Body found in Lake Lanier, days after Georgia kayaker goes missing, sheriff's office says
Authorities in Georgia have recovered a body fromLake Lanier, and while they have identified the individual, the discovery comes days after akayaker went missing at the lake. TheForsyth County Sheriff's Officeannounced the recovery of the body on the afternoon of May 16, and the update came hours after the kayak and paddle, believed to belong to Dustin Valencia, 43, were reportedly found. According to the sheriff's office, Valencia, a father of five children, went missing on May 14 when he took his family's Intex inflatable kayak on thelargest lake in Georgia, which contains over38,000 acres of waterand over 690 miles of shoreline. In the May 16 afternoon update on the search, the sheriff's office said that although the body was recovered from the lake, no positive identification has been made. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return a request from USA TODAY for an update on May 17. Valencia was believed not to have a life vest, but he did have one plastic oar, the sheriff's office said. When Valancia's kayak was found, the seats were "not inflated or installed,"WALBreported, citing the sheriff's office. Valencia's wife, Jennifer Valencia, reported her husband missing on May 14, telling deputies that their children were the last to see him after he left earlier in the day to have their vehicle serviced, according to an incident report obtained by USA TODAY. Valencia returned home that day around 1 p.m. before leaving in their black 2006 Honda Accord, his wife told deputies, per the incident report. When Valencia did not pick up the couple's children from school at 3 p.m., his wife tried to call his phone, but received no response. Using the "Find My iPhone" app, Jennifer Valencia tracked her husband's last known location, however, he wasn't at that location when she arrived to look for him. At this point, she contacted law enforcement to file a missing persons report, the incident report reads. Valencia's wife confirmed that he does not suffer from any known medical conditions or mental health issues, and that there were no known threats of self-harm. She stated that her husband usually communicates with her regularly and always keeps her informed, the incident report continued. While canvassing the area Valencia was last known to be, deputies found the family's black Honda Accord parked at Little Ridge Park on Lanier Beach South Road. Assuming Valencia may have gone kayaking, deputies searched the nearby water and walked surrounding trails, but they could not locate him, the incident report says. Photos:Tornadoes, severe weather kills at least 23: See photos of damage in Missouri, other states While the body has not been identified, it signals another death at Lake Lanier, where between 1994 and 2024, more than200 fatalities have occurred, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR)Law Enforcement Division. Lake Lanier drownings, deaths (2018-2024) 2018: 8 drownings, 11 total deaths 2019: 8 drownings, 11 total deaths 2020: 7 drownings, 10 total deaths 2021: 4 drownings, 9 total deaths 2022: 6 drownings, 7 total deaths 2023: 13 drownings, 13 total deaths 2024: 3 drownings, 4 total deaths Total: 49 drownings, 65 total deaths Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Body recovered from Lake Lanier, days after kayaker reported missing
Body found in Lake Lanier, days after Georgia kayaker goes missing, sheriff's office says Authorities in Georgia have recovered a body f...
