Three friends decided to swim to a rock in a Georgia park; searchers just found one friend’s body

BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — Emergency crews have found a possible drowning victim at Frank Amerson Park Ocmulgee River. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources helped with the investigation and search.

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The man struggled in the water as he and two friends were swimming to an area where rocks were visible above the water on Feb. 22, according to witnesses.

Two of the men reached the rocks but they say 22-year-old Javion Whitest struggled against the current.

Dive teams searched the river for several days, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Members of the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department Dive Team and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources located the body of Whitest on Monday. He was about 400 yards downstream of where he was last seen, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

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The Frank Amerson Water Park is now back open to the public with limited access to the park.

The Sheriff’s Office says it is an ongoing investigation and asks anyone with information to call 478-751-7500.

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The park has been the scene of several drownings. Channel 2 Action News reported on a teenage girl who died in May of 2022. Three other family members were hospitalized in the incident.

At the time, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office reminded everyone to wear life jackets while on the river.

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