Forsyth County, Johns Creek Teams Help Recover Missing Fisherman From Amicalola Creek

Divers from Gilmer County recovered the body of a fisherman who had been reported missing several days earlier at a stretch of Amicalola Creek in Dawson County known locally as Devil's Elbow, capping a multi-agency search operation that drew personnel from across the region, including teams from Forsyth County and Johns Creek Fire.

The Gilmer County Fire/Rescue Special Operations Unit traveled to Dawson County to assist Dawson County Fire in the recovery effort. The departments worked together to deploy water technicians and rope technicians as part of the search. Gilmer County Fire/Rescue later confirmed that teams from Forsyth County, Johns Creek Fire, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources joined the operation as the search continued. The recovery was reported on March 8, 2026.

Ultimately, it was divers from Gilmer County who located the body at Devil's Elbow. The identity of the fisherman has not been publicly released, and the sources available do not specify the exact date he was first reported missing beyond the description of "several days earlier."

Gilmer County Fire/Rescue addressed the outcome in a statement following the recovery. "This is never the outcome any of us hope for, but we take some comfort in knowing that we were able to help return a loved one to their family. Along with everyone involved in this operation, our hearts go out to the family during this difficult time," the agency said.

The operation reflected the kind of coordinated, cross-jurisdictional response that has become a recurring feature of river search and rescue work across north Georgia. Forsyth County and Johns Creek Fire have both appeared in regional water rescue responses in prior years, partnering with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and other agencies on searches along the Chattahoochee River system and its tributaries.

Devil's Elbow, a bend along Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, sits roughly an hour's drive northwest of Forsyth County. The creek flows through rugged terrain that can complicate search operations, conditions that made the deployment of specialized water and rope technicians central to this effort before divers could complete the recovery.