How many people have died in Lake Lanier and why is it so dangerous?

LAKE Lanier is a notoriously deadly, man-made reservoir situated in northern Georgia.

But who are the victims who’ve died in the large area of water and why is Lake Lanier so dangerous?

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How many people have died in Lake Lanier?

Since its construction in 1956, it’s believed that over 700 deaths have occurred at Lake Lanier , which is home to 12 million yearly visitors.

While many have drowned, others have died in boat fires, accidentally driven into the lake, or gone missing.

Diver Buck Buchanon even told local media that he had felt body parts in the lake while diving.

The disproportionate number of deaths has led people to believe the lake is haunted by the “Lady of the Lake”, the ghost of a woman who drowned there in 1958 – Delia Mae Parker Young.

Delia Mae Parker Young and Susie Roberts

In 1959, a fisherman discovered a female body floating in Lake Lanier, but authorities were unable to identify the corpse due to decomposition.

Three decades later, in 1990, construction workers spotted a blue Ford under the water while repairing a bridge over the lake.

Inside the vehicle were the bones of another woman – identified by her car registration as Susie Roberts.

Authorities concluded that Roberts, 37, and the first woman – her friend Delia Mae Parker Young, 23 – had died after accidentally driving off the bridge in 1958.

Thomas Milner

Thomas Milner, 24, died in July 2023 when he was electrocuted after jumping from his family dock into the water.

A neighbor rushed in to help, but experienced a “burning sensation” recognizable as electric shock.

The neighbor swam ashore and turned off the power box near the dock, before recovering Milner from the water, who later died in hospital.

Matthew Mayo

Matthew Mayo, 73, from Gainsville, Florida , was bass fishing with his wife on Lake Lanier in May 2024 when he attempted to sit down on a seat that was not bolted to the base of the boat.

He fell into the lake and never resurfaced.

Game wardens located his body a short time after, but were not able to save Mayo.

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Why is Lake Lanier so dangerous?

It’s believed that many swimmers have become snagged on what lies beneath Lake Lanier – the ruins of the old town of Oscarville.

The predominantly black residents of Oscarville were displaced from their homes during the 1910s, after a black man was falsely accused of murdering a white woman in the nearby woods.

This left Oscarville a ghost town, and when authorities decided to build a reservoir in the 1950s, they flooded the remnants of Oscarville – including old businesses and homes.

As well as the hazardous Oscarville ruins, it also appears that many drivers have lost control of their cars when driving over the many bridges that cross Lake Lanier.