Search continues for missing boater in Ware Co.

WARE COUNTY, Ga. – The Ware County Sheriff's Office is searching for a missing 57-year-old boater, who was last heard from Saturday morning.

According to Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal, Johnny Mack Carter launched a 14-foot jon boat Saturday morning around 8 a.m. at the Jamestown landing off Jamestown Road north of Waycross. He was going fishing and was in contact with family members and was going to meet them at the ramp that afternoon.

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Carter's last contact with family members was a cell phone call around 11:41 a.m. 

Carter never made it back to the ramp and family members contacted the Sheriff's Office about 6 p.m. to report their concern. The Sheriff's Office contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and began a search.

Sunday morning, Carter's boat was found around 8 a.m. lodged in a small group of trees in the middle of the river about 2.5 miles upstream from Jamestown Landing.

His cell phone and other personal belongings were recovered, and there were no signs of distress.

The search, being conducted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Ware County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia State Patrol, continued Monday morning, using a boat equipped with underwater sonar and a helicopter.

During his last conversation with a family member, Carter said he was fishing upstream to the U.S. 1 bridge over the Satilla River.