Lake Oliver drowning victim recovered from Chattahoochee River, officials say
The body of a drowning victim was recovered from the Chattahoochee River Tuesday morning, officials with Columbus Fire and EMS said.
The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Jose Francisco Garcia Ramirez, according to Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison.
Allison pronounced Ramirez dead after he was recovered by Columbus Fire and EMS Rescue Team around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The body was found near North Highland Dam, just below the old Bibb Mill, about two days after the drowning was reported, Battalion Chief Daniel Macon with Columbus Fire and EMS said.
Warmer water temperatures may have played a role in the quick recovery effort, Macon said.
“Without getting into the body’s anatomy, he surfaced,” he said. “The water temperature is a little warmer, his body mass is a little larger and that’s why the search ended a little faster.”
Ramierz possibly drowned while swimming with his brother just below the Lake Oliver Dam. Sirens alerting the opening of the dam went off Sunday morning, but the two brothers might not have understood what the alert meant, officials said in a news conference Monday.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 10:58 AM.
