Missing man found drowned near Highland Marina

Published 11:28 am Wednesday, March 6, 2024

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Authorities are investigating how a Cobb County man ended up drowning near Highland Marina.

The victim has been identified by the Troup County Sheriff’s Office as Lorenzo Reed, 60, of Cobb County.

Sheriff’s deputies began investigating the incident after receiving a call about an individual from the Cobb County area who had traveled to West Point Lake to go fishing on Monday, March 4, but never returned home and was not answering his phone.

Deputies later located Reed’s truck and boat trailer at Highland Marina on Seminole Road and immediately began a search for the boat.

The boat was then located unoccupied and anchored in a boat slip at Highland Marina. Deputies were able to quickly locate the boat by hearing the victim’s cell phone ringing inside the boat, according to Troup County Coroner Erin Hackley.

A search was then conducted with the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources and the Corps of Engineers. The victim was later recovered and pronounced deceased around 7:30 p.m. The body was found submerged near the victim’s boat.

There were no witnesses to the incident but due to where the victim was found, investigators believe Reed fell off his boat at some point and drowned.

Hackley said at this point they are uncertain why Reed fell off the boat and if he had a medical issue or simply hit his head.

The victim has since been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an autopsy.