Roswell fisherman’s body recovered from small private lake in Forsyth County

The man’s body was pulled from six feet of water at a 35-acre lake off Dahlonega Highway.

The man’s body was pulled from six feet of water at a 35-acre lake off Dahlonega Highway.

A fisherman’s body was found after the man fell into a private lake in North Georgia on Saturday night and slipped underwater.

The body of the 28-year-old was pulled from six feet of water at a 35-acre lake off Dahlonega Highway near Oak Grove about 3 p.m. Sunday, according to Forsyth County fire Division Chief Jason Shivers. The Forsyth sheriff’s office identified the man as Saul Sanchez of Roswell.

Officials from the fire department were called to look for Sanchez about 7 p.m. Saturday, Shivers said.

The man and his friend planned to meet at the private lake for a fishing trip around dusk. The lake is located near the line between Forsyth and Dawson counties, he said.

“If you didn’t know the lake was there, you might not find it,” Shivers said.

For reasons that aren’t clear, Sanchez went out on a boat by himself and began fishing early, Shivers said. Sanchez’s friend arrived a short time later and couldn’t find him, he said.

He started looking for Sanchez and saw him in the water struggling to get back to an overturned boat.

The friend tried to rescue the man from the water but couldn’t get to him. Shivers said the friend watched as Sanchez slipped underneath the surface.

Investigators said it is likely the man could not swim, and he was not wearing a life vest.

Officials from the fire department, the Forsyth sheriff's office, the Georgia State Patrol aviation unit, the Department of Natural Resources and a volunteer group called Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue all began to look for the missing fisherman. The search lasted late into the night, until officials said it was too dark and the terrain was too rough to continue searching. Investigators picked up the search again Sunday morning.

“We had a fresh crew, and we were able to leverage technology and get a fairly tight last known location based on the information from an interview with (the friend),” Shivers said.

The searchers used sonar and the information provided by Sanchez’s friend to locate the body, Shivers said. It was recovered about 3 p.m.

Sanchez’s body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy, but Shivers said there was nothing suspicious about the man’s death.

Shivers said the combination of cold water and the fact the man was fully dressed without a life vest likely made it difficult for him to tread water.

“The gentleman’s body was found in six feet of water,” he said. “It was in a shallow portion of a shallow lake. Many people think that at six feet you could still tread water or touch the bottom, but you can drown in mere inches of water.”

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