Bartow County John Doe, also known as Allatoona Lake John Doe, is an unidentified man whose body was found floating in a lake in Bartow County, Georgia. More than four years have passed, and the person responsible for his murder has yet to be brought to justice.
At approximately 5:40 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2018, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a body floating in the Allatoona Lake near the Bethany Bridge area of Red Top Mountain Road, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
When deputies and the Bartow County Fire Department arrived on the scene, they recovered the body from Allatoona Lake and noticed it was a male.
They also saw that he had weights tied to his ankles, and there was a small boat anchor tied around his waist as well as a backpack filled with rocks and sand.
It was reported that investigators are unsure how long the body was in the Allatoona Lake, but due to the rising summer temperatures, the body underwent the process of decomposition.
The remains were transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and identification, but fingerprint comparisons and facial recognition software could not identify the victim.
Evidence suggested that he may be a homicide victim, as his cause of death appeared to be a gunshot wound to his right temple.
BCSO spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Rogers said, “This is a tough case. There are no matching missing persons reports. We don’t have any hard evidence as to why he was where he was, who he was with, or anything. We are hoping the public can help us out.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the details surrounding the death of Bartow County John Doe are still under investigation.
Authorities have reached out to the public for help in identifying the victim, but no one has come forward with the victim’s identification.
The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office released a composite sketch to the public, which depicts an image of what Bartow County John Doe may have looked like when he was alive.
When the victim was found floating in Allatoona Lake, he was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and black swim flippers. He is believed to be between the ages of 55 and 65, weighing about 230 pounds.
There were no markings or tattoos on the body.
Anyone with information regarding the unsolved death of Bartow County John Doe is encouraged to contact the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office at (770) 387-5100 or tipline@bartow.org.