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Divers, dogs amp up search for missing Atlanta teacher on Lake Oconee

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Divers, dogs amp up search for missing Atlanta teacher on Lake Oconee


The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office launched its largest search effort yet at Lake Oconee on Saturday in an attempt to locate Gary Jones. The Atlanta teacher has been missing since Feb. 8. 

What we know:

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Jones was last seen on the lake with his fiancée, Joycelyn Wilson, in a small fishing boat. Her body was discovered on Feb. 9, but Jones remains missing.

The search operation included eight divers and several cadaver dog teams from Florida and Georgia, working alongside Putnam County sheriff’s deputies and a Department of Natural Resources helicopter.

The search teams also utilized sonar to investigate. Despite conducting 11 dives on nine identified targets, they found no traces of Jones anywhere.

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Gary Jones (Credit: Westminster Athletics)

Conditions worsen during search for Gary Jones

What they’re saying:

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“Today was the biggest effort we put forth yet, really, as far as number of people,” said Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. “I’ve been a police officer of some sort for over 50 years, and this is the biggest effort I’ve ever seen on a drowning case like this to recover a body. We’ve got people here from South Carolina, from Georgia, from Florida.”

Buck Buchanan of Dive 9-1-1 said murky lake waters offered less than a foot of visibility.

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Search efforts continue at Lake Oconee for Gary Jones on March 1, 2025.

“We have almost less than a foot of visibility. So if you put your hand out in front of you, squint real hard in a dark closet,” Buchanan explained.

High winds, with gusts reaching up to 30 miles per hour, also further complicated the search.

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“They said we’ve had like 30 miles an hour gusts. It looks like we’ve got about 25 miles an hour sustained right now. So, it’s become kind of impossible for the dogs to work,” Sills noted.

Laurence Walker of the United Cajun Navy described how the winds created swells up to two feet high, affecting the accuracy of sonar equipment.

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“The waves bouncing up and down. It makes the sonar not that accurate, too, because it’s just like holding the camera, like trying to take a picture. With the camera jumping up and down so you get blurred images,” Walker said.

Gary Jones’ students reach out

What we know:

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Earlier this week, some of Jones’ students sent thank-you cards to the search and rescue teams. Walker expressed how these gestures of gratitude motivate the volunteers.

“I got three of them, and I read one, and it took me a couple of days to read the second. And that’s the reason I’m here, man,” he said.

What’s next:

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The search teams plan to resume their efforts at 7 a.m. Sunday, hoping for calmer winds and potentially more divers joining the search.

Search efforts continue at Lake Oconee for Gary Jones on March 1, 2025.

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What happened to Gary Jones?

The backstory:

Gary Jones and his fiancée, Joycelyn Wilson, were celebrating his 50th birthday when they vanished. 

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The couple had checked into a hotel near Lake Oconee before heading straight to the water.

Approximately two hours later, boaters discovered their empty fishing boat idling on the lake, setting off a widespread search operation.

Joycelyn Nicole Wilson (Credit: Spelman College)

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Authorities are treating this as a death investigation as they work to determine what happened.

Wilson’s body was found dead in the water on Feb. 9, near where Jones’ shoes and personal belongings were recovered.

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The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Eric Mock interviewed the search teams helping look for missing teacher Gary Jones at Lake Oconee on March 1, 2025.Information for this story came from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Dive 911 and the United Cajun Navy along with previous reports from Fox 5 Atlanta. 

Putnam CountyMissing PersonsNews



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Atlanta, GA

2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say

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2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say


Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.

Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.

Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.

Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.

Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.

At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”

“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.

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The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.

Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.



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Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More

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Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More


On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.



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Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo

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Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo


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An NBA player from an opposing team has called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman’s club.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to reconsider their “Magic City Monday” plans for a March 16 game against the Orlando Magic in a letter posted to Medium on Monday, March 2. Atlanta’s ownership group and front office recently touted the one-night collaboration as an ode to an “iconic cultural institution,” citing Magic City’s role and impact in Atlanta’s Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.

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But Kornet wrote that “the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ “

“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet continued. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”

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Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its “world famous” lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ – at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.

Magic City celebrated 40 years with a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena before the game.

Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.

“I’d like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold the Atlanta Hawks to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting,” Kornet wrote. “I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”

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Luke Kornet stats

Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he’s played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.



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