Father of 5 now missing after kayaking on the infamous Lake Lanier
Father of 5 now missing after kayaking on the infamous Lake Lanier The kayaker's wife reported him missing after he did not pick their children up after school, and failed to answer his phone.
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The kayak and paddle of a man who went missing while at Lake Lanier in Georgia have been recovered, but he is nowhere to be found, local authorities said.
The search for Dustin Valencia, 43, is ongoing after he went missing on May 14 when he took his family's Intex inflatable kayak on the largest lake in Georgia, which contains more than 38,000 acres of water and over 690 miles of shoreline, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said.
On May 16, the sheriff's office said Valencia's yellow and gray kayak, along with a paddle, were found by a citizen on May 14. The citizen reported the discovery to the agency on the night of May 15.
Despite the kayak and paddle being retrieved, the sheriff's office said Valencia has not been found. The seats in Valencia's kayak were also "not inflated or installed," WALB reported, citing the sheriff's office.
On the day of his disappearance, he did not have a life vest and was believed to have one plastic oar, according to the sheriff's office. It is unclear if the life vest or the plastic oar has been recovered.
Dustin Valencia's children were the last people to see him alive
According to an incident report obtained by USA TODAY, Valencia's wife, Jennifer Valencia, reported him missing on May 14 and told deputies that their children were the last to see her husband after he left earlier in the day to have their vehicle serviced.
Jennifer Valencia then told deputies that her husband returned home around 1 p.m. that day before leaving in their black 2006 Honda Accord. When Valencia failed to pick up the couple's children from school at 3 p.m., his wife attempted to contact him by phone but received no response, the incident report says.
Using the "Find My iPhone" app, Jennifer Valencia tracked her husband's last known location, however, he was not at that location when she arrived to search for him. At that point, she contacted law enforcement to file a missing persons report, the incident report reads.
Jennifer Valencia confirmed that her husband does not suffer from any known medical conditions or mental health issues, and that there were no known threats of self-harm. She stated that her husband typically communicates with her regularly and always keeps her informed, according to the incident report.
While canvassing the area where Valencia was last known to be, deputies located the family's black Honda Accord parked at Little Ridge Park on Lanier Beach South Road. Assuming Valencia may have gone kayaking, deputies searched the nearby water and walked surrounding trails, but they could not locate him, the incident report says.
More news: Fire decimates Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana: What we know so far
More than 200 people have died at Lake Lanier since 1994
While the search for Valencia continues, the dangerousness of Lake Lanier comes to mind, as between 1994 and 2024, more than 200 people have died at the reservoir, 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
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
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