A body found inside a vehicle pulled from Lake Lanier on Monday has been identified as an 85-year-old Roswell man who was reported missing over the weekend.
What’s happening: Phillip Malone was found dead inside a red Toyota Camry recovered from the water near Tidwell Park on Monday morning. A boater spotted the submerged vehicle at 10:30 a.m. and called 911. The vehicle was registered to Malone, who is from North Carolina.
What’s important: Malone was last seen Saturday while visiting family at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. Roswell police received a missing person report the following day. He was found fully clothed inside the vehicle with no obvious signs of trauma. The vehicle showed no apparent damage.
The investigation: The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office does not suspect foul play. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team and Jackson Towing assisted with the recovery. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will conduct an autopsy later this week to determine the official cause of death.
What we know: The vehicle was first discovered Monday morning near the Tidwell Park boat ramp. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit responded and identified the car. Roswell police confirmed Malone had been reported missing and notified his next of kin.
What’s still unknown: Investigators have not released information about how long the vehicle had been underwater or how it ended up in the lake. Sheriff’s officials say they are awaiting the coroner’s report on cause of death, but believe this was an accidental death.
