Hall County Sheriff’s Office Investigators have identified a body discovered by a fisherman in Lake Lanier Saturday afternoon, Feb. 22, as Brian Dwayne Ferguson, 33, of Gainesville.
Deputies responded to a call in reference to a body found in the water at the end of Fishermans Cove off of Price Road at approximately 4:15 p.m. Saturday. The Sheriff’s Office and Hall County Fire Services recovered the body from the lake. After making positive identification, investigators notified family members.
Sheriff’s Office Detectives have been investigating Ferguson’s disappearance since the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 9, when a family member and a friend first reported him missing. The reporting parties last spoke with Ferguson at approximately 4 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, when he stated that he just needed to go, “clear his head.”
On the same day, Deputies learned that Ferguson’s truck had been abandoned in the area of Barkers Bend Drive and Yellow Creek Road. Investigators initially received information that the truck was left there on Feb. 8, but further investigation revealed it was there as early as Feb. 2.
Attempts to locate Ferguson over the following days included interviews, air, foot and water searches, a public BOLO (be on the lookout), database searches and checks with neighboring agencies and hospitals. Other agencies involved in search efforts included the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue.
The body has been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy. The investigation is in its early stages as Sheriff’s Office Investigators work to determine the cause and other circumstances surrounding the death.
