Man electrocuted, another drowns, another missing at Lake Lanier, Georgia officials say
A man was electrocuted and killed in a string of deadly incidents at Lake Lanier, Georgia authorities say.
Another person drowned, and a swimmer remains missing after going under at the north Georgia lake over the weekend, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
Game wardens responded on Saturday, July 29, after a 27-year-old man went under while swimming near Van Pugh Park on Lake Lanier and vanished, authorities said in a news release.
DNR officials didn’t provide an update Monday, July 31, but said crews are still searching.
A 61-year-old drowned at the lake Saturday near East Bank Park in Hall County, the release said. The man, identified as Tracey Stewart of Stone Mountain, was swimming from a boat when he went under.
Crews found his body in 46 feet of water just after 9 p.m, according to the release.
It marked the second deadly incident at the lake in less than a week.
On July 27, a 24-year-old jumped from a dock into the water and was electrocuted, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Crews responded at about 5:30 p.m.
Thomas Milner’s family recalled hearing his cries for help, deputies said in a news release.
A family friend tried helping him out of the water with a ladder, but it didn’t work, the release said. That’s when neighbors took a boat over to Milner, and one of them jumped in after him, deputies said.
That person “described a burning sensation he recognized as an electric shock,” the release said. The neighbor then swam to shore, turned off the power box, went back into the lake and pulled Milner onto the dock.
The 24-year-old’s uncle did CPR until first responders arrived, deputies said. He was taken to a hospital where he died the next day.
Over the years, Lake Lanier has become known for its tragic incidents and was recently the subject of an online petition calling for it to be drained.
Authorities are investigating the three recent incidents, which they said are unrelated, WSB-TV reported.
The History of Lake Lanier
The man-made reservoir was built in phases from 1950 to 1957 and hit “full pool” in August 1958, according to the lake’s website. Originally envisioned as a hydroelectric power source, Lake Lanier now provides drinking water to much of metro Atlanta.
Its development didn’t come without some controversy, however. Construction for the dam led to the seizure of 56,000 acres of private land and “effectively erased” a predominately Black town known as Oscarville, according to the site.
More than 1,000 predominantly Black residents, businesses and cemeteries were displaced, according to the website.
“This displacement led to many different network TV features, books, movies, documentaries and even theories about the lake being haunted in various ways, including the underwater ghost town,” the website reads.
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