Body found in Lake Lanier, days after Georgia kayaker goes missing, sheriff's office says
Between 1994 and 2024, more than 200 fatalities have occurred at Lake Lanier, which is located in northern Georgia.
Authorities in Georgia have recovered a body from Lake Lanier, and while they have identified the individual, the discovery comes days after a kayaker went missing at the lake.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office announced 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 the largest lake in Georgia, which contains over 38,000 acres of water and 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 Paste BN 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," WALB reported, citing the sheriff's office.
What happened before Dustin Valencia disappeared?
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 Paste BN.
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.
Deaths at Lake Lanier since 1994 reach over 200
While the body has not been identified, it signals another death at Lake Lanier, where between 1994 and 2024, more than 200 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 Paste BN. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.