Body of missing man found after fight over water at Oconee Greenway Park

Milledgeville, Ga. (WGXA) — The body of Hunter Knight, the man missing after a struggle in the water at Oconee Greenway Park, has been found.

Maj. Linc Boyer of the Milledgeville Police Department said, “One of his brothers that was there with him gave us a pretty good location, so that's where we're focusing our efforts.” The current was much stronger yesterday than today.

What started as a fun time on the water took a devastating turn Thursday evening, prompting the Milledgeville Police Department to close Oconee Greenway to ensure the safety of first responders and the public. Local fire and rescue teams used boats and dive teams in their search efforts. According to Major Boyer, they stopped the search around 11:30 p.m. Thursday evening and resumed Friday morning a little after six a.m. with the help of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MRN) and their helicopter, as well as several others agencies. Boyer confirmed he located the victim, Hunter Knight, around 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Boyer stressed that the family was deeply affected by this loss. “Obviously they were upset, as you would expect. They were obviously grateful that he was recovered and that this process did not drag on any longer.

Boyer said the brother, Holden Knight, lives in Milledgeville, while the drowning victim, Hunter Knight, was from Thomaston, Georgia.

Major Boyer emphasized that this incident should serve as an important reminder as many people take to the water during the summer months: “Any time you're going to be in the water, if you're not a good swimmer, even if you are a good swimmer you can't go wrong with putting on a life jacket because we have never taken one out wearing a life jacket.