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Update: Divers find body of Perry man at Amerson River Park after days of searching

Amerson River Park in this Telegraph file photo.
Amerson River Park in this Telegraph file photo. Larry Sullivan II Macon Telegraph

Bibb County sheriff’s deputies found the body of a drowned Perry man Monday morning in the Ocmulgee River at Amerson Park after searching for him for more than five days, officials said.

Bibb County Sheriff’s Office divers found the body of Jahvon Calito Cartier Whitest, 22, in the river at about 11:30 a.m. Monday. Whitest vanished in the waters Wednesday evening while swimming with two other men.

Searches with helicopter and sonar lasted all weekend. The park reopened at 10 a.m. Monday before divers found the body, according to a statement from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Officials asked visitors to stay out of controlled areas at the park.

The swimmer may have vanished because of a stronger current than usual or colder water temperatures, a DNR spokesperson said Thursday.

This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 11:59 AM.

MJ
Micah Johnston
The Telegraph
Micah Johnston is a general assignment reporter for the Macon Telegraph. A Macon native and Mercer University graduate, he joined The Telegraph in 2022. When he’s not writing about anything under the sun, you can find him obsessively following baseball, reading or playing drums.
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