Body found in Wilkes waters; local men take part in search

A body found Saturday in Wilkes County on Clarks Hill Lake has been tentatively identified as a missing 46-year-old Harlem man whose boat was found drifting in the lake more than a week before.

Wilkes County Sheriff's Investigator Bud Harrison said that Michael Wade Bowman, 46, was reported missing in Columbia County on Saturday, April 21. A fisherman spotted the body floating near an island around dusk Saturday, April 28, and authorities recovered the body at about 10 p.m.

The missing man's truck had been found at Raysville Marina in McDuffie County, and Department of Natural Resources rangers found his boat adrift in the Little River arm of the lake near Holiday Park in Wilkes County.

Joining other agencies in the week-long search for the body, Harrison, Deputy Jerry Hackney, and firefighters Jeff Treadwell, Tim Wright, and Lt. Kevin Tucker of Wilkes County searched by land and on water.

Helicopters and cadaver dogs were also called in to locate the body.

Although positive identification is still pending, authorities say clothing on the body matches descriptions given by Bowman's family members when he was reported missing. The body was taken to the Georgia Crime Lab in Augusta for further investigation into the cause of death. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now in charge of the case.

Reader Comments

No comments have been posted. Be the first!

Other Stories With Comments:
Article	Comments
The Office Cat	2
Neighborhood vandalism is out of control	1
The Office Cat	1
Drug problem growing; little is being done	1
The Office Cat	1
Family escapes death in semi hit-and-run	1
Feed a family of four for $10 a week	1