Saturday December 21st, 2024 6:36AM

Authorities recover body of Atlanta man who went missing on Lake Lanier

By AccessWDUN staff

Authorities recovered the body of an Atlanta man from Lake Lanier Monday afternoon, just over a week after he went missing near Holiday Marina.

Lt. Judd Smith with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the body of Kaiyan Ding, 29, was returned to shore just after 3 p.m. Monday. 

Hall County Sheriff's Office public information officer B.J. Williams said Lanier Recovery Divers, a private diving company, found Ding's body at about 2 p.m. The company called 911 and officials from the Georgia DNR responded to the scene. DNR then contacted the Hall County Sheriff's Office Dive Team to provide mutual aid.

Williams said Ding's body was found in 76 feet of water close to the area where he first disappeared. Ding was reportedly on a pontoon boat with friends on June 18, when he went into the lake to retrieve a hat. He went under the water and never resurfaced.

Update posted June 20, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.:

Authorities were continuing the search Monday for a missing Atlanta man who is presumed drowned on Lake Lanier.

Lt. Judd Smith with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said game wardens would be using onboard SONAR during the day as they search for Kaiyan Ding, 29. Smith said they would add Sector Scan SONAR to their search later in the evening when water conditions are better.

Ding went missing Saturday afternoon near Holiday Marina when he went overboard from a boat and did not resurface.

Original story posted Sunday at 10:20 a.m.:

The search continued Sunday morning for an Atlanta man who has gone missing and is presumed drowned on Lake Lanier.

Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said 29-year-old Kaiyan Ding went overboard from a boat near Holiday Marina at about 2 p.m. Saturday. The DNR and Hall County Fire Rescue searched for the man with SONAR in water that was 60 to 100 feet deep. Game wardens were back on the lake at 8 a.m. Sunday and are continuing the search.

High boat traffic, choppy conditions and underwater standing timber is make the search more difficult.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Local/State News
  • Associated Tags: lake lanier, hall county, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Drowning, Hall County Fire Rescue
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