The body of a 28-year-old Atlanta man who went underwater Friday in Lake Lanier has been recovered, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Corey Lamar Brown’s body was found at 4:44 p.m. Monday in 26 feet of water near Vann’s Tavern Park in Forsyth County, where he initially disappeared, according to DNR spokesman Mark McKinnon.
Authorities had been combing the lake since Brown was last seen Friday evening. He and three others jumped from a pontoon boat offshore after one of their friends started struggling in the water, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Seven people have died on Lake Lanier since January, according to Channel 2.
According to Sgt. Lee Brown with the DNR, a group of people were on the double-decker boat, going down a slide and swimming. Rescue crews were called about a possible drowning around 6:15 p.m.
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“One of the people needed help so he tried to help that person and started struggling himself,” the game warden said.
Jason Albert was riding his personal watercraft in the area when he noticed the group on the pontoon boat jumping up and down, yelling for help.
“I killed the motor on the ski, and I could hear them screaming like never before,” he told Channel 2. “It was terrible.”
He then saw the group of five struggling in the water a little farther out. Albert, who lives on the lake, said none in the group were wearing life jackets.
“It was rough chop,” he said. “They were flailing, and they were bobbing up and down. Their mouths were clearly going under the surface.”
Albert was able to pull two people to safety using his watercraft, and a responding DNR boat rescued two more. Brown did not resurface, according to authorities.
The search for Brown was scaled back Saturday afternoon due to heavy boat traffic, authorities said. Dive teams resumed efforts Sunday with no success. Crews returned to the area about 8 a.m. Monday.
