Search crews recovered the body of a Lilburn man early Monday after an hours‑long operation on Lake Allatoona. Officials identified him as 28‑year‑old Fidel Ojwang, who reportedly went over the back of a ski boat and did not resurface. Crews located his body in roughly 60 feet of water near Glade Marina and used a remotely operated vehicle to recover it. The remains were turned over to the Bartow County coroner, who will determine the official cause of death.
Game wardens with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Bartow County Fire Rescue were dispatched after reports of a possible drowning at about 12:49 p.m. Sunday, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Responders immediately scanned the area with boat‑mounted SONAR and called in additional resources as it became clear this was not going to be a quick rescue. The search stretched into the night before crews finally made the recovery just after midnight.
Authorities say game wardens ultimately located Ojwang in about 60 feet of water and relied on a Remote Operated Vessel, or ROV, to bring his body to the surface. Officials have emphasized that the combination of sonar and the ROV was crucial to finding the victim in the lake’s deeper sections, where visibility is low and divers face significant risks. The recovered remains were turned over to the Bartow County coroner for identification and autopsy.
Local outlets initially reported slightly different details about the man's age; an early update from WSB‑TV described the missing person as 27 years old. Investigators have not said whether Ojwang was wearing a life jacket or what immediately caused him to go under, and the DNR and Bartow County agencies are continuing to investigate how a day on the water turned into a fatal incident.
Why Searches Can Take Hours
Allatoona’s depth, underwater timber and uneven bottom make surface searches tough, even for experienced teams. Recovery operations often depend on side‑scan and boat‑mounted sonar plus ROVs to locate submerged victims that divers might never see on their own. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' SPLASH!/Wear It! campaign, highlighted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, stresses life‑jacket use, boating education and community programs like life‑jacket loaner boards to help prevent drownings. Officials say wearing proper personal flotation devices and following safety checks before heading out remain the strongest defenses against tragedies like this one.
Next Steps
The Bartow County coroner will complete an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, and the Georgia DNR has said it will release more information as it becomes available. Anyone with video or information from the Glade Marina area on Sunday is asked to contact the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division or Bartow County authorities, per local reporting such as CBS News Atlanta. Local agencies are again reminding boaters to follow safety rules and carry Coast Guard‑approved flotation devices whenever they head out on the water.
