WATKINS, Colo. (KKTV) - Deputies announced Tuesday that a commander for a local sheriff’s office has died while on duty.

According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), deputies responded to a report of a missing person in Watkins Monday morning.

Deputies arrived and found ACSO Commander Karl Smalley, 67, not breathing near Box Elder Creek. He was later pronounced dead.

The sheriff’s office said Smalley had just started his day and was on duty at the time, and his death is being treated as a line-of-duty death.

Smalley served at the sheriff’s office for more than 30 years. At the time of his death, Smalley served as the Commander of District 5, overseeing the Watkins and Strasburg areas.

His cause and manner of death have not been released.

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