The death of a Mancos woman whose body was found in Summit Lake on May 12 was likely an accident, according to investigators at the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy was performed Thursday to determine the cause of death for Madeline Scott, 57, whose vehicle was also found at the bottom of the lake near a boat ramp.
Montezuma County detective Jason Williams said the autopsy showed no signs of trauma, and no indication of foul play has been found on the vehicle. The case remains under investigation, but the sheriff’s office is now investigating it as an accidental drowning, he said.
The next step in the investigation, Williams said, will be to pull the computer from Scott’s 2016 Toyota Corolla and try to determine when it went into the lake. Williams said he is working with a Colorado State Patrol trooper to analyze the vehicle evidence, and he expected more concrete results next week.
According to the investigation, Scott arrived at the lake Thursday evening after leaving her home in Mancos.
“She liked to go up and relax at Summit Lake and kind of clear her mind when she was upset about something, and she was upset that day,” Williams said, citing information he’d received from family members.
He said there is evidence alcohol was involved in Scott’s death, but the sheriff’s office is awaiting the results of a toxicology report to confirm whether she was intoxicated at the time.
The Summit Lake boat ramp and dam were closed to the public on Friday while law enforcement investigated the area, but they were opened again that night after the vehicle was pulled from the water.
