Authorities search for suspected drowning victim near Greenway | News

Authorities are searching for a man believed to have drowned while swimming near the Oconee River Greenway boat launch Thursday.

Sgt. Ricky Boles, a game warden with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' law enforcement division, said he was contacted by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office on Thursday around 7 p.m. about a 26-year-old man years old missing in the river.

“From what we understand, he was having trouble in the water,” Boles said Friday morning. “His brother chased him and tried to save him, but he was pulling his brother down, so [the brother] had to part with him. The brother eventually swam back to shore and began screaming for help. A passerby intervened to try to help save the drowning subject. He was unable to locate it at that time.

The search began after the call was received as DNR game wardens, Milledgeville Police Department officers, Baldwin County Sheriff's Office deputies and firefighters from the Milledgeville Fire Department and from Baldwin County Fire Rescue responded to the scene. Several boats were in the water, scanning the shoreline, and game wardens used SONAR equipment to try to find the man's body, Boles said. Divers also went into the water on Thursday evening before the search ceased around 11 p.m.

The search resumed Friday at 7 a.m. using the same methods as Thursday. The MNR helicopter also flew over the river near the greenway Friday morning to assist in the search.

Speaking with media at 11 a.m. Friday, Boles said he has an “area of ​​interest” between 50 and 75 yards downstream of the Greenway boat ramp, where the water is 7 at 8 feet. This area is right in the middle of the river, where the subject was last seen.

“We’re still looking and will be here until we find it,” Boles said.

The 26-year-old man, who Boles said was not from Baldwin County, is believed to have drowned.

“I would say so,” said the game warden. “There's nothing definitive, but he was last seen in the middle of the river, and we have a witness who said he fell.”

Boles said several family members of the alleged drowning victim are at the scene and are being updated frequently as search efforts continue.

“We pray for them, of course,” he said.

Boles was asked what precautions river swimmers should take.

“The currents here are constantly changing with the dam opening,” he said of the Greenway area. “If you’re not a good swimmer, I wouldn’t be here.” We recommend personal flotation devices, PFDs, especially if you are not a strong swimmer. Even if you are a strong swimmer, the river currents are quite strong, so we recommend wearing a PFD during these times.

The last drowning near the Greenway occurred nearly a year ago in a similar incident to Thursday. A 22-year-old man was swimming with friends when he began to struggle and fell underwater. A friend intervened to try to save him, but the victim started grabbing his friend as well and he had to let go.

The greenway will remain closed while emergency personnel continue their search efforts, according to MPD.