Death At Lake Lanier Ruled An Accidental Drowning

The death of the man who went missing at Lake Lanier at Buford Dam Park Saturday and was located in the water two days later has been ruled an accidental drowning.

Following an autopsy Tuesday, Ted Bailey, chief forensic investigator with the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's office, said Ciro Jimenez Beltran, 37, died as the result of accidental drowning.

Beltran went missing Saturday following a baptism at Buford Lake Park. He was allegedly last seen wading in the water at about 6 p.m. After a two-day search by several agencies, the victim’s body was located in the water Monday morning by .

WSB TV in Atlanta reported that family members of Beltran are questioning the circumstances surrounding the drowning. The official report by the Department of Natural Resources noted that people present reported Beltran was unable to swim. According to Lt. Eric Eberly, public information officer for GCFES, witnesses at the scene reported the baptism had been earlier that evening and the service was over by the time Beltran went missing. Beltran and some of the others remained at the lake after the baptism and were playing in the water at the beach area of the park when he was last seen.

Crews for the Forsyth County and Hall County dive teams, Dawson County Emergency Services K9 Unit, Gwinnett Swift Water Team, the Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers assisted in the search.