Body Recovered From Allatoona Lake in Cherokee County

CANTON, GA -- Nearly three weeks after a fatal two-boat collision on Allatoona Lake resulted in the death of one man and the disappearance of another, officials have recovered a body near the site of the Feb. 2 crash.

Mark McKinnon, spokesperson with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, said the agency has received reports of a body found close to the site of the collision, near Little River Marina on Bells Ferry Road in Canton.

"We believe it is the victim of that incident," he said, referring to Ronnie Bentley, who has been missing since the accident. "He has been recovered."

Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services crews were dispatched to a call of the accident at the lake just before 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. Spokesperson Tim Cavender previously told Patch that a fisherman was able to rescue a 68-year-old man from the waters, but the fate of two individuals were unknown.

After hours of searching, the body of James Mills, 51, of Taylorsville was discovered around 4 p.m. near the marina. Since recovering Mills' body, crews continued their quest to find Bentley's body.

McKinnon said the agency utilized sonar equipment during the first few days of the search, but that method turned up nothing.

After failing to turn up evidence of Bentley's whereabouts, officials scaled back the operation to shoreline and surface searches several times a day.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Return to Patch for updates.

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