The cause of death for an engaged couple who disappeared while boating on a lake in Georgia in February has been revealed
Joycelyn Nicole Wilson and Gary Jones died from accidental drowning, according to reports
The pair were reportedly celebrating Jones’ 50th birthday at the time
The cause of death for an engaged couple who were found dead in a lake in Georgia has been revealed.
Joycelyn Nicole Wilson and Gary Jones’ boat was found empty on Lake Oconee on Feb. 8. PEOPLE previously reported Wilson’s body was recovered the following day, but Jones’ body wasn’t found until a month later on March 9, per CBS News, citing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills confirmed to PEOPLE that the medical examiner’s official report said their deaths were accidental drownings. The investigation into their deaths has been closed, per NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.
According to the outlet and FOX 5 Atlanta, the pair were celebrating Jones’ 50th birthday at the time. Sills previously told WXIA-TV that Wilson, a 49-year-old instructor at Spelman College in Atlanta, and Jones, a track and field coach for a local private school, had checked into a hotel near the lake for Jones’ birthday on Feb. 8.
Shortly after Wilson’s body was found, one of her childhood friends told CBS affiliate WANF that the couple attended Clark Atlanta University together and had gotten engaged after reconnecting.
PEOPLE has contacted the Putnam County Coroner for comment.
Wilson and Jones’ 12-foot boat was found circling near Wallace Dam and discovered by other boaters, Sills previously said, per WXIA-TV. The boat was later found to have struck a dock, Sills added.
The outlet also reported that Jones’ shoes were found floating about 15 feet apart near the shoreline on Feb. 10.
Six days before Jones’ body was found, Sills spoke out about the search efforts to locate his body in a statement on the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page,
“I cannot remember such an extensive use of government and civilian personnel and resources for an incident such as this on Lakes Oconee and Sinclair in the last 40 years,” Sills said, before going on to thank everyone involved in the operation.
“Lastly, until I can formulate a more accurate list to identify everyone, please let me express my gratitude to all who have worked tirelessly for the last 3 weeks in this difficult endeavor,” Sills continued. “I also want to express thanks to the many people and businesses who graciously brought food and drinks for everyone. It was most welcome and makes me very proud of our community.”
