Body of missing Georgia teacher found in lake

The body of missing teacher Gary Jones was found in Lake Oconee in Georgia, Sunday, Mar. 9, police said Monday.

Missing Georgia teacher Gary Jones

Jones and his fiancée, Spelman College professor Joycelyn Wilson, 47, went out on the lake on Feb. 8 to celebrate Jones 50th birthday, and boaters found the couple’s empty boat on the water about two hours later.

Wilson’s body was recovered the next day but the search was suspended a week later after authorities were unsuccessful in recovering Jones.

How he was found

Authorities said Jones’ body was found Sunday by Keith Cormican, founder of Bruce’s Legacy, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that had stepped in to assist with the search over the weekend.

The organization used its advanced sonar equipment to locate Jones after over a day of searching.

Authorities said Jones was found approximately 45 feet down among timber, about 75 to 100 yards away from where his fiancée’s body was found.

“To be able to…give them that answer that they’ve been looking for for 29 days, that means a lot,” Cormican said.

Jones was a faculty member at Westminster, a private Christian school in Atlanta. According to Westminster President Keith Evans, Jones joined the Westminster staff in 2002 and was a middle school science teacher, eighth grade basketball coach and Head of Program for Track and Field.