Divers Recover Drowned Body in Lake Lanier

A family outing on Lake Lanier turned tragic Thursday afternoon after a 44-year-old man drowned.

Capt. Jason Shivers with the said units were dispatched at 3:08 p.m. to Lake Lanier for a "missing person, presumed drowning victim."

"Upon our arrival we confirmed with family and friends, and bystanders that in fact a drowning was witnessed of an adult male off the shore of West Bank Park [located off Buford Dam Road] here in Forsyth County," said Shivers.

FCFD divers performed an initial surface search, followed by an underwater search where the body of the victim was recovered and brought to shore at 3:46 p.m.

Authorities believe the man went under around 3 p.m.

"Typically our practice is to attempt rescue when we can recover a body within the first hour of a drowning," said Shivers. "That in fact was the case today [July 26] because we were able to recover him in about 45 minutes."

"He was brought to shore and of course he was not breathing, but we did attempt CPR," Shivers said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to , where he was pronounced dead, according to Karleen Chalker, spokesperson with the in an e-mail to Cumming Patch.

Chalker wrote that he arrived from Mexico a few days ago and was staying with family here in Cumming.

Melissa Cumming of the Department of Natural Resources said he was recovered approximately 20 yards from the bank in about 11 feet of water.

An investigation is ongoing.

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