Man pulled from lake after strong winds push his boat offshore, Georgia authorities say
UPDATE: The body of a man who went missing on Lake Hartwell has been found, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed. Crews located David Matthew Crowe, 54, of Hartwell, just before noon on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and recovered his body a short time later.
Additional information wasn’t released.
The original story continues below.
A man remains missing after his boat drifted into a Georgia lake, game wardens say.
Authorities got a call Tuesday, Oct. 10, about a possible drowning near the Paynes Creek Campground on Lake Hartwell, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Witnesses told authorities the 54-year-old went into the lake to get his boat after it was pushed offshore by gusty winds, DNR officials said. He went under and never resurfaced.
A young child called 911 for help, Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland told WYFF.
The boy and his father were camping in the area when their boat drifted into the lake, and the dad went in to retrieve it, Cleveland told the outlet.
With help from local deputies, game wardens searched the area in boats equipped with sonar in hopes of finding the missing man. The search resumed Wednesday morning with no update.
Authorities haven’t released the man’s identity.
Hartwell is about 100 miles northeast of Atlanta, near the Georgia-South Carolina line.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Man pulled from lake after strong winds push his boat offshore, Georgia authorities say."