Body found in Saratoga Lake identified

SARATOGA LAKE >> The Saratoga Country Sheriff’s Department has identified the man found in Saratoga Lake yesterday as Daniel Gurnett, 49, of Clifton Park. An autopsy completed Thursday at Albany Medical Center determined the cause of death as asphyxiation from drowning, but authorities said they will continue to investigate.

Officials believe he was in the water for a short time, and nothing in the autopsy or investigation points to foul play at this time.

“Our investigators are trying to piece together what happened through interviews, we have made some progress,” Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said at the scene of the incident Wednesday afternoon.

The manager of Lee’s Park campgrounds, Burt Mintline, was making his daily rounds at the park at around 1 p.m. when he saw an object floating about 100 feet from the shore. He investigated further and saw it was a body floating face down near the state boat launch at Fish Creek, east of Route 9P, in the town of Saratoga. He called 911. Quaker Springs Fire Department and General Schuyler EMS responded first and brought the body to shore, Zurlo said.

There was no form of identification on the body, and authorities began interviewing campground visitors at the scene, Zurlo said. At around 4 p.m., the body was loaded into the coroner’s van and authorities remained on scene.

“The information we have, we think he might have been visiting the campground, but we are working to confirm that through interviews,” Zurlo said.

About a half-hour after the body was put in the coroner’s vehicle, an unidentified woman was brought across the crime scene lines and shown the body inside the corner’s vehicle. She cried as she spoke to authorities and was escorted away shortly after.

“Our investigators are trying to piece together what happened through interviews, we have made some progress,” Zurlo said.

Lee’s Park Campground serves RV and tenting campers, many who stay for the season. The park also allows campers to dock boats and serve as a launch point.

The Saratoga Lake Association’s website said most drownings occur within 100 feet of shore and many victims are not wearing life jackets. Saratoga Lake is fed by the Kaydeross Creek and Fish Creek serves as its outlet at the north end of the lake. The water from

Fish Creek empties into the Hudson River in Schuylerville. The lake is on average 25 feet deep and 95 feet at its deepest point.