Sheriff’s office in Georgia flooded with tips on mystery man found in lake with anchor tied to waist

Who is the man found dead in a metro Atlanta lake with an anchor tied to his waist?

It’s been a mystery that a sheriff’s office in Georgia has been trying to solve for two years.

WSB-TV contacted the Bartow County Sheriff's Office after we received dozens of messages from viewers over the past several months.

Clearly, there are many people still interested in this case after two years.

In September 2018, someone on a boat found the man floating on the water near the Allatoona Lake dam.

Deputies said the man had a gunshot wound to his right temple. The man had on a backpack filled with rocks and sand, ankle weights and a small boat anchor tied to his waist.

“Obviously we know a gunshot caused his death, but what the manner of the death was, we need to put together his lifeline, and figure out why he was at the lake,” said Sgt. Jonathan Rogers, with the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the man doesn’t match up with any missing people in Bartow County or metro Atlanta.

Flash forward to today, the case remains unsolved and authorities do not know who the man is.

“The most important information to share is that the sketch is just that -- a sketch of what a forensic artist believes the man may have looked like. There are many tips received that firmly think they have identified a missing person from the sketch, but that has not been the case to this point. The case detective wants us to also share that our victim had no tattoos and no scars or medical implants,” Rogers said.

The Sheriff's Office has followed up on hundreds of tips from residents, and many of those were concerned family members and friends of missing persons.

The Sheriff’s Office has the victim’s DNA and dental profile, which has helped eliminate a few possibilities.

Anyone with information to check can send an email to info@bartow.org or call Lt. Megan Kincer at 770-382-5050, ext. 6067.

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