No suicide, family says

Family members of a missing Fort Carson soldier said Sunday that Colorado Springs police told them that the body pulled Saturday from a local reservoir was that of their relative, Sgt. Shawn Stoddard.

But they don’t think Stoddard committed suicide, said Randy Garn, the uncle of the soldier from St. Anthony, Idaho.

“There’s still a lot of mysteries and a lot of unanswered questions that we have,” Garn said Sunday evening, adding that Stoddard hated the open water.

The El Paso County Coroner’s Office autopsied Stoddard’s body Sunday morning but said the cause of death won’t be released for possibly a few more days while officials wait for toxicology results.

Colorado Springs police have said they don’t suspect foul play.

Stoddard’s body was found about 11 a.m. Saturday in the Spring Run Reservoir near Lake Avenue and Springmeadow Drive by a private helicopter hired by the family.

“We were just very thankful that we were able to find him,” Garn said.

Divers with the Colorado Springs Fire Department recovered Stoddard’s body 25 feet from the shore about 4 p.m.

Stoddard, 29, disappeared from Fort Carson last week, and his car was found Tuesday in the parking lot of the Bank at Broadmoor next to the reservoir.

Stoddard, a member of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, joined the Army in November 2003 and was deployed to Iraq twice, Fort Carson officials said.

Garn said family members think Stoddard suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Shawn has changed since his return from Iraq,” the family said in a statement released Sunday.

But Stoddard loved the Army and was loyal to his country, Garn said.

Stoddard is survived by his wife, Tammy, and two children — 5-yearold Colby, who is the spitting image of his dad, and 3-year-old Allison, who is disabled, Garn said.

“Words can’t express how disturbing this experience has been for our family,” the family said. “We are struggling to come to terms with the fact that someone so dear to us has suffered so tragically.”