A body was recovered from the Roaring Fork River on Memorial Day, just north of Wingo Bridge near the Lazy Glen subdivision.
According to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, the deceased is Anthony “Tony” Welgos, a longtime local who previously managed City Market and later Clark’s Market in Aspen.
Welgos would often donate food to local schools for events and fundraisers and he was known by many in the community for his generosity and great sense of humor.
Officials do not think Welgos was on a boat or other river craft before the incident.
“There was no life jacket," said Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Chief Scott Thompson. "He had jeans on and a sweatshirt.”
Pitkin County’s chief deputy coroner Audra Keith said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, but the results may take weeks as the office waits for the toxicology report.
Some of the possible causes of death in this case include drowning, trauma, or hypothermia, according to Keith.
Welgos' body was recovered just a week after a fatal incident on the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon, and local officials are continuing to warn river users about the dangers of high spring run-off.
Fire Chief Scott Thompson, who has been helping with swift-water rescues in the valley for decades, said there are usually one or two fatalities on local rivers each year, though some years are worse than others.
“It’s very unfortunate that we’ve had two fatalities already and we really have not even reached our high water yet, so we’ve got a long ways to go,” he said.
According to the Roaring Fork Conservancy, most local rivers are already running well above-average for this time of year and there’s still more snow to melt.
“Crown Mountain still has snow on it, and I was up at Ruedi the other day working at one of our fire stations and there was still snow on the trees right next to the reservoir, so it’s unusual this year,” he said. “Our snowpack hasn't come off as quickly as some people anticipated so the unfortunate part is that once it gets hot it's gonna come off quickly.”
Thompson and other public safety officials are advising even people who aren’t paddling or swimming in the water to take extra precautions when spending time near the rivers this spring.
“They’re moving very fast and they’re dangerous so people need to make a conscious decision,” Thompson said. “If people are just enjoying the water and they don’t have a lifejacket, they should stay away from the banks of these rivers.”
Monday’s fatal incident occurred just hours before a non-fatal Roaring Fork River rescue involving a parent and child who were rafting towards Willits near the Basalt Business Center.
