Swimmer who disappeared at Lake Lanier found safe after flagging down deputy

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A missing man who was last seen swimming in Lake Lanier has been found safe, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Zachary Rutledge, a 20-year-old from Winder, disappeared around 8 p.m. on Monday at Burton Mill Park on Lake Lanier.

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Hall deputies confirmed that Rutledge was found safe on Tuesday morning.

Rutledge went swimming with two other friends but the friends lost sight of him. Deputies said Rutledge’s friends had lost track of him and were unsure if he had left the park on foot.

The friends called 911 to report Rutledge’s disappearance on Monday.

Rutledge did not have a phone with him so he was unable to contact anyone, so he ended up sleeping in the park. Rutledge told deputies he heard GSP helicopters but did not realize they were looking for him.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources told Channel 2 Action News that game wardens, Hall County Fire and Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit searched for Rutledge on Tuesday before he was found.

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