A cadaver dog and multiple officials continued scouring Lake Oconee on Saturday in hopes of finding the body of a missing Westminster Schools coach.
But, as the search entered its eighth day, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said it was becoming increasingly difficult to locate Gary Jones.
“People have got to understand that this is such a wide expanse of water there that efforts to locate, just randomly locate it are impossible,” Sills said about how difficult a search on Lake Oconee can be.
The incident is being handled as a death investigation, and homicide investigators have been on the case since the sheriff’s office took over from the Department of National Resources on Wednesday. As Sills’ patrol boats headed into the lake Saturday morning, he said, “things developed where I knew that this need to be handled differently” from a simple drowning, though he couldn’t provide further details.
The body of the coach’s boating partner and fiancée, Spelman College instructor Joycelyn Nicole Wilson, was found on Feb. 9. Their empty boat was discovered the day before on the popular east Georgia lake, where the small vessel had been circling a couple of miles north of the Wallace Dam.
‘She really loved her students’
Wilson went by Joy, and the name reflected her ebullient nature. Her longtime friend Natasha Harrison recalled how Wilson would grade papers during church choir rehearsal, such was her dedication.
“She really loved her students,” Harrison told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She really loved what she did.”
Harrison and Wilson attended Zion Hill Baptist Church, where they sang alto in The Voices of Oluwa choir.
“She was very funny and had all the tea,” Harrison said with a laugh. “I would sit next to her and she would give me all the tea about what’s going in the church.”
Credit: Family photo
Credit: Family photo
Harrison recalled missing her friend at church Feb. 9. Wilson’s sister and niece weren’t there either. Harrison later learned the heartbreaking news of Wilson’s death.
‘He wanted people to aim high’
Jones’ loved ones have also spoken about his dedication to students.
Courtlyn Cook said he was one of her favorite teachers and coaches at Westminster, from which she graduated in 2011. She helped search the lake for him one day last week.
Jones was the track and field coach at the Westminster Schools and the brother of former University of Georgia and NFL star Sean Jones.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Jones and Wilson had taken a weekend getaway to celebrate his 50th birthday, which was Feb. 8, according to Cook.
Cook described Jones as the type of coach who was demanding but fully invested in his athletes.
“He had extremely high expectations,” she said. “He wanted people to aim high.”
An empty boat going in circles
Jones and Wilson had taken a quick trip to The Lodge on Lake Oconee and got on a small fishing boat. Witnesses saw the couple together on the Sun Dolphin Pro 120.
About two hours later, the boat was spotted again. This time, there was no one aboard, according to investigators. Two floatation devices were found inside the boat, Sills confirmed.
The boat went in circles before running out of gas.
Sills stated that the people who reported the watercraft to officials said there were several kids playing on a nearby dock. There have been no reports of anyone hearing screaming or hollering from the boat, Sills added.
The following morning, Wilson’s body was pulled from the cold water. There was no sign of Jones.
“Here we have two relatively well, middle-aged adults who are in good health. They could swim,” Sills said. “I’m not criticizing Mr. Jones when I say this, but the boat they were in was not appropriate for this water.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Sills confirmed that there is no evidence that another boat hit the couple’s boat at any point. The small plastic boat does have scratches on the bottom, but Sills said there are no gashes or cracks.
Crews from the DNR and Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, along with other volunteers, have searched the water and shoreline in the area where Wilson and the empty boat were found all week. On Saturday, a cadaver dog accompanied the sheriff’s office again.
Gray Nike shoes belonging to Jones were found in the water earlier in the week, Sills confirmed. Video footage of Wilson and Jones launching the boat also showed that Jones was wearing a gray shirt with Wildcats — the Westminster Schools mascot — written across it and gray pants, Sills added.
About three decades of friendship
Jones had first met Wilson roughly 30 years earlier when thee two attended Clark Atlanta University.
They had reconnected and got engaged during the holidays, Harrison said. Wilson, a longtime math instructor at Spelman College, posted on social media that she had found love.
“On paper, they’re the same person,” Harrison said.
Wilson was happy and excited, Harrison said. The couple planned to marry on March 14.
Now, the couple’s families, friends and school communities are devastated. The Putnam sheriff’s office along with the state DNR investigators continue to search for clues to what went wrong.
Meanwhile, a Clark Atlanta spokesperson said Wilson was a two-time distinguished alumna, but declined to comment further.
“We kindly ask that the community respect the privacy of her family during this difficult time as they navigate their loss,” the university said.
A fundraising website was created to help Wilson’s grieving family with meals. Funeral arrangements had not been publicly announced.
While awaiting answers, Harrison focused on the friendship she had shared with a woman who loved to travel, was always ready for an adventure, and a had a community of friends going back to her time at Mays High School.
On Sunday, the third Sunday in February, The Voices of Oluwa choir will perform at their church.
“It’s going to be hard for all of us,” Harrison said. “But I’ll be there.”
— Staff writer Henri Hollis contributed to this story.
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