PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. – 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:

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.

Conditions worsen during search for Gary Jones

What they’re saying:

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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:

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:

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.

What happened to Gary Jones?

The backstory:

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

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.

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.