SCOTTSDALE, AZ — A man is dead after drowning in a Vista del Camino Park lake in Scottsdale late Wednesday morning.
Crews were dispatched to the scene near Hayden and McDowell roads for a reported water rescue around 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials at the scene say one person was seen struggling in the water. A bystander and multiple officers jumped in to help the person but were unsuccessful.
Police say the bystander and officers exited the water safely and the man's body has since been pulled from the water. Crews used head signature-sensing drones and a subsurface sonar.
The man has been identified as 64-year-old Robert Botthof. Scottsdale police say he was well-known in the community.
"He is well known to the park. The park staff here actually has given him accolades for picking up trash around the park and being a good human being here,” said Sgt. Allison Sempsis of the Scottsdale Police Department.
It is unknown how the man ended up in the water, though police tell ABC15 that there are no signs of foul play at this time.
This incident remains under investigation.
