Body Found Floating In Gwinnett Lake Identified

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A body found Saturday floating in a lake at the Durant at Sugarloaf Apartments, at 50 St. Marlowe Drive in Lawrenceville, has been identified.

The body has been identified as Derek Oxford, 34, of Lawrenceville. He was reported missing by his girlfriend on Feb. 23. Oxford left his home on Feb. 16 to take a walk, but did not return. In the original report, Oxford’s girlfriend stated he was intoxicated and sitting on the front porch when she arrived home from work.
Notification was made to the family of the deceased.

On Saturday, officers from the Gwinnett County Police Department's South Precinct in conjunction with the Gwinnett County Fire Department responded to a call from a resident in the complex stating there appeared to be a body floating in a lake located inside the complex. The Gwinnett County Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue team responded and removed the body from the lake.

The body was determined to be deceased and already in stages of decomposition. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene to evaluate the body. The body was determined to be an adult male. A preliminary examination showed no signs of obvious trauma or foul play. There were no forms of identification located. It is still unknown how long the body was in the water.

Officers and detectives spoke with residents and were unable to locate any witnesses. There were also no cameras in the area of the lake. The Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the body for further examination. At this time, the investigation is still active pending further results from the Medical Examiner's Office.

Patch photo by Renee Schiavone