Forsyth County

Officials recover 28-year-old man's body out of Lake Lanier

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Crews have recovered the body of a man who went underwater at Lake Lanier and never resurfaced.

Police identified the man as Corey Lamar Brown, 28, who was found Monday around 4:45 p.m. near Vanns Tavern Park.

On Saturday, officials told Channel 2's Lauren Pozen that Brown was with a group of friends on a pontoon boat with a slide around 6:15 p.m. Friday.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources said Brown and a few other people went into the water to help the person in distress and got in trouble themselves.

"From what we understand, there was one person that was swimming off the pontoon or going off the slide and was having trouble swimming, and the other persons went to assist them," Sgt. Lee Brown said. "

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DNR crews and nearby boaters were able to rescue four of the swimmers, but Brown never resurfaced.  Pozen learned Brown was not wearing a life jacket, but he did know how to swim.

Channel 2's Christian Jennings spoke with a man who helped rescue two of the distressed swimmers.

Jason Albert said he was riding a jet ski when he came upon people screaming on a boat and more people flailing in the water.

"People were jumping up and down, so I killed the motor on the ski, and I could hear them screaming like never before," Albert said. "It was terrible."

Albert said he noticed five people farther out from the shore than he was used to and that they appeared to be struggling to stay above water.

He was able to fish a man and a woman out of the lake, and rescue crews were able to save two other people.

"They were flailing, and they were bobbing up and down," Albert said. "Their mouths were clearly going under the surface at the time that I pulled up. That's when I had to exit the ski and grab them."

Albert said the incident made him appreciate life.

"It made me have an instant appreciation for life, because I saw it in their eyes," Albert said. "They were in big trouble."

Officials said six people have died on the lake since January.

Albert said he lives on the lake and prays he doesn't have to hear about any more tragedies. Albert said most of the tragedies he hears about on the lake involve people not wearing life jackets.

"I feel really bad for the family," Albert said. "I'm heartbroken for them."