ATLANTA — Efforts to locate a second victim continued as searchers focused on a Georgia lake that attracts visitors from around the region, one week after two boaters went missing.
The remains of Joycelyn Wilson, a mathematics professor at Spelman College, a prominent historically black university in Atlanta, were discovered last Sunday in Lake Oconee.
Her companion, Gary Jones, who serves as a track and field coach at the prestigious Westminster Schools, is still unaccounted for.
The pair’s empty vessel was found the previous Saturday evening, drifting in the lake’s waters. Additionally, Jones’ shoes were located floating in close proximity to where Wilson’s body and the unattended boat were recovered.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills has not categorized this situation as a boating accident or anything definitive at this moment. “We have ruled nothing out at this point in time,” Sills mentioned during a press briefing on Friday, emphasizing that the case is not simply “a simple drowning.”
The authorities are currently awaiting the results of a final autopsy from the medical examiner. According to the sheriff’s office, footage has been obtained showing Wilson and Jones as they launched their small boat from a nearby marina, close to their accommodation at The Lodge on Lake Oconee, located southeast of Atlanta.
“Lakes and rivers don’t relinquish bodies until they are ready to,” Sills stated. He indicated that the operation has transitioned from a rescue mission to a recovery mission, asserting that eventually, the second body will surface.
A specially trained Giant Schnauzer has joined the search team, which included about a dozen government boats and another six private vessels on Thursday. The search was supported by a helicopter and underwater sonar equipment, navigating areas of the lake that reach depths of up to 80 feet (24 meters).
Sheriff Sills remarked on the unprecedented level of involvement in this search, noting, “I’ve never seen this many people involved in a search for a dead body before.”
He added, “Unless the weather alters to hinder our efforts, we will persist in our search.”
