STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
Crews recover one victim near Arrowhead
Mountain Lake in Georgia; search to continue Friday for missing man
GEORGIA, Vermont (Thursday, July 2, 2026) — At about 5:40
p.m. Thursday, members of the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team
located the body of the young girl who went missing after falling into the
Lamoille River on Wednesday night near Arrowhead Mountain Lake in Georgia.
Her body was brought to shore and was transported to the
Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the
cause and manner of death.
Crews continued searching until about 7 p.m. Thursday for a
relative of the girl who had jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue her.
He was not located. Search efforts have ended for the day and are expected to
resume Friday morning, July 3.
VSP will continue to provide updates as the search
continues.
***Update No. 1, 10:50 a.m. Thursday,
July 2, 2026***
Emergency crews resumed search and recovery efforts Thursday
morning after two people went into the water Wednesday night at Arrowhead
Mountain Lake in Georgia and did not resurface.
The Vermont State Police is leading the operation. Crews arrived
on scene before 8 a.m. Thursday. The effort includes VSP’s Underwater Recovery
Team and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program. Game wardens from the Vermont
Department of Fish and Wildlife are assisting.
Conditions on the water are challenging following strong
thunderstorms overnight that caused water levels to rise and strengthened currents.
As of 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the missing individuals have not
been located. The search will continue throughout the day for as long as the conditions
allow.
VSP will continue to share updates as new information
becomes available.
***Initial news release, 10:30
p.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2026***
Multiple emergency crews including the Vermont State Police
have responded to a report of two missing people at Arrowhead Mountain Lake in
the Franklin County town of Georgia.
The incident was reported at about 7:50 p.m. near the
intersection of Highbridge Road, also known as Route 104A, and Arrowhead Lake
Road. Initial reports indicated a group of relatives were fishing along the
shore when a young girl fell into the water, and a man jumped in to try to
rescue her. Neither of the individuals has been seen since.
A search is underway on the water near where the Lamoille
River empties into the lake. Agencies involved include fire departments from
Fairfax, Georgia and Milton; Colchester Technical Rescue; Fairfax Rescue; and
multiple components of the Vermont State Police including troopers from the Field
Force Division, the Underwater Recovery Team, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program,
an embedded mental health crisis worker, and the Victim Services Unit.
Search crews plan to remain on scene as long as conditions
permit Wednesday night and return as needed first thing Thursday morning.
No additional details are available at this time. The state
police will provide updates as the search effort proceeds.
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