By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-19 04:26:59 | Updated at 2026-08-19 04:39:00
38 minutes ago
The body of a Georgia man has been found at the bottom of a notorious 'haunted' lake after he slipped from his boat, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Kim Gregory Battle, 71, was discovered in Lake Lanier near Three Sisters Island just after 5pm on Saturday, the department said in a release.
Since 1994, more than 200 people have died in the lake, which was constructed atop burial grounds in the 1950s, leading to locals suggesting that it is haunted.
Witnesses told law enforcement that Battle was operating his boat when his hat suddenly flew off, DNR Lieutenant Adam Loudermilk said, according to Fox 5.
Battle stopped the boat and walked to the back in a search for his hat but slipped and fell into the water, the outlet reported.
Emergency crews responded to the scene just at around 3.28pm after Battle failed to resurface above the water, Loudermilk said.
DNR game wardens with the department located his body at around 11 feet deep in the water using a Remote Operated Vessel, according to Fox 5.
Forsyth and Hall County sheriff's offices, fire departments and dive teams worked with game wardens at the scene.
Kim Gregory Battle, 71, was discovered in Lake Lanier, pictured, near Three Sisters Island just after 5pm on Saturday
Witnesses said that Battle was operating his boat (stock image) when his hat flew off and he slipped and fell into the water while attempting to retrieve it
It remains unclear if Battle was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident. The Daily Mail reached out to the Georgia DNR for comment.
The tragedy comes after Lake Lanier claimed the life of a 'good swimmer' in June.
Terrell Shelton, 21, was swimming with his friends in Lake Lanier toward an island off of Robinson Park on June 16 when he went underwater and failed to resurface, the Hall County Sheriff's Office said.
A bystander then tried to help Shelton but was unable to reach him in time, according to 11Alive.
Sheriff's deputies, Hall County Fire Rescue personnel and officers with the Georgia DNR responded.
Shelton's body was later recovered in about 14 feet of water after authorities used a remotely operated vehicle to continue the search at around 11.30pm.
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.
The tragedy comes after Lake Lanier claimed the life of Terrell Shelton, 21, in June
Since 1994, more than 200 people have died in the lake, which was constructed atop burial grounds in the 1950s, leading to locals suggesting that it is haunted
The famous man-made lake has seen more than 70 fatalities in boating incidents and recorded 140 drowning deaths between 1994 and 2022.
In just one week in September 2023, three people lost their lives in Lake Lanier, adding to the death toll which does not even include suicides or medical emergencies.
The lake, built in 1956 by the US Army Corps of Engineers, has more than 38,000 acres of water and hosts several million visitors a year.
A theory for the shocking death toll of Lake Lanier could be the treacherous underwater traps, according to a 2023 Washington Post article.
'When the lake was constructed, they didn't remove every single structure from the area before flooding it,' Dee Gillespie, a professor of US history at the University of North Georgia, said.
'That means if you are swimming, you are more likely to get caught up in something.'
Beneath the lake lies 'rooftops, home foundations, cemeteries, and the Gainesville Speedway,' because the city officials thought it was too expensive to demolish the infrastructure.
'When Lake Lanier was formed in the 1950s, it washed over Oscarville and turned it into an underwater ghost town,' a 2021 Oxford American article states.
Officials have said a simple explanation for why authorities are regularly called to boating accidents, drownings and water rescues is the underwater debris, sudden drop-offs, low visibility and heavy recreational traffic on the lake that create dangerous conditions for both swimmers and boaters, the Daily Mail previously reported.
'We always encourage people, if they're gonna be out, to wear a life jacket,' DNR 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.'
