An adult man's body was pulled from the waters of Lake Natoma on Thursday afternoon after fire crews responded to a report of a person in the water near the Willow Creek Recreation Area. The man has not yet been identified, and officials say it remains unknown how long he had been in the water.
Emergency Call Reclassified As Recovery Effort
According to KCRA, a fisherman reported a body around 1 p.m. downstream of Black Miners Bar. The call was reported just before 1 p.m. Thursday, per Folsom Times, which pinpointed the location near the Willow Creek Recreation Area on Lake Natoma. What began as a possible water rescue was reclassified as a recovery operation once crews confirmed a body was in the lake, the outlet reported.
The initial emergency call drew personnel from the Folsom Fire Department and California State Parks, according to the same Folsom Times report. Separately, Fox40 reported that firefighters were dispatched at about 12:54 p.m. after receiving an emergency report of a person in the water, and that emergency personnel ultimately found and recovered a body identified as an adult male.
No Identification Yet, Cause Unknown
Officials have not identified the man, and it is unknown how long he had been in the water, Fox40 reported. KCRA likewise reported that the man has not yet been identified and that the time he spent in the water is unknown, according to officials. California State Parks is investigating, Fox40 reported; Folsom Times said the case was turned over to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
Lake Natoma's History Of Water Recoveries
Thursday's recovery is not the first time Lake Natoma has been the site of a body recovery. In March 2024, authorities pulled a body from the lake near Black Miners Bar in Folsom, with officials telling The Sacramento Bee at the time that the cause of death was unknown but that the person appeared to have likely fallen from a steep embankment. In a separate case, searchers looking for a man last seen late on Dec. 27 found his e-bike and belongings near the lake's western edge downstream from Black Miner's Bar; the Sacramento County Coroner's Office later identified the body recovered in that search as 38-year-old Orangevale resident Christopher William Cary, according to CBS Sacramento. In yet another incident, kayakers discovered the body of a 28-year-old man near Black Miners Bar, with California State Park authorities saying the death appeared accidental and that foul play was not suspected at the time. The earlier cases also involved body recoveries at Lake Natoma.
As of Thursday evening, the investigation into the man's death remained active, with California State Parks personnel continuing to examine the circumstances. No further information about his identity or how he ended up in the water had been released.
