Blairsville, Ga. – Michael Jason Kolar, 38, of Murphy, has been identified by the Union County Sheriff’s Office as the snorkeler who drowned in Lake Nottely on the evening of July 20.
Kolar was recovered shortly before 2 p.m. Friday, when his body surfaced close to the shoreline in about 15 feet of water at the Tennessee Valley Authority boat ramp near Nottely Dam. Authorities told the North Georgia News that the last drowning in Lake Nottely occurred about 10 years ago.
An autopsy will be performed by medical examiners with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The sheriff’s office said it has reason to believe alcohol played a role in the drowning; however, no foul play is suspected.
Union County sheriff’s Capt. Darren Osborn told wjrbradio.com that Kolar’s body will be examined by the state crime lab, but he believes the cause of death will be ruled an accident. Osborn thinks Kolar suffered from exhaustion while swimming from shallow water into deep water.
Agencies involved in the search for Kolar were the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Fire Department, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, Forsyth County Fire Department Dive Team, Union County Emergency Management Agency and Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Kolar had been suffering from back problems due to spinal stenosis for three years, along with acute anxiety and hypertension, according to what he wrote on an online fundraiser in December.
“When I spoke to my neurosurgeon last month, I found out I need another back operation,” he wrote on gofundme.com. “Due to the fact I have one good disk in my back, I have been deemed unworkable, along with no feeling in my feet.
“I am hoping to get help while I wait for my disability to kick in, which I have been waiting over a year for it.” However, he only raised $20 of the $10,000 goal.
The last visible entry on Kolar’s Facebook page was posted on May 21, when he wrote that he “loves lake days and more to come with my baby April (Hughes, his fiancee).”