Authorities are searching for a man who disappeared over the weekend at Lake Lanier. Walter Juarez Guardado, 37, was at the lake with girlfriend when his jet-ski began to sink.
Guardado reportedly jumped off of the jet-ski and attempted to swim to shore. However, he went under water while swimming and disappeared. For two days, crews have searched for Guardado and have yet to find him.
The mysterious disappearance stands as another mark agains the infamous Lake Lanier.
In July, Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Foster collected nearly 3,000 signatures for officials to close the lake stating that it should be drained, cleaned, and restored. Foster’s 11-year-old son, Kile Glover, passed in 2012 after watercraft struck the child at the lake.
“Draining, cleaning, and restoring Lake Lanier is not only necessary but also an opportunity to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives and prevent further tragedies,” Foster wrote in her change.org petition.
There have been hundreds of boat collisions at the lake and over 170 people have died at lake from 1994-2018.
Some have called the lake haunted due to the removal of a Black town called Oscarville. Built in the1800s during Reconstruction, Oscarville was a thriving Black community known for its robust farming industry.
However, in 1912, a 19-year-old white woman Mae Crow was found dead in the woods near Oscarville. White mobs responded by violently terrorizing Blacks. They even burned the church which served as a safe haven during the violent attacks. Oscarville was eventually left without any residents, putting an end to the successful Black town.
The land theft was completed in 1950 when the state approved the Buford Dam and Lake Lanier to be built over the town once known as Oscarville.
The story of Oscarville and Lake Lanier has been told in multiple books, documentaries, and films.
However, the lake will likely continue to exists in the near future as it provides…
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