12 hours ago
Man drowns after jumping off boat at Georgia's Lake Lanier
Georgia officials said they have located the body of a man who jumped off a boat and into a lake wearing an unsecured life jacket.
Witnesses saw Ramon Diaz-Soria, 27, leap into Lake Lanier in Forsyth County in the afternoon on Saturday, June 14, once the vessel came to a stop, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Law Enforcement Division.
With his lifejacket improperly secured, Diaz-Soria went underwater, but only his lifejacket floated to the surface, prompting a search, the department said. The Hall County resident was with friends on a rental tri-boon boat, the drowning report shows. Family and friends told officials that he could not swim, according to the report.
Officers searched for Diaz-Soria until it became dark, but they resumed their search in the morning on Sunday, June 18. Using sonar technology, officials located the body 60 feet below the surface by the evening, officials confirmed, adding that it has been sent to the local coroner's office.
Diaz-Soria's death comes a month after a body police believe belonged to Dustin Valencia, a 43-year-old father of five children, was also found in Lake Lanier. The reservoir is the largest lake in Georgia, and it contains over 38,000 acres of water and more than 690 miles of shoreline.
Diaz-Soria's younger sister, Aby, said her family is in complete shock over the tragedy and has set up a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses.
"Ramon was everything to me. He wasn't just my brother — he was my best friend, my protector, and my biggest supporter. Anyone who knew him would tell you how kind, generous, funny, and full of light he was," Aby wrote on the fundraiser page.
Aby urged everyone to keep her brother in their thoughts and hearts to "keep Ramon's memory alive."
"I still can't believe he's gone — a piece of me is missing forever," she wrote. "This loss is truly beyond words. While nothing can ever fill the void he's left behind, we want to honor Ramon in the way he deserves."
As of Tuesday, June 17, the GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $16,000.
Between 1994 and 2024, more than 200 people have died at Lake Lanier, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division.
In 2024, there were three drownings, 30 total boating incidents, 21 total injuries, and one boating fatality at Lake Lanier, the Georgia DNR's data shows. Suicides or medical events, including cardiac arrest and strokes, are not counted in any of the reported data.
Lake Lanier drownings, deaths (2018-2024)
2018: 8 drownings, 11 total deaths
2019: 8 drownings, 11 total deaths
2020: 7 drownings, 10 total deaths
2021: 4 drownings, 9 total deaths
2022: 6 drownings, 7 total deaths
2023: 13 drownings, 13 total deaths
2024: 3 drownings, 4 total deaths
Total: 49 drownings, 65 total deaths
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse/USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Body of man who jumped of boat at Georgia's Lake Lanier found
