Island Lake man found dead after boating on Georgia-South Carolina lake

The body of an Island Lake man who had been boating on a lake bordering the states of Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday was recovered from the lake's South Carolina shoreline Friday morning.

David Dean, 69, who was the owner of Dean Printing Systems in Island Lake, had rented a pontoon boat from the Hartwell Marina on Lake Hartwell in the area of Sadlers Creek State Park Wednesday morning but never returned, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Cpl. Craig Fulghum said.

He added that the boat was found late Wednesday afternoon anchored on the Georgia side of the lake, but only a short distance from the South Carolina state line.

Rescue teams began searching for Dean immediately, but his body wasn't spotted by Georgia DNR Aviation until Friday morning. That stretch of South Carolina shoreline had already been looked at earlier in the search.

Fulghum said the search for Dean was complicated by the fact that the canopy on the boat was up and acting as a sail on the windy lake, allowing the boat to move despite the anchor being down and thus creating a wide potential area to look for him.

Dean had been visiting an area near Lake Hartwell on a business trip according to his family, Fulghum said.

Dean's body was taken to the Anderson County coroner's office in South Carolina on Friday. No one there could be reached for comment Saturday.

While the results of an autopsy will determine whether any further action by law enforcement is required, there's nothing to indicate the death was suspicious, Fulghum said. He added that the cold water on Wednesday would have been a challenge for anyone but the strongest of swimmers.