ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) – After a month of searching, the family of an Atlanta-area teacher finally has some answers in his disappearance on Lake Oconee.
Gary Jones went missing in Lake Oconee on Feb. 8, along with his fiancée, Joycelyn Wilson, when an empty boat was found circling on the lake. Based on interviews, game wardens believed there were a man and woman on the boat and began a search, WANF reports.
Using sonar equipment, wardens found Wilson’s body on Feb. 9. The 49-year-old was a Spelman College professor in the Department of Mathematics, “where she made an indelible impact on both her students and colleagues,” said the college in a statement.
A month later, a group of volunteers using sonar detection found Jones’ body at the bottom of the lake around 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. His body was recovered less than 100 yards from where Wilson’s body was found in February.
Jones’ family called him a “life-changer” and said that the search was “the worst 29 days of our lives.”
Jones worked at Westminster, a private Christian school in Atlanta. He joined the staff in 2002 and was a middle school science teacher, eighth grade basketball coach and Head of Program for Track and Field, according to the school’s president, Keith Evans.
“I have had the privilege of connecting with alumni, parents, students, and faculty members who have shared stories of Gary’s legacy and the many ways he inspired both his students and colleagues. He has profoundly impacted the Wildcat community and his passing will be felt well beyond the boundaries of our campus,” Evans said.
Atlanta-based singer and rapper CeeLo Green took to social media in late February to mourn Wilson. On Instagram, Green said she was practically his sister and that “no one deserves to perish in that fashion.”
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told WANF in late February that search crews had zeroed in on a 2-to-3-acre area on the lake.
The water in which Jones and Wilson’s boat was found is pierced from below by old tree limbs. Those trees, the nearby dam and the constant water flow made the search more complicated than usual.
But the clues were there: Jones’ shoes were found washed ashore, and his wallet was still in the boat.
“I cannot remember such an extensive use of government and civilian personnel and resources for an incident such as this on Lakes Oconee and Sinclair in the last 40 years,” said Sills in a statement.
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