Search teams returned to Lake Lanier on Monday, June 25, 2012 in hopes of finding Griffin Prince's body.HALL COUNTY, Ga. -
Search teams from Hall County and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources returned to Lake Lanier on Monday to continue the search for the body of 13-year-old Griffin Prince. A family outing turned tragic last week when the Princes' pontoon boat was hit head-on by a fishing boat.
Griffin and his younger brother, Jake, were both killed in the accident, but divers are still searching for Griffin's body. Their search resumed Monday morning at 7 a.m., and they were joined by a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. K-9s have also joined the recovery effort.
"They (the FBI) have divers that can dive on re-breather systems, which allows for much greater bottom time. (They have) remote operated vehicles that will allow unmanned inspections of targets that sonar picks up," said Hall Co. Sheriff Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks.
Two of the K-9 dogs, Bella and Penny, specialize in finding bodies.
"Potentially the cadaver dogs could be a big help. They'll be out there trying to pick up on any evidence that they can that will allow us to pinpoint a location for further searches," said Sgt. Wilbanks.
Over the weekend, the search for Griffin was limited. Heavy boat traffic made it impossible to put divers into the water, and electronic equipment problems prevented any in-depth probes.
While search crews had their troubles on the lake, friends and family of Griffin and Jake Prince gathered together Sunday evening at the family's Buford subdivision. The moving candlelight vigil gave people a chance to offer their condolences and prayers to the Princes. A family spokesperson says finding Griffin is the Princes' number one priority.
On Monday, members of the Prince family made a visit to the search command center to thank the crews for their work, and to get an update on the search efforts.
