Body Of Missing Coach Found In GA Lake A Month After Disappearance

PUTNAM COUNTY, GA — The body of Gary Jones has been recovered a month after he and his late fiancee, Joycelyn Wilson, disappeared at Lake Oconee, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told news outlets.

Jones, a teacher and coach at Atlanta's Westminster Schools, was found dead around noon Sunday about 100 yards near where Wilson's body was located, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Wilson and Jones, both 49-year-olds from Atlanta, disappeared at the lake while celebrating Jones' 50th birthday, 11Alive previously reported. The two were engaged, according to multiple media outlets.

It was during an early morning scour for Jones that Sills and Search and Recovery Consulting owner Keith Cormican, and Cormican's assistant, used a roving device to find Jones' body 45 feet underwater, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

"The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division (GA DNR-LED) extends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Ms. Joycelyn Wilson and Mr. Gary Jones during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with them as they navigate this heartbreaking loss," the DNR stated in a Facebook post published Sunday.

Georgia authorities, including the DNR, have been looking for Jones since he disappeared on Feb. 8 with Wilson, who was a Spelman College instructor.

Game wardens were first alerted to an empty circling vessel on the lake. While investigating, authorities identified the owner of the powerless boat and determined two adults had been aboard it earlier in the day, the DNR previously said.

With the use of SONAR equipment, authorities said they began searching the area.

Authorities found Wilson's body the day after her disappearance. She was found with air in her lungs and holding her cellphone, the AJC previously reported. Jones' shoes were located in the water at the time, the AJC reported.

Investigators previously told the AJC that Jones and Wilson were possibly en route to a restaurant at the lake and could have been on the small boat for about 90 minutes.

"The circumstances in this case indicate it's not just a simple drowning," Sills said in the past report.

Jones was found 29 days after disappearing at the lake. Cadaver dogs, divers, aircraft, underwater technological devices and a host of volunteers aided law enforcement in the search.

Sills on last week partially limited the search to the shoreline, excluding the use of divers and dogs.

The size of the 19,000-acre Lake Oconee, and rainy weather, presented challenges for authorities as they hunted for Jones.

The sheriff has not indicated to Patch that foul play is suspected in either deaths.

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