GAINESVILLE - Hall County authorities are investigating a potential drowning that occurred late Wednesday afternoon in Lake Lanier.
An unidentified Hoschton man, said to be 58-years-old, was last seen working on a boat that was docked at Sunrise Cove Marina on Flat Creek Road.
Deputy Nicole Bailes with the Hall County Sheriff's Office said someone nearby noticed that the unnamed man, who is said to own a slip at Sunrise Cove, had seemingly disappeared. He then notified local authorities.
"At approximately 5:16 p.m. today we received a 911 call from a gentleman that was a witness, basically, on the docks," she said.
Bailes said authorities then launched recovery efforts that centered on the area where the man was last seen. She noted that authorities were not alone in their efforts.
"Family members have since come forward and are assisting us in our search to try to look for this gentleman," she said.
Despite several hours of searching, Bailes said local authorities, including the Hall County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, Hall County Fire Services and Hall County Fire Marine Rescue, were not able to locate the missing man.
The search was called off late Wednesday evening due to darkening conditions. Bailes said recovery efforts would resume early Thursday.
"We will have some additional resources coming in, so the Department of Natural Resources will be here...and we will resume our search at...9 a.m.," Bailes noted.
Bailes stressed that at this time, authorities are officially treating the matter as a missing persons case, as no tangible evidence has been found that conclusively points to a drowning.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/8/329145/search-suspended-for-possible-drowning-victim-in-hall-co-will-resume-thursday