The body of an Atlanta teacher was found in a nearby lake Sunday, one month after he disappeared on a boating trip alongside his fiancée.
Gary Jones, 50, was located in Lake Oconee by search and rescue teams, the Putnam County Sheriff’s office announced Sunday.
Jones and his fiancée, Joycelyn Wilson, disappeared Feb. 8 on the lake about 65 miles east of Atlanta. Their boat was found idling in circles, sparking a massive search. Wilson, 49, was found dead the next day, but Jones could not be located, even as his wallet, shoes and other personal belongings were collected.
“It’s conceivable it could be months before this body surfaces,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told local Fox affiliate WAGA in early March.
After local authorities suspended the search for Jones on March 3, his family called in Keith Cormican, a nationwide expert in finding bodies in water.
“He’s very successful, very well known around the country, and he’s literally traveled the world finding bodies,” Sills told local NBC affiliate WXIA.
Sure enough, Cormican and Sills were on the lake together on Sunday when they located Jones’ body.
Jones and Wilson’s causes of death remain under investigation, but Sills told WAGA all evidence points to a deadly boating accident.
Jones was a teacher at the prestigious Westminster Schools in Atlanta, while Wilson was a math instructor at Spelman College. Friends said they were planning to get married in March.