Griffin Prince.
Dive crews suspended the search for a missing 13-year-old boy on Lake Lanier on Friday.HALL COUNTY, Ga. -
Dive crews suspended the search for a missing 13-year-old boy on Lake Lanier on Friday. It's been nearly a week since Griffin Prince was thrown from his family's pontoon boat after it was hit by another boat on Lake Lanier.
The exhausted dive crews from The Department of Natural Resources, Hall County, and Cobb County entered the water early on Friday, working hard to get some answers to the Prince family.
"Everyone here…primary focus is bringing closure for the Prince family," said a ranger with the DNR.
Griffin Prince and 12 others were on a family outing when their boat was hit by another boat on Sunday night. His 9-year-old brother Jake died and three others were injured. Several people on the boat, including Griffin, were thrown into the water by the collision. The driver of the other boat, Paul Bennett, faces a charge of boating under the influence.
Divers are contending with tough conditions in the lake as they search for Prince. The murky water, cold temperatures, and depths of more than 100 feet are limiting their actual search time to three to five minutes per shift.
"You are talking about a valley there that was flooded with timber, standing timber," said Sgt. Mike Burgany of the Ga. DNR.
Houses, barns and barbed wire fences are also dangers that lurk beneath the lake.
Two divers have gotten stuck in underwater branches during the search for Griffin. One diver was stuck for five minutes.
"You can imagine, you're 80 to 90 feet down. You're in pitch black darkness, you cannot see and you're impaled on a branch by some of your equipment," said Major Woodrow Tripp of the Hall County Sheriff's Department.
That diver was able to get away safely.
Officials said that GPS settings from the boat the Prince family was on, along with debris from the crash that has washed ashore, has allowed crews to narrow their search area.
"We're looking at probably 200 to 300 yards in any direction," said Tripp.
Officials say they will not search the lake on the weekend because of large crowds, but will resume the search on Monday. DNR officials said that extra rangers will be on the lake this weekend in search of drunk drivers.
Divers said they may use cadaver dogs on Monday to try to locate the body.
The Community at Windsor will hold a candlelight vigil Sunday night at its clubhouse in Buford as a show of support for the Prince family.
A memorial fund has been set up for Jake and Griffin Prince at Wells Fargo Bank. Donations are being accepted at any Wells Fargo location under the account number 7581668121.
