The last two of four missing people were found dead in Lake Lanier Sunday morning.
The bodies of Arthur Gene McMahan Jr., 46, of Mount Washington, Ky. and Anthony Reece Jr., 44, of Columbia, Ky., were found Sunday morning, officials with the Department of Natural Resources said.
An accident Friday afternoon left a 38-foot power boat overturned in the south end of the lake, near Cocktail Cove, sending four people into the water.
Witness Dillon Hahn told Channel 2 Action News he was sitting on his boat on Lake Lanier when he said all of a sudden he heard a loud noise.
“I saw the boat swirl and it just started jumping out of the water,” Hahn said. “It caught the rear end of the boat and came around.”
Hahn said he saw four boaters fall into the water.
Officials with the DNR, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, and the Hall County Fire Department helped conduct the search.
VIDEO: Dive teams search Lake Lanier for missing boaters
The bodies of Melissa Renee McMahan, 45, of Mount Washington, Ky., and Tammy Reece, 44, of Columbia, Ky., were located overnight Friday.
Art and Melissa McMahan’s children released a statement Saturday:
“At this time we want to thank the community, friends and family for their ongoing love and support. Our parents meant the world to us, we never realized how much impact they had on people’s lives. They both were such amazing, loving and caring parents, grandparents, children siblings and friends to so many. They were one of a kind and will truly be missed. Thank you again for your continued prayers.”
The annual Pirates of Lanier Charity Poker Run event at Lake Lanier posted Friday on Facebook about the accident.
“The Lanier Partners would like to send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of those involved in an accident on Lake Lanier today. The accident involved part of our poker run family and we are with heavy hearts tonight,” the post read in part.
Hahn said he will never forget the sound of the crashing water and screams before everything went silent.
Officials said none of the people inside the boat were wearing life jackets.
Read and sign the online guestbook for the Lake Lanier boat accident victims.
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