A man reported missing Tuesday was found dead in Lake Lanier, officials said.
Terry Daugherty, 57, of Atlanta, had last been seen around 9 p.m. Monday at the Sunrise Cove Marina where he kept his boat, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. When his neighbors couldn’t find him in the morning, officials said they were called to investigate.
The sheriff’s office searched the area near the marina, but said no evidence turned up. A lookout was subsequently issued and the sheriff’s office’s dive team, Hall fire crews and personnel from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources began searching the lake.
Using sonar equipment, Daugherty was found near where his boat was docked, law enforcement said. His body was then recovered using underwater drones.
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office was able to determine that the cause of death was drowning. Toxicology test results from the GBI remain pending, the sheriff’s office said.
The incident comes about two weeks after Margaritaville at Lanier Islands announced that its beach at LandShark Landing will no longer be accessible for swimmers. A spokesperson for the water park said safety was the primary factor in the decision.
In recent years, multiple bodies have been pulled from the North Georgia reservoir.
In March, the body of 61-year-old Timothy Cline Thomas was found in the lake near Bolding Mill Park, the Hall sheriff’s office said. His vehicle was found near the gate for the park’s boat ramp.
In June 2022, a 20-year-old man went underwater and never resurfaced while swimming near Vans Tavern Park in Forsyth County, the DNR previously said. He was at least the third man to die at the lake that week.
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