Another Death At Lake Lanier

Photo credit: David McBee / Pexels

Unfortunate events continue to lead to deaths this year at Lake Lanier.
According to state officials, a 23-year-old man died after falling into the water after slipping off the dock over Labor Day weekend.

After the incident, his body was recovered from 17 feet of water. The victim was identified as Gavrie Alexander Whitlock, 23, of Snellville.

The site where Whitlock drowned is Holiday Marina, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Lake Lanier has been linked with some mysterious deaths since its inception in the 1950s. One common misconception was that the lake was built on top of a black town. In fact, Georgia’s Lake Lanier was not built on top of Oscarville, but rather, the construction of Buford Dam, which created the lake, flooded the area where the historic town of Oscarville was located.

Read about the History of Lake Lanier.

Tee Johnson: Tee Johnson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AtlantaFi.com, Atlanta’s independent hyper-local publication focused on news, restaurants, events, jobs, neighborhoods, and lifestyle. A 15+ year Atlanta resident and longtime journalist and content creator, she covers Travel News, Events, Business, Hair Care, and Money with a practical, Atlanta-first lens. Before launching the site, Johnson worked as a substitute teacher in Atlanta Public Schools and later in corporate roles at Home Depot’s Vinings offices. A marketer by training with a degree in business management, she grew frustrated with the fragmented, hard-to-find information about what was actually happening in the city. That gap led her to create AtlantaFi as a curated, one-stop resource for the pulse of Atlanta—#ATLHAPS—without the national noise. Editorial decisions remain independent; the publication does not accept products, meals, or services in exchange for coverage. As Editor-in-Chief, she oversees original local reporting and curated practical guides that help residents, visitors, and businesses discover and engage with the city. Readers turn to her work for timely event roundups, dining and neighborhood insights, business and travel updates, and straightforward money and lifestyle coverage grounded in firsthand observation of Atlanta. A devoted lover of all things Atlanta, Tee enjoys pickleball, a good margarita or bourbon, and walking the Atlanta Beltline. She can be reached for editorial inquiries at tjohnson@atlantafi.com (serious inquiries only).

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