A Midwest man with a history of mental health issues was missing for nearly six months before his body was found this week in half-frozen Dillon Reservoir.
Summit County coroner identifies the victim as Leroy Schmidt, 51, of West Fargo, North Dakota. On April 30, a hiker saw his body covered in ice close to shore near the disc golf course at Frisco Peninsula.
Cause of death is pending autopsy in Boulder County. Results could take up to eight weeks.
On Jan. 9, Valley News Live in Moorhead, Minnesota interviewed Schmidt’s family. They had not heard from him since early November and believed he was out West, most likely in Omaha, Nebraska or Las Vegas. They were “concerned because of past mental health issues,” Valley News reports, but said he was not a danger to others.
Summit County authorities do not yet know how long Schmidt was in Colorado, or how he ended up in the lake.
Dillon Reservoir froze about two weeks later than usual this season on Jan. 9, according to Denver Water. It started thawing in mid-April.