A 71-year-old Georgia man drowned over the weekend after falling from his boat while trying to retrieve a lost hat at Lake Lanier, a body of water that has become notorious for its high number of deaths.
Kim Gregory Battle, of Buford, was found dead Saturday, Aug. 15, after a large search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, fire departments and dive teams.
Emergency crews were called to Lake Lanier around 3:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a possible drowning.
Witnesses told officials that Battle had been operating his boat when his hat blew off.
He stopped the vessel and apparently tried to retrieve it, but slipped and fell into the water.
Authorities said Battle “never resurfaced.”
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, local fire departments and dive teams all joined the search.
Crews used boat-mounted sonar to scan the area before game wardens located Battle’s body around 5:30 p.m., roughly two hours after the initial emergency call.
He was found in approximately 11 feet of water.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said Battle was not wearing a life jacket when he fell into the lake.
Officials have not said whether alcohol, mechanical trouble or any other factor played a role in the incident.
Battle’s death adds to Lake Lanier’s grim reputation.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has said 233 people have died at the lake over the past 20 years, according to The Guardian.
Battle is reportedly the third person to die at Lake Lanier in 2026.
In June, 21-year-old Terrell Shelton drowned while swimming with friends.
One month later, 60-year-old Glenn Cunningham was found dead after disappearing in the water near Shoal Creek Campground.
Lake Lanier has also been the scene of other heartbreaking deaths in recent years.
In February 2025, engaged couple Joycelyn Nicole Wilson and Gary Jones vanished in the lake during a trip celebrating Jones’ 50th birthday.
Wilson’s body was recovered the following day, while Jones was not found until about a month later.
Lake Lanier was created in the 1950s as part of a flood-control project and to provide water for the Atlanta area.
But over the decades, the lake’s unusually high number of drownings and accidents has fueled a dark reputation.
Some locals and visitors have even described the lake as “haunted” or “cursed,” although there is no evidence of anything supernatural behind the deaths.
For Battle’s family, however, the latest tragedy is painfully real.
What began as a routine boating trip ended with a massive search and the discovery of his body just hours later.
