ROSWELL, Ga. — Cobb County Police have confirmed that the body of a 17-year-old swimmer who went missing in the Chattahoochee River Tuesday evening has been located.
The victim has been identified as Jake Whatley by family. 11Alive’s Kaitlyn Ross spoke with his mother, Nim Whatley, late Wednesday morning. However, officials have not confirmed his identity yet.
Cobb County officials initially reported that a group of 10 people tried to swim across the river, with only 8 making it across. One of the two people that did not make it all the way across was rescued on a rock in the river, they said. Cobb and Roswell units responded to the scene looking for him.
Police said the teen struggled with the strong currents, went underwater, and did not resurface.
Officers said the department’s Underwater Search and Recovery Team wasn't able to go into the water Tuesday evening because of the strong current. However, by that night, they said the rescue efforts were turning to recovery efforts.
They started searching underwater Wednesday morning and around 5:50 p.m., police said they located the teen. His body was turned over to Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Nim Whatley described her son as a very smart kid who wanted to be a businessman. He's also a trained gymnast since the age of 3 and had dreams of going national.