MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Milledgeville Police found the body of a man on Friday who went missing in the Oconee River Greenway Thursday night.
Officials spent Friday morning searching for a man, later identified as Hunter Knight, missing in the Oconee River. They swept the shore, used sonar and sent a dive team to look for the 26-year-old man.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office got the call around 7 p.m. Thursday evening.
They said the 26-year-old was with his younger brother and was last seen struggling in the water.
Ricky Boles is a sergeant with the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
"Even if you are a good swimmer, the river's currents are pretty strong," Boles said. "We were going up and down the river looking and checking the shorelines and actually checking the shallow areas for any signs of the missing subject"
Boles says he was last seen 50 to 75 yards downriver from the boat ramp.
"His brother went in after him and attempted to save him but he was pulling his brother down so he had to separate from him," Boles said. "The brother ended up swimming back to shore and yelling for help. A bystander jumped in to attempt to save the subject that was drowning and he couldn't locate him at the time."
The Department of Natural Resources, Milledgeville Police Department, Milledgeville Fire Department, the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and Baldwin County Fire searched from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday then restarted at 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Now, officials say they found the man's body around 1:30 p.m.
Linc Boyer is a major and a patrol commander for the Milledgeville Police Department.
"People come down here every year during the summer, there's a lot of people who enjoy this," Boyer said. "However, we do recommend putting a life jacket on."
If you're out on the water, Boyer says safety should come first.
According to the state, Georgia averages around 130 drownings a year. More than three-quarters are men.
"If you're going to be down here, whether on a kayak or a canoe, having a life jacket on makes a difference," Boyer said. "Even if you are a good swimmer, the currents down here change. You could have a medical emergency, but if you have a life jacket on it can make it that much easier for yourself as well as us when we're trying to do a rescue effort."
Knight's family has been notified.
Officials all cleared the scene around 3 p.m.