Lake Lanier Drowning Victim Was Suwanee College Student

BUFORD, GA — State authorities have identified the man who drowned Friday evening while riding a jet ski in Lake Lanier.

The body of Bailey Dean O'Shields, 21, of Suwanee, was discovered at 8:26 p.m. Friday by rescue workers searching near a boat ramp off of Buford Dam Road in Buford.

Gwinnett County firefighters had been called to the location at 6:52 p.m. There, witnesses reported seeing a jet ski circling in the lake without an operator. It was located in the water about 100 feet from the boat ramp.

Emergency responders from Gwinnett and Hall counties began searching the lake, along with crews from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At about 8:26 p.m., Hall County divers located a body underwater about 30-40 feet from the boat ramp.

According to Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services, O'Shields had been attending college in Florida and was home visiting family for the Labor Day holiday.

His mother told authorities he'd gone to the lake to ride his jet ski and that was the last time family members saw him. He was not wearing a life jacket when he was found.

O'Shields' mother, Stephanie O'Shields, told WSB-TV that her son suffered from a brain condition called arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. He had a seizure and fell off his jet ski, she told the station.

According to his obituary, O'Shields was a 2014 graduate of Rabun County High School and was a student at Suncoast Technical College and Institute in Florida.

Funeral arrangements for O'Shields are being handled by Flanigan Funeral and Crematory. A memorial service has been set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, with visitation that day from 4-6 p.m.

A fundraiser to help with funeral expenses has been established for him on crowdfunding site YouCaring.

Photo via YouCaring.com

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