GA Man In Lake Lanier Drowning ID'ed

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — A 71-year-old Buford man who drowned to death and was found 11 feet underwater Saturday at Lake Lanier has been identified.

Game wardens were called to the lake near Forsyth County's Three Sisters Island around 3:30 p.m., according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday.

The DNR said when they arrived, first responders from Forsyth and Hall counties were already at the scene.

The man, who authorities identified as Kim Gregory Battle, was operating a boat when he lost his hat, witnesses told the DNR. He stopped the boat, went to retrieve his hat from the back of the boat and slipped into the water, the DNR said.

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Battle did not resurface after falling into the water, the DNR said.

Boat-mounted SONAR and other equipment aided authorities in searching for Battle, the DNR said.

Game wardens found him in 11 feet of water around 5:30 p.m., and a remote operated vessel recovered his body about 15 minutes later, the DNR said.

An official cause of death has not been released.