Body of missing man found in Haralson County lake
The body of an Acworth man who was reported missing by his family was found Saturday in a lake in Buchanan, according to the Haralson County Sheriff's Office.
According to the sheriff's office:
Ardell Junior Kennedy, 78, had left his home in Acworth on Friday morning to go to his property in Haralson County. When the family realized he was not back home at 8 p.m. that night they went to the property and found his truck but not him.
The family stated that there was a tractor and bush hog missing from the property. They then called 911 and deputies responded to the scene.
Investigators and the Haralson County Fire Department were called to the scene. The Georgia Department of Natural
Resources and the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit were also contacted and responded to assist in the search.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Kennedy's cell phone had been off since around noon.
The search lasted throughout the night and the tractor was found after daylight Saturday at the edge of a lake on the property. At that time, the Carroll County Fire and Rescue Dive Team was contacted
and came out to search the lake, during which Kennedy's body was discovered.
“It appears at this time that this was a tragic accident
and we ask that you keep the family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” a post on the Haralson County Sheriff's Office Facebook page says. “We would like to thank every agency that came out and helped us in this search. We would also like to thank the citizens who shared our post in hopes of finding Mr. Kennedy.”
“Sadly, this was not the outcome we wanted in this case,” Haralson County Sheriff Stacy Williams said in a statement. “Our hope was to find Mr. Kennedy alive and reunite him with his family. I would like to thank everyone that came out to help in this search, the Haralson County Fire Department, DNR, GSP Aviation Unit, Carroll County Fire and Rescue Dive Team, and the Haralson County Coroner's Office. We send our sincerest condolences to the family of Mr. Kennedy and we ask that you please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.”