The body of a woman who is believed to have drowned was recovered in Lake Oconee by Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources law enforcement officers Sunday morning, and they are still searching for the man she may have been with.
Putnam County Deputy Coroner Andre Williams identified the woman as 49-year-old Joycelyn Nicole Wilson of Atlanta. Wilson’s body was reportedly floating in Lake Oconee near the Long Shoals area. Williams said the cause of death is undetermined until the results of an autopsy, which will be done at the state crime lab in Decatur. He said there were no markings or wounds on her body when she was pulled from the lake.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said an unoccupied boat was seen going around in circles in the water around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It was not reported to Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, but was reported to DNR game wardens through [their] Grovetown office,” Sills said, noting that DNR did not call PCSO until Sunday morning.
According to Sills, the phone call was made when DNR needed someone to go to The Lodge hotel, where the couple had been staying, and gather their belongings.
Sunday evening, Georgia DNR Cpl. Taylor Bingham said game wardens had been using sonar-equipped boats to search for the two missing boaters, and found Wilson at 9:55 a.m. He said they continued searching for the man, who has yet to be identified by authorities, but suspended the search in the dark and would resume it Monday morning. He said the couple was boating in an 11-foot Sun Dolphin vessel with an 18-horsepower motor.
The Georgia DNR law enforcement’s Critical Incident Reconstruction Team was also brought in to assist in the investigation and search.