Fisherman Finds Minivan With Missing Person Trapped Under Lake in Georgia, Calls Authorities

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A Forsyth County fisherman made a shocking discovery during a trip to Lake Lanier, Georgia. While fishing for bass, the angler came across a submerged minivan with the body of a missing man inside.

Divers retrieved the body of 56-year-old Van Dobbs, who went missing on June 6, 2019, inside his 2002 Dodge Caravan. Dobbs’s clothing matched that described from his last known sighting.

“It was pretty, pretty eerie,” fisherman Jason Millen told WSB-TV2 after discovering the submerged van on Nov. 17. “One of my worst fears is seeing a drowning victim or something out there. To come across something like that, it’s crazy.”

About 20 yards from the lake’s shore, Millen spotted something shining beneath the surface of the water. “With my boat, and was right over the top of it, and I noticed it was a van,” Millen said. A large crack on the van’s windshield implied that the vehicle may have been run over by a boat after it had sunk.

“It looks like an engine or a boat motor went across it,” Millen explained.

The Dodge Caravan was submerged under approximately 15 feet of water and covered in algae. Millen believed the van was driven into the lake from a dirt road near the lake’s edge.

Authorities responded to Millen’s call at around 4:45 p.m. A recovery team affixed a hook to the submerged van and pulled it out of the lake, at which point they discovered Dobbs’s body inside.

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A missing-person’s alert had previously been released by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook on July 15. “On June 5, 2019, Van Dobbs left his home located on Old Keith Bridge Road in Forsyth County and has not been seen or heard from since,” read the post.

“He was last seen driving a silver in color 2002 Dodge Caravan,” the authorities added. “Please be on the lookout for Mr. Dobbs and his vehicle.”

According to FOX 5, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office had conducted an extensive search for Dobbs during the summer and fall, including both underwater and aerial searches around Lake Lanier.

Dobbs’s body was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy; authorities did not suspect foul play.

Upon learning that Dobbs’s body had been discovered, concerned parties took to Facebook to share their condolences. “So sad. Glad they found him. At least for his family,” wrote one.

“[S]o sad,” agreed another. “Hopefully his family will have some closure.”

According to NY Daily News, since the discovery of Dobbs’s body, one of the 56-year-old’s loved ones has reached out to thank Millen for making the discovery. “A friend of the family did reach out to me and wanted to thank me for finding this closure to the family,” Millen said.

“Since June 5,” the fisherman added, “when this man was missing, I can only imagine how hard that has been on them.”

Earlier in 2019, Forsyth County water safety activists voiced concern over the growing number of fatalities at Lake Lanier. Between the beginning of the year and the day that Dobbs’s missing-person’s report was issued, there had already been nine fatalities on the lake; two were boating accidents; seven were drownings.

Local sailor John Barker has two decades of sailing experience on Lake Lanier. With the exception of atypical incidents like Van Dobbs’s, Barker believes better water safety measures would help prevent further fatalities. There are many courses for boaters, he says, but not many people are taking them.

“You got to continue to educate and provide information to people,” Barker told WSB-TV 2, “and hope someday they'll see the value of what you’re trying to tell them.”

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