19-year-old runner who disappeared near Chattahoochee found safe

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A teenager is home safe after he disappeared after a jog in Forsyth County.

Deputies said Byron Grogan returned home around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Grogan’s former coach tweeted overnight that he is OK and that he got lost in the woods and slept through most of Tuesday.

Dozens of volunteers searched Tuesday around Chattahoochee Pointe Park, where he went running Monday night.

Dozens of emergency crews and volunteers continued their search Tuesday for the 19-year-old who vanished after a jog along the Chattahoochee River, police say.

Forsyth County deputies said Byron Grogan went for a run at 9 p.m. Monday near Chattahoochee Pointe Park off Old Atlanta Road in Forsyth County. He had not been heard from since, and that prompted a search on the ground and by air.

Grogan's parents said his key fob, cellphone and wallet were found inside his vehicle, which was parked by the river.

Channel 2's Berndt Petersen learned Tuesday that police were concerned the teen may have gone into the river to cool off after his jog.

Petersen was at the scene Tuesday afternoon, where around 100 volunteers are assisting emergency crews. Grogan's close friends and family members said they felt compelled to help.

"He's definitely been my best friend for years and years," Jonathan Schwind told Petersen. "We've been on cross-country together. So, I have to do my part and look for him."

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On the water, search and rescue boats were using sonar to search the river bottom.

Helicopters also searched by air.

Grogan's parents said he had gone on nighttime jogs before, but he'd always returned home within an hour or two.

"The concerning part of this is he has no history of this. And his car is here in the parking lot,"  Cpl. Doug Rainwater, a spokesman with Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said before he was found.

"I've been praying that nothing has been too harmful," Grogan's friend Katie Schwind said. "I know it's gonna be okay and he's not in too much danger or anything."

Cox Media Group