In a tragic discovery, the body of an Atlanta educator and coach, who went missing last month during a boating excursion on Georgia’s Lake Oconee, has been retrieved. This finding occurred not far from where his fiancée’s body was located shortly after their disappearance. According to local news reports on Sunday, the Putnam County Sheriff, Howard Sills, confirmed the identification of Gary Jones’ body.
Jones was found on Sunday afternoon in approximately 45 feet of water in this well-known recreational area situated southeast of Atlanta. The site was close to where Joycelyn Wilson, Jones’ fiancée and a Spelman College instructor, was discovered a day after their distressing disappearance on February 8. This recovery comes exactly one month after Wilson’s body was first identified in the vicinity near Jones’ empty fishing vessel and items like his shoes.
A Wisconsin-based expert in search and recovery, Keith Cormican, was instrumental in locating Jones’ remains. Brought in by the family, Cormican employed advanced underwater sonar technology in the search, as mentioned in local media.
Jones served as a teacher and track and field coach at the Westminster Schools, an exclusive private institution located in Atlanta. The unoccupied boat was located adrift, prompting an extensive search operation of the lake area.
Previously, authorities had obtained footage of Wilson and Jones launching their boat from a marina. It was disclosed that the couple had been residing at a nearby hotel situated about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta during their stay.
The location where Jones’ body was recovered is roughly 3 miles northwest of a dam which acts as a divide between Lake Oconee and the adjacent Lake Sinclair to the south. The formation of Lake Oconee left submerged timber intact from the original Oconee River basin that was flooded nearly fifty years ago to create the lake.
Earlier search operations comprised the use of a cadaver dog, various government and private vessels, as well as aerial support and sonar equipment, thoroughly scanning lake sections as profound as 80 feet.
