3 victims found dead after they went missing at Amerson River Park in Macon

The bodies of three people were pulled from the water Wednesday at Amerson River Park after they went underwater and did not resurface, the Bibb County Coroner’s Office said. Bibb County Deputy Coroner Ronnie Miley pronounced them dead on scene.

The three were swimming at a sandbar then got caught in strong currents and drowned, Sgt. Christopher Williams said.

“The current will sneak up on you and it will drift you further out into the river, and unfortunately that’s what caused all three victims (to die),” Williams said.

Officials first found Summer Lewis, 7, and Johnny “Yung” Collins III, 28, before noon Tuesday, according to Coroner Leon Jones. The sheriff’s office identified the girl with a different last name, saying her name was Summer McRae.

The third victim, a 10-year-old girl, was found by around 3 p.m., Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said. She was identified as Skyler Worthen by the sheriff’s office.

The three were swimming at the park Tuesday evening when they went under. A person called 911 at 7:34 p.m. to report the incident. A dive crew from the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department on Riverside was dispatched at 7:43 p.m., and arrived at the scene by 7:50 p.m., according to Chris Floore, chief communications officer for Macon-Bibb County.

Responding agencies searched the water Tuesday night but paused the search because it was dark, according to Mark McKinnon, public affairs affairs officer of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division.

“We cannot put first responders at risk, then that first responder becomes a victim, and we can’t have another victim ...,” McKinnon said. “That’s normal protocol for DNR.”

Even with lights on the boats used to search, first responders would not have been safe enough to continue their search overnight, McKinnon said.

When rescue crews prepared to resume searching for the three victims at Amerson River Park Tuesday evening, they were met with more than a dozen family members who wanted to aid the search.

Family members at Amerson River Park Wednesday morning were not allowed past the front gate of the park. Several family members told The Telegraph they were upset that they weren’t permitted into the park to help, and that they searched the park Tuesday night until around 4 a.m. Wednesday. They returned at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office allowed some family into the park at around 9:15 a.m. to receive updates, but not to help search for their relatives.

The three victims did not wear life jackets, according to McKinnon.

Jonna Bae, who said she’s a friend of Collins, told The Telegraph that she thought the group was wearing life jackets. Bae had been friends with him for 14 years, since they attended high school together.

“The currents were going fast yesterday so that’s what got me concerned,” Harden said.

Several family members told The Telegraph that the girls were sisters and Collins was the boyfriend of the girls’ mother. Floore told The Telegraph Tuesday night that the man tried to save the girls before all three disappeared from the surface.

Efforts to find the victims

County and state public safety agencies used search teams, wave detection technology and dams in the Ocmulgee River to assist in finding the three victims.

Macon-Bibb County Fire Department Division Chief Michael Williamson attempted to stop dams from releasing water in the river to slow down its flow, according to Mark McKinnon, public affairs affairs officer of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division.

That made it “much easier to search the river with less water coming down through it,” McKinnon said. “When they release water, it stirs up a lot of mud.”

The GDNR also used side-scan sonar, which detects sound waves, in an area of water where the third victim might’ve been, according to Williamson.

“They bounce off different objects and then … you get somebody who’s trained to read that image to see whether it’s just debris or what they’re looking for,” Williamson said.

Most search crews were seen near Porter Pavilion, and others were scattered across the park.

Search teams dove from the shore and off of a boat by around 12:30 p.m., Floore said. Two Georgia State Patol helicopters also surveyed the area for most of the morning and afternoon.

Their bodies were found more than 10 to 14 feet deep in different areas, McKinnon said. He did not confirm what areas their bodies were found at.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 9:23 AM.