Authorities have identified the boy who drowned Saturday at Lake Russell as 12-year-old Brian Ramirez of Cornelia.
Ramirez was in the designated swimming area with his friends when he went under and did not resurface.
“He was under water for over 20 minutes before being recovered in 10 feet of water,” says Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division spokesperson Mark McKinnon, who identified the boy Sunday evening.
The 100-acre lake near Mt. Airy is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. A family member who was there with Ramirez called Habersham County E-911 at 4:20 p.m. to report he had disappeared.
Units from Habersham County Emergency Services and the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office responded, along with units from the Cornelia Fire Department. Georgia DNR game wardens also responded.
Habersham County Public Information Officer Rob Moore says as soon as they found him, “Medical care began immediately.”
EMTs rushed Ramirez to Mt. Airy Town Hall, where a medical helicopter was waiting.
The AirLife Georgia 14 flight crew assisted in trying to revive Ramirez but were unsuccessful. He was transported to Habersham Medical Center in Demorest, where he was pronounced dead, according to Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire.
