Reservoir Drowning

(SAUNDERS COUNTY, Neb.) — A 43-year-old Lincoln man drowned early Monday at Cottonwood Reservoir in Saunders County after reportedly swimming out to retrieve a fishing lure.

The Saunders County 9-1-1 Dispatch Center got the call around 8:52 p.m. Sunday, August 23, reporting the drowning at the reservoir on County Road Q, just west of County Road 25 and southeast of Prague.

Saunders County deputies and Prague Fire and Rescue were first on scene and began searching for the man. A sheriff’s office drone pilot launched a grid search of the area, but that initial effort came up empty.

Crews from Saunders County Emergency Management, Valparaiso Fire and Rescue, Malcolm/Raymond Water Rescue and Waterloo Water Rescue soon joined the search. Using sonar equipment aboard a Waterloo rescue boat, responders eventually located the man in the water, and divers recovered his body.
Crews from Saunders County Emergency Management, Valparaiso Fire and Rescue, Malcolm/Raymond Water Rescue and Waterloo Water Rescue soon joined the search. Using sonar equipment aboard a Waterloo rescue boat, responders eventually located the man in the water, and divers recovered his body.

He was identified as Derek Mueller, 43, of Lincoln, and was pronounced dead at about 1:03 a.m. Monday, August 24.

Investigators say Mueller had gone into the water to retrieve a fishing lure when he drowned. An autopsy has been ordered, and the investigation remains open. Mueller’s next of kin have been notified.

The body of water near Prague, Nebraska in Saunders County is officially known as Czechland Lake Recreation Area. It is a reservoir built directly on Cottonwood Creek, which is why it is often locally referred to as the Cottonwood Reservoir.