The death of a 49-year-old Blaine County man at Magic Reservoir last week was due to accidental drowning, the Blaine County Coroner's Office has concluded.
Coroner Russell Mikel said no autopsy will be performed on the body of Colen Pierson. His body was found on the morning of Thursday, May 27, on the west shore of the reservoir about halfway between Myrtle Point and the dam.
Blaine County Sheriff's Lt. Curtis Miller said Tuesday that the sheriff's office hasn't concluded its investigation into the death but has no reason to disagree with Mikel's ruling.
"For all general purposes it looks like an accident," Miller said. "I still think we have some loose ends to tie up, but for all intents and purposes I don't think it's going to change our direction."
The sheriff's office began searching for Pierson after receiving a report on May 26 that he had not been seen or heard from since May 23. A news release issued by the sheriff's office Friday stated that Pierson's body had been found shortly after 7:30 a.m. the previous day by the "initial reporting party who had asked some fisherman to assist her in looking for her friend."
The news release stated that Pierson's 12-foot aluminum boat was found later Thursday "partially submerged and lodged against the rocky shore" on the east side of the reservoir in southern Blaine County.
"The boat had extensive damage, which is believed to have been caused by rough water beating the boat against the rocky shore," the news release stated.
Miller said the condition of the boat suggests that it had been near the shoreline for a few days, but added that it's unknown when the accident occurred.
"There was some rough water during the week," he said. "What happened though is speculation—whether he fell out of the boat or whether it capsized."
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
