A 21-year-old swimmer died after disappearing beneath the surface of Georgia’s Lake Lanier, a body of water long surrounded by eerie local lore.
Authorities said Terrell Shelton was swimming with friends toward an island near Robinson Park at about 2:40 p.m. Saturday when he suddenly went under and did not come back up.
A nearby person attempted to reach Shelton and help him, but was unable to get to him in time, according to 11Alive.
Deputies from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Fire Rescue crews and officers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were all called to the scene.
Marine teams, rescue boats and divers searched the area where Shelton was last seen, focusing on water about 30 feet deep, before the operation was halted around 9 p.m. because of darkness.
Officials later resumed the effort using a remotely operated vehicle, and Shelton’s body was recovered at about 11:30 p.m. in roughly 14 feet of water.
His sudden death shocked his sister, Calista Shelton.
‘Honestly I was shaking, I was freaking out,’ she told WSB-TV. ‘My brother is a good swimmer. How could this happen?’
Terrell Shelton, 21, drowned in Georgia’s Lake Lanier on Saturday afternoon
The massive lake (pictured) has a reputation of being cursed or haunted
The massive lake has been rumored to be cursed or haunted, with online discussions frequently pointing to the area’s history – including the remains of roads, structures and cemeteries that were flooded when the reservoir was created in the 1950s, according to CBS News.
Many posts also reference Oscarville, a predominantly black community whose residents were expelled from Forsyth County in 1912 before the land was submerged beneath the lake decades later.
Officials, though, say there is a simple explanation for why authorities are regularly called to boating accidents, drownings and water rescues – the millions of people that visit it each year.
They say the underwater debris, sudden drop-offs, low visibility and heavy recreational traffic on the lake create dangerous conditions for both swimmers and boaters alike.
‘We always encourage people, if they’re gonna be out, to wear a life jacket,’ Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division Corporal Kevin Goss told 11Alive.
‘It’s a very different lake than a lot of people are used to,’ he explained. ‘It’s got a lot of trees, elevation, a lot of wake, and so we always encourage bringing flotation and definitely a life jacket if you’re not comfortable with swimming.’
Terrell’s death marks the seventh drowning on Lake Lanier this season.
Shelton’s sister said he was a ‘good swimmer’ as she expressed her disbelief over her brother’s untimely death
On social media, Calista remembered Terrell as ‘a son, a brother, a partner, a friend and someone who was deeply loved by so many people’
Authorities say Lake Lanier’s conditions make it dangerous to swim
On social media, Calista remembered Terrell as ‘a son, a brother, a partner, a friend and someone who was deeply loved by so many people.
‘The pain of losing him so suddenly is impossible to put into words,’ she wrote Sunday morning.
Calista then addressed her brother directly.
‘Terrell, I wish I had more time with you,’ she said. ‘I wish we could have one more conversation, one more laugh, one more memory.
‘You will always be my brother and I will carry you with me for the rest of my life.’
The heartbroken sister went on to ask her Facebook friends to ‘please keep our family, his boyfriend and everyone who loved him in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating loss.’
Calista also shared an online fundraiser she created to help the family pay for Terrell’s funeral and memorial expenses.
‘His kindness, laughter and presence brought so much joy to those around him and the void left behind is impossible to put into words,’ reads the GoFundMe, which had raised more than $2,000 as of Tuesday evening.
