Second pond search turns up body near where Arvada man went missing

Font ResizeLocal NewsBy Jessica Fender
The Denver Postdenverpost.comPosted: 12/17/2012 07:35:00 PM MSTDecember 18, 2012 2:35 AM GMTUpdated: 12/17/2012 07:35:01 PM MST

A second search of the pond near the Westminster hotel where a 36-year-old construction worker went missing revealed a body in the water on Monday, said Westminster police investigator Cheri Spottke.

Crews are still working to recover the body from the icy water and have not yet identified the remains.

John Lucas Edwards went missing early Dec. 9 following a Christmas party at the Westin Hotel at 10600 Westminster Blvd.

A Westminster Fire Department crew initially conducted a sonar search of City Park Pond and was satisfied that Edwards' body was not there.

"But there was some ice on the water," said Spottke, noting the weather had warmed a bit in the meantime. "With the storm coming in, if we were going to send divers in, it had to be today."

The second search uncovered a body.

Edwards rented a room for his company's Dec. 8 holiday party. He was last seen around 3 a.m. Dec. 9, and witnesses said he appeared intoxicated.

He never made it to his Arvada home, and both his truck and belongings were discovered at the Westin after a missing persons report was filed.

City Park Pond, about a quarter mile from the hotel, is 18 feet deep and reached temperatures as low as 36 degrees.

Authorities at the time of Edwards' disappearance said they had no reason to suspect foul play.

Spottke said that until the body is recovered and identified, officials won't be able to determine cause of death.

"We've been working ever since he went missing," Spottke said.

Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 , jfender

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