Jocelyn Wilson, the college instructor found dead in Lake Oconee in February, allegedly took multiple photos with her cellphone while on a boat with fiancé Gary Jones, shortly before both of their phones stopped transmitting signals.
Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) previously said Wilson, 49, was found dead on Feb. 9, the day after a boat was discovered circling near Wallace Dam.
Wilson had a cell phone in her hand when her body was found, ABC affiliate WSB-TV previously reported.
Data from Wilson’s phone showed the Spelman College instructor took at least seven photos in the moments prior to her death, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionon Tuesday, March 4.
The photos were “obviously” taken after Wilson and Jones, a missing private school coach, left the hotel that they checked into on Feb. 8, “but before the incident” on Lake Oconee, the sheriff added. The last photo was taken at 4:59 p.m. local time that day.
“We don’t know what happened after that,” Sills explained, noting there is no record of additional transmissions after that time.
Authorities do not know what images were captured by Wilson’s phone before it stopped transmitting, according to the paper.
Lake Oconee, where Jocelyn Wilson was found dead on Feb. 9.
Google Maps
Meanwhile, Jones’ phone last pinged at 5:01 p.m. on Feb. 8, according to the report. More than 20 minutes later, authorities were alerted to an empty boat in Lake Oconee.
Wilson’s body was found about a mile away the next day, and Jones’ shoes were found a short distance away.
The U.S. Secret Service has not succeeded in attempting to unlock Wilson’s phone, Sills told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Authorities are planning to take the phone to the Department of Corrections’ headquarters in Forsyth, where a machine may help them access the phone’s contents.
Wilson and Jones had recently reconnected and were engaged to be married, a childhood friend of Wilson’s previously told CBS affiliate WANF.
The couple was out celebrating Jones’ 50th birthday when the fatal incident occurred, according to NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.
Officers with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources found Jones’ wallet with his driver’s license and credit cards, a hotel key card and a piece of cake in a bag on the boat, WSB-TV previously reported.
The search for Jones on Lake Oconee was suspended indefinitely on Monday, March 3.
