Body found days after jet ski rider vanishes in Lake Lanier, Georgia officials say
The body of a man who fell off a jet ski and disappeared on Lake Lanier has been found, Georgia officials say.
Walter Juarez Guardado, 37, of Roswell was pulled from the Atlanta-area lake around noon Monday, Oct. 23, after crews found his body in 20 feet of water, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Game wardens said Guardado was riding a jet ski near East Bank Park on Oct. 21 when he fell off. He wasn’t wearing a life vest, authorities said.
A witness told officials Guardado swam to shore but went back into the water for his jet ski and never resurfaced, game wardens said.
A dayslong search ensued as game wardens and local fire crews scoured the area. On Monday, crews found his body using DNR sonar.
It’s just the latest in a string of deadly incidents at Lake Lanier in recent months.
Additional information wasn‘t released.
History of Lake Lanier
The man-made reservoir was built in phases from 1950 to 1957 and hit “full pool” in August 1958, according to the lake’s website.
Originally envisioned as a hydroelectric power source, Lake Lanier now provides drinking water to much of metro Atlanta. Its development didn’t come without some controversy, however.
Construction for the dam led to the seizure of 56,000 acres of private land and “effectively erased” a predominately Black town known as Oscarville, according to the site. More than 1,000 predominantly Black residents, businesses and cemeteries were displaced.
“This displacement led to many different network TV features, books, movies, documentaries and even theories about the lake being haunted in various ways, including the underwater ghost town,” the website says.
Lake Lanier is about 50 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Body found days after jet ski rider vanishes in Lake Lanier, Georgia officials say."