The search continued Thursday for a 13-year-old boy missing in Lake Lanier since late Monday night, when the pontoon boat driven by his dad was hit by another boat in a collision that killed the teen's 9-year-old brother.
The search had been suspended by darkness Wednesday evening, but divers went back into the water after daybreak on Thursday.
In the immediate aftermath of Monday night's crash no one saw coming, Ryan Prince went looking for his little brothers.
The 15-year-old recovered 9-year-old Jake's body not far from the Avalon pontoon boat that just moments before was hit by another boater who, authorities say, was intoxicated.
The force of the collision sent all 13 on board into the moonlit waters of Lake Lanier, including Ryan's 13-year-old brother Griffin, who remains missing.
"The only reason he didn't get Griffin was because he wasn't wearing a life jacket," said Mike Prince, the boys' grandfather. Prince was not on the vessel but has talked with his son, Mike Jr., who was driving the pontoon boat when the collision occurred around 10:30 p.m. Monday.
"They were on their way home," Prince told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday.
Paul J. Bennett, 44, of Cumming, was arrested early Tuesday morning for boating under the influence and faces possible homicide charges, according to DNR Law Enforcement Section Maj. Stephen Adams. Adams said the hair salon owner could also be charged with failing to render aid.
"He hung around for 10 minutes, then left," Prince said. His son told him that Bennett, who could not be reached for comment, didn't assist in the chaotic recovery effort.
The family was out with friends Monday night, testing out the new Avalon -- a perk of the family boating business, said Prince, who opened Grass Shack in Buford 21 years ago. Mike Jr. and his younger brother, David Chandler Prince, help run the business now.
Investigators believe the collision was virtually head-on. The damage to the pontoon is on its right side, which has a green light that would give it right of way. But Adams said he did not want to speculate on the directions of the boats until accident reconstruction teams perform their work.
"It's a direct impact regardless of the direction," Adams said. Both boats were moving when the collision occurred, he said, adding that the suspect's boat "was going faster."
"There's a lot of damage to the pontoon boat," Adams said. "That didn't happen by being bumped."
Deneice Prince, the victims' step-grandmother, said family members on the boat told them they had no time to react to the impending crash.
"There was no warning," she said.
The search for Griffin's body resumed Thursday morning near Buford Dam and Lake Lanier Islands.
Elizabeth Starkey, a spokeswoman for the DNR, said the search, conducted in depths of up to 100 feet, is complicated by low visibility and underwater trees. The Forsyth and Hall County dive teams are also unsure of the exact location where the collision occurred, she said.
Griffin, an 8th grader at Lanier Middle School in Gwinnett County, enjoyed riding dirt bikes with his brothers and was an avid Boy Scout, according to his grandparents.
"I had seven grandchildren. I have five now," said Mike Prince, who was in Key Largo on business when his wife called to tell him about the accident. His son, daughter-in-law and grandson Ryan are inconsolable, he said, and are relying on their Mormon faith to get through the tragedy.
A memorial service will be held once Griffin's body is recovered, Deneice Prince said. Meanwhile, a fund has been set up in the boys' names. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo branch. A memorial Facebook page for the Prince boys also has been set up.
Authorities have yet to decide whether Bennett, who bonded out of jail Tuesday, will face additional charges.
He was arrested about three hours after the accident at Bald Ridge Marina in Cumming, not far from the crash site, according to DNR Maj. Walter Rabon. Bennett's boat, a 21-foot Sea Fox fishing boat built in 2002, was found tied to another vessel at the marina.
An unidentified woman was also on the boat when the arrest took place but has not been charged.
Dave Campbell, who has a boat at Bald Ridge, said Bennett has lived on a houseboat at the marina for several months. He called Bennett "hardworking and extremely likable."
"I don't think he has a bad bone in his body," Campbell said.
-- Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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