Hundreds turn out for vigil for 2 men found dead in Lake Lanier

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Autopsies for two missing men found Friday in Lake Lanier are scheduled to begin Monday.

Hundreds packed in to Dawsonville's North Georgia Church Sunday to remember Mason Cox and David Wood -- best friends whose untimely deaths have rocked not only their families but everyone in this small, tight-knit community.

"Just to be here for love and for strength, because I need some love and strength right now too because I'm in pain as well," said Wood family friend Martha Zappia-Long.

Crews found the bodies of the 20-year-old men Friday at Frederick's Cove in Lake Lanier, the same spot where the pair were last seen going fishing more than a week earlier.

It was a devastating end to an intense search hampered by the week's icy conditions.

"A lot of sorrow, a lot of heartache. Just grief, unbelievable grief," said Zappia-Long.

Friends describe Mason and David, who had a young son of his own, as adventurous and full of life.

With no obvious signs of trauma found on either body, many are struggling to understand what could have happened to the athletic friends who grew up on the lake.

"There's a lot of 'I don't knows' and it's OK to tell people that. What they want to know is that we loved them and cared for them," said student pastor Matt Pritchett.

It's love friends said they hope will keep the families going after such a tragic end.

Some family members expressed their skepticism tonight that the boys deaths were the result of a simple accident. They hope the GBI's investigation which begins Monday will help to bring some closure to this case.

WSBTV