Cpl. Stephen Biggs disappeared Sunday evening at Lake Pueblo State Park before search crews recovered his body early the next morning.
PUEBLO, Colo. — A decorated Pueblo police corporal was found dead early Monday after disappearing during an off-duty wakeboarding accident at Lake Pueblo State Park, prompting an overnight search involving multiple emergency agencies, authorities said.
Cpl. Stephen Biggs disappeared Sunday, Sept. 27, while wakeboarding at the reservoir, according to the Pueblo Police Department. Colorado Parks and Wildlife began searching after receiving a report around 5:30 p.m. in the Peck Creek area on the west-central side of the park. Search teams continued working through the night before locating and recovering Biggs’ body early Sept. 28.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said searchers located the body in about 48 feet of water. A remotely operated underwater vehicle was used during the recovery operation, according to reports citing the agency. Pueblo police said Biggs’ next of kin had been notified. The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office is responsible for determining and releasing the official cause and manner of death.
Authorities described the incident as a wakeboarding accident but had not publicly released a detailed account of what happened immediately before Biggs disappeared. The circumstances surrounding the accident remained under investigation, and officials had not announced a final finding on the cause of his death as of the latest available reports.
Biggs had served with the Pueblo Police Department since October 2010. During his career, he worked as a patrol training officer and was a member of the department’s SWAT team. Police said he received 10 letters of commendation, three Medal of Valor awards and the department’s Distinguished Service award.
Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller said Biggs’ death was a personal loss for the department. “Working with Stephen was an honor, and his loss is deeply personal,” Noeller said in a department statement. He also praised Biggs’ courage, dedication and commitment to his fellow officers and expressed condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
The recovery operation involved personnel from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, its emergency services dive and drone teams, Pueblo West Fire, American Medical Response and other responders. Lake Pueblo State Park Manager Joe Stadterman thanked the agencies and personnel who worked through the night during the search and recovery effort.
Lake Pueblo State Park is a major recreation area west of Pueblo where boating, fishing and other water sports draw visitors throughout the year. The investigation centered on the Peck Creek area after authorities received the initial report of a missing person following what Colorado Parks and Wildlife described as a single-vessel incident.
The Pueblo Police Department announced that Biggs’ patrol vehicle would be parked outside department headquarters at 200 S. Main St. as a memorial to the longtime officer. The department asked that Biggs’ family be given privacy as relatives, friends and fellow officers mourn his death.
The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office and other authorities continued reviewing the circumstances of the incident. No additional details about the accident or an official cause and manner of death had been released in the latest reports.
Author note: Last updated October 1, 2026.