On Wednesday evening, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a missing persons call off of Georgia Highway 68 North.
According to Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran, the information received was that a 67-year old male had gone fishing earlier Wednesday morning, and he had failed to return home.
“He didn’t come as he normally would, so his wife reached out to family members to see if anyone had heard from him,” said Sheriff Cochran.
Family and friends discovered the missing man’s vehicle and his boat in the area of a private pond where he regularly fished.
“They couldn’t locate him, and that’s when they called us,” said Sheriff Cochran.
Once deputies arrived, they surveyed the area, and immediately notified the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.
A search ensued by emergency responders in the nearby area and in the pond.
“Crews came to the scene and initiated a ground search around the pond area; after that they used boats with sonar in an attempt to locate the missing person,” said Sheriff Cochran. He added, “Those efforts were unsuccessful.”
The search continued on Thursday, March 12.
According to Sheriff Cochran, additional resources and agencies have been called in to assist with this search.
The Georgia State Patrol’s Dive Team was contacted; they arrived Thursday morning.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Public Safety, and local first responders also responded to aid in the search efforts.
As of the print of this article, the missing person’s identity has not been officially released out of respect for the family.