HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The body of a 27-year-old man who went missing while swimming at Lake Lanier’s Van Pugh Park was found Thursday morning, according to officials.

Leonardo Martinez, a boat mechanic from Buford, disappeared while swimming near Van Pugh Park in Hall County on July 29.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed that game wardens found his body Thursday around 9:30 a.m. His body was floating on the surface about 30 yards from the shore.

For the past five days, as authorities searched for Martinez, loved ones told reporters they had been hoping for a miracle. Our partners at Channel 2 spoke to his cousin, Angelo Jaciofano, who was watching the search from the shoreline.

“Our heart is broken, you know,” Jaciofano said. “We think he’s swimming to a coast, but it’s huge. It’s massive land, you know.”

Georgia DNR and local law enforcement investigated two other deaths at Lake Lanier over the weekend.

Last Thursday, Thomas “Shep” Milner jumped off a dock at his family’s home and was electrocuted in the water.

On Saturday, 61-year-old Tracey Stewart was swimming near East Bank Park and never resurfaced. His body was recovered hours later in 46 feet of water.

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