The Disappearance of Gary Laron Jones & Death of Joycelyn Wilson: Gary Jones and his fiancée, Joycelyn Wilson, set out on what was meant to be a joyous celebration of Jones’ 50th birthday—a peaceful boating trip on Lake Oconee. However, their outing took a tragic turn when their boat was found unoccupied circling the lake.
Authorities launched an extensive search, leading to the discovery of Wilson’s body floating near Jumping Rock the next day. Despite ongoing efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, Jones remains missing, with investigators fearing he may have drowned. As the search continues, unanswered questions linger about what truly happened on the lake that fateful afternoon.
Timeline of Events: The Disappearance of Gary Laron Jones & Death of Joycelyn Wilson
Saturday, February 8, 2025
- 11:27 a.m.: Westminster Schools teacher Gary Jones picks up his fishing boat in Hogansville, based on Flock camera footage.
- 12:13 p.m.: Jones makes a stop at a Burger King in Palmetto.
- The couple arrived at Marathon Gas Station off Greensboro Road. At Fish Tale Marina, Jones launched his boat into the water.
- 3:30 p.m. Wilson drove the pickup truck with the attached boat trailer to The Lodge on Lake Oconee, where she parked the vehicle and checked into the hotel. Meanwhile, Jones drove the boat from Fish Tale to The Lodge.
- 3:37 p.m. Jones arrived at Fish Tale Marina, where he helped Wilson load some items onto the boat. The couple set off Ga. 44, across the Lick Creek branch of the lake and The Lodge on Lake Oconee to celebrate Jones’ 50th birthday.
- 3:41 p.m. Jones and Wilson are seen together on the boat.
- 4:59 p.m. Wilson took The last photograph
- 5:06 p.m. Last ping of Jones’ phone
- 5:24 p.m., a witness called 911 after seeing the couple’s boat circling in the water, the engine running, and no one onboard.
- The call is routed to Greene County’s Emergency 911 Service, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is notified.
- Two DNR game wardens arrive at the scene to secure the boat and search for its occupants.
Sunday, February 9, 2025
- 10 a.m.
- Jeff Everett spots a body floating near Jumping Rock in standing timber. Wilson’s body was found near where the boat was located,
- Wilson’s body was found with a fanny pack containing cash and credit cards and her cell phone in her hand.
- Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said “she had enough air in her lungs to keep her afloat. Sills said this is “not your typical drowning.”
- The Georgia DNR requests the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to retrieve the couple’s belongings from their hotel room.
- Sheriff Howard Sills orders the room to be locked and secured for investigation.
- Residents Jeff and Kristy Everett join the search.
- Before heading out, Jeff Everett confirmed with Wallace Dam personnel that water had been released from the dam the previous night.
- Afternoon:
- Kristy Everett contacts DNR game wardens, and Jeff assists in recovering Wilson’s body from the water.
- Wilson had a cell phone in her hand when her body was found
- Putnam County Deputy Coroner Andre Williams declares Wilson deceased.
- Her body is transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) state crime lab in Decatur for an autopsy.
Monday – Tuesday, February 10-11, 2025
- Volunteers, including bass fishermen with advanced sonar equipment, join the search for Jones.
- A cadaver dog alerts twice in the same area where Wilson’s body was found.
- The following day, a land-based cadaver dog also reacts to a location along the shoreline.
- DNR deploys an underwater robot to search, but no additional evidence is found.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
- Putnam County Sheriff’s Office officially takes over the investigation, reclassifying it as a death investigation.
- For further evidence, search warrants are obtained to inspect the couple’s boat and belongings.
- Jones’ wallet is discovered inside the boat.
- Investigators find that the boat’s motor’s cowl (engine cover) was removed, suggesting Jones may have been attempting to repair the engine before they went overboard.
- Sheriff Sills theorizes that if Jones had opened the throttle while working on the motor, the boat could have suddenly turned, throwing them both into the water.
Thursday – Monday, February 13, 2025
- Search efforts continue with multiple agencies, including:
- Nine Georgia DNR boats equipped with sonar.
- A DNR helicopter.
- A Putnam County Sheriff’s Office boat.
- A Forsyth County dive team boat.
- Multiple Putnam County Fire Rescue boats.
- A pair of shoes belonging to Jones were found in the water, not far from where Wilson’s body was located. They were found about 15 yards apart.
- Despite extensive efforts, no trace of Jones is found.
Friday – Monday, February 14, 2025
- The Sheriff’s office and other volunteers resumed the search for Jones. A cadaver dog and other K-9 teams assisted. Jones was not located.
Sunday – February 15, 2025:
- Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills stated that the circumstances of the case indicate it’s not a simple drowning. life jackets found in the boat
Sunday, February 16, 2025
- Sheriff Sills searches the lake alone due to cold temperatures and high winds preventing other agencies from going out.
- Jones’ friends and residents distribute “Missing Person” posters around the area.
Monday – February 17, 2025:
- The search for Jones continued with assistance from volunteer organizations.
