Atlanta, GA
‘Miracles happen’: Volunteers join robust search effort for missing Atlanta teacher on Lake Oconee
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – On Friday, dozens of volunteers joined sheriff’s deputies and crews from the Department of Natural Resources to try and locate the body of Gary Jones, an Atlanta teacher, who went missing on Lake Oconee Saturday, along with his fiancée Joycelyn Wilson.
“I think that some of us are still hopeful that we will not only find him but that maybe that you know, miracles happen,” said Dana Chambliss, whose two sons were taught by Jones at Westminster Schools in Atlanta.
Chambliss joined other volunteers from the Westminster community on Friday to try and locate Jones, who was an 8th grade science teacher and a high school track coach.
The body of Wilson was found on the surface of Lake Oconee, roughly a mile from the Long Shoals Boat Ramp.
Search crews found a pair of Jones’ shoes roughly 200 yards from Wilson’s body earlier this week.
“I’ve got video of them launching the boat and I zoomed in on it and they’re the identical shoes,” said Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.
“Initially you want to think perhaps they’re alive and need help and things like that. I don’t think that at this juncture,” said Sills, in an interview with Atlanta News First on Friday.
Sills said he is investigating the death for foul play. He said that is standard in cases like this.
“There’s nothing on that nature that I can comment on,” said Sills, when asked if Wilson’s death is suspicious in nature.
Sills said their investigation goes beyond the confines of Lake Oconee. He said they recently acquired the phone records of Wilson and Jones.
Sills called this search effort the most robust search he’s seen at Lake Oconee, where he’s been sheriff of Putnam County for nearly 30 years.
“In all my years I’ve never seen this many people searching for a body in the lake,” said Sills.
Game Wardens from the Department of Natural Resources continued their efforts using SONAR scanning tools as part of surface and shoreline sweeps.
A DNR K-9 team searched in the woods near the lake on Friday.
The Sheriff’s Office launched a K-9 team to help sniff for a body on Lake Oconee.
“The challenge in every drowning type situation, if I know where you go down, that’s where you’re going to be. But we don’t know where they went down,” said Sills.
Volunteer search crews said they will continue their efforts on Saturday morning.
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The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
The search for missing 16-year-old Benjamin Braithwaite is over. Atlanta police announced just before midnight Thursday that he had been located, more than a week after he vanished from his Regency Trace home.
The department shared the update on social media but did not release additional details about where he was found or the circumstances surrounding his recovery.
Braithwaite had been missing since the night of April 27, when he was last seen around 9 p.m. at his home in Atlanta. His family said they had no contact with him during the entire time he was gone.
The disappearance of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School sophomore and basketball team member had galvanized the Atlanta community. His family, teammates, Atlanta police officers and neighbors gathered at the school last week to raise awareness about his disappearance. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where his mother works, joined the search effort — asking the public to watch for him at MARTA stops and fast food restaurants.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for credible information leading to his safe return.
“Even small details matter. Your awareness could make the difference,” the airport wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week.
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