Wyoming man dies after falling through ice at Flaming Gorge

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — The body of a Wyoming man was recovered Wednesday after he fell through the ice at Flaming Gorge Reservoir the day before.

Kevin Holloway, 50, of Green River, Wyo., was fishing alone about 4 ½ miles northeast of Buckboard Marina on the Wyoming end of the reservoir, said Sweetwater County sheriff's detective Dick Blust.

"At that particular spot the ice doesn't extend from shore to shore," Blust said, adding that "ice fishing early is always a risk."

A nearby angler heard Holloway's cries for help and retrieved a tow rope from a pickup truck. The man threw the rope to Holloway, "but his efforts were unsuccessful and Mr. Holloway went under," Blust said.

The sheriff's office was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred, but search-and-rescue divers were unable to reach the scene — located about 17 miles south of Green River — until after dark. That prevented them from entering the water to search for Holloway.

Dive teams returned to the reservoir Wednesday and found Holloway's body about 100 yards from the shore in less than 100 feet of water, Blust said.

Divers told the Deseret News they encountered other ice anglers Wednesday near the spot where Holloway went through the ice. Many, like Holloway, were not wearing life jackets, they said.

Holloway's drowning is the first fatality of the young ice fishing season on Flaming Gorge, Blust said.

"We hope it's the very last," he said.

— Geoff Liesik, Twitter: GeoffLiesik