- The sheriff announced that Jones’ wallet was previously located on the boat, along with other personal items.
- Sheriff Sills registers Jones as a missing person with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
- Sills states that, based on forensic evidence and the timeline, he believes Jones drowned. He estimates that if Jones’ body is in the lake, it will surface within 14 to 20 days of the incident.
- Wilson’s autopsy was completed but had raised questions. Sherrif revealed key findings from Wilson’s autopsy, including that she had air in her lungs, which contributed to her body remaining on the surface.
The presence of air in her lungs would have provided the necessary buoyancy,” Sills explained. “It’s not clear yet if she drowned.”
- The crime lab pathologist has not rendered her final opinion.
Tuesday – February 18, 2025:
- The United Cajun Navy joined in the search.
Wednesday – February 19, 2025:
- Sheriff Sills provided an update, noting that the search had entered its 11th day without locating Jones.
- Sills confirmed the cadaver dogs hit an area in the lake perpendicular to where Jones’ shoes were found floating in the water. He said while it’s promising, it’s still a large area, about 75 feet deep, with a lot of underwater timber.
- Despite some reports, the sheriff said there is no indication that the couple were boating to a restaurant. “I don’t know how they were planning to get back in the dark, with no lights on that boat or anything,” he said. However, Sills noted that some of Jones’ family members mentioned he had been looking for a waterfront restaurant for dinner.
- Sheriff Sills also shared that investigators have recovered some video that could aid the case but won’t be able to review it until Thursday.
Thursday – February 20, 2025:
- Search efforts to find Jones resumed on Lake Oconee. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division has committed over 1,000 hours and mobilized Game Wardens nationwide.
- Multiple patrol boats equipped with SONAR, a specialized SONAR-equipped vessel, aviation patrols, and extensive land searches with K-9s continued on Thursday.
- Joycelyn Nicole Wilson’s funeral was on Thursday, February 20. 2025 but Jones is still missing.
Saturday – February 22, 2025
- On Saturday, search teams received assistance from Georgia Power, which cut off electricity to the lake’s dam. Those helping in the search hope that will minimize the currents so the two cadaver water dog teams and volunteers can locate Jones.
Sunday – March, 2, 2025
- Authorities suspended the daily use of divers and cadaver dogs in the search, which will be suspended until further notice.
Monday, March 3, 2025
- Data taken from Wilson’s phone, which was in her right hand when her body was pulled from the water, showed that she had been snapping multiple photos during their trip down the lake. When The GBI conducted an autopsy, but the findings have not been released. Wilson’s phone was in her right hand, and she was wearing a fanny pack containing her ID, cash, and a credit card.
- Investigators asked the Secret Service to unlock Joycelyn Wilson’s phone after her body was found in Lake Oconee.
Investigation:
Discovery of Joycelyn Wilson
- Wilson’s body was found near where the boat was located.
Cell Phones
- When Wilson’s body was recovered, she was still holding her cell phone in her right hand.
- Milledgeville Police Department Detective Phillip Vinson, who specializes in retrieving data from cell phones and computers, is working on unlocking Wilson’s phone. Detectives hope the phone data will reveal where Wilson’s phone stopped working and provide any other clues about what happened between the boat’s launch and its unoccupied discovery in the water.
Warrants
- Search warrants were obtained, and investigators were awaiting data records from AT&T and T-Mobile.
- Putnam County Sheriff’s Office retrieved the couple’s belongings from their hotel room.
- Sheriff Howard Sills orders the room to be locked and secured for investigation.
Discovery of Jones’ Shoes
- A civilian finds Jones’ shoes approximately 15 yards apart in shallow water along the shore.
- The shoes have no mud, indicating Jones never made it to land.
- A photograph of the shoes is sent to Jones’ brother, who confirms they belonged to him.
- Security footage from the Marathon Gas Station on February 8 shows Jones wearing the same shoes.
Wallace Dam
- Sheriff Sills requested permission from Georgia Power to allow searchers inside the buoy line that prevents boats from approaching the dam. Wallace Dam, located about four miles from the Long Shoals area—where the unoccupied boat was found—has waters reaching depths of up to 100 feet. Georgia Power officials granted access and opened the buoy line, but the search yielded nothing.
- According to Sills, when water is released, a body cannot pass through the dam, as a grate in front of the intake turbines prevents logs and other large objects from passing through.
Ongoing Investigation & Conclusion
- The search for Jones continues.
- Authorities confirm that no signs of a boating accident—such as damage to the boat, impact with another vessel, or capsizing—have been found.
- Sheriff Sills emphasizes that lakes and rivers tend to “give up a body when they want to.”
- The investigation remains open, with officials awaiting further developments.
- Jones’ cellphone has not been recovered.
- Willson’s phone is password-protected, and authorities are unable to unlock it. Investigators asked the Secret Service to unlock Joycelyn Wilson’s phone after her body was found in Lake Oconee.
- Using witnesses and phone records, detectives said whatever happened to Jones and Wilson on February 8, 2025, occurred between 5:01 p.m. and 5:24 p.m. while on the boat.