Shelley Lynn Dietrich
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Shelley Lynn Dietrich, 59, of Murphy, N.C., who was found in Lake Chatuge.
About 10:50 a.m. Saturday, Towns County 911 was contacted by a boater concerning a woman found in the water near the end of a dock at Marina Station on Lake Chatuge, according to a GBI release. The Towns County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Medical Services responded.
The woman was later identified as Dietrich. Her body will be sent to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The Towns County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to assist in the investigation. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was also requested to assist in the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Field Office in Cleveland at 706-348-4866. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 800-597-TIPS (8477), visiting gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Dietrich’s name should be familiar to readers of the Cherokee Scout, as she was a frequent writer of letters to the editor; her most recent essays were about artificial intelligence and technology. When she came by the office to drop them off, her booming voice and boisterous laugh filled the room.