The ongoing search for a missing coach at Lake Oconee has tragically shifted its focus after a college professor was found dead over the weekend. According to Atlanta News First, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources discovered the body of Joycelyn Wilson, a Spelman College mathematics professor, using sonar equipment at around 10 a.m. last Sunday. Wilson had been with Gary Jones, the missing Westminster school coach, when the incident occurred.
Following the grim discovery, efforts to locate Jones intensified but were hindered on Wednesday by adverse weather conditions. Resuming yesterday with advanced sonar technology, the Department of Natural Resources continued its search across Lake Oconee. "Our entire community is praying for his safe return and for his family during this difficult moment," Westminster school expressed in a statement obtained by Atlanta News First. Confirmation from authorities has revised the situation from a search and rescue operation to now a recovery and death investigation after a volunteer found shoes belonging to Jones.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the pair was believed to be on a boat that was later found circling empty on Lake Oconee. Lake Oconee spans between Eatonton to the south and Madison to the north, though specific search locations and where the boat was first discovered have not been disclosed by officials.
Jones, known for his contributions to Atlanta's education community as both a faculty member and coach, had a deeper connection with the deceased professor. A childhood friend of Jones mentioned, in an interview with Atlanta News First, that the two were Clark Atlanta University alumni and had recently reconnected, culminating in their engagement. The search for Jones, after being suspended due to weather, persists as authorities work to bring closure to a community in mourning.
