sunday by Orange County Sheriff’s Department divers.

The victim, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was spotted floating in the reservoir off El Toro Road about 11:45 a.m., said Sheriff’s Lt. Jay Mendez.

The victim, about 40, had last been seen alive in a boat on the reservoir by a friend on Jan. 22, said Orange County Deputy Coroner Rick McAnally. The boat was seen the next day upside down on the lake.

But members of the Oso Reservoir Fishing Club, to which the victim belonged, did not report him missing at that time because they thought he had gone to Mexico, Mendez said. On Sunday morning, members of the club saw the body floating in the reservoir and contacted the Sheriff’s Department, Mendez and McAnally said.

The divers retrieved the body and searched the area, Mendez said, adding that there was no reason to suspect foul play.