Search Continues For Missing Teen On Lake Lanier

Federal authorities have joined the search for the body of a 13-year-old at Lake Lanier.

Crews have spent a week searching for Griffin Prince after he went overboard during a deadly boat crash. His 9-year-old brother's body was found June 18, and five others were injured. Investigators believe the driver of the other boat involved was drunk at the time.

Crews have been searching about a quarter square mile on the lake with sonar equipment, but pinpointing exactly where the wreck happened is very difficult. They had to scale back the search over the weekend because of heavy traffic on the lake. Monday morning, a specialized dive team with the FBI joined the effort.

A team of eight FBI divers spent Monday in the lake with a high-tech 3-D sonar scanner and military-style diving equipment that allows divers to go down deeper and stay down longer.

The Department of Natural Resources is still in charge of the search effort.

Ten divers from the Hall County Sheriff's Office also scoured the lake for hours on Monday. Officials said fatigue is a factor, but it has not slowed them down.

Crews also received help from a Federal Emergency Management Agency search dog team.

DNR said there are no plans to end the search until Griffin is found.

"We have not talked about a completion date. It's not even on our mind. We're going to go as long as we can go," DNR Regional Supervisor Capt. Mark Padgett said. "This extended longer than we wanted it to, obviously, but we got a family out there that's certainly grieving and, you know, they have two children lost and we're going to do the best we can to find them."

Padgett said the DNR will deal with the mounting costs at a later time.

"That's something that we're not worried about right now. We're going to do what we can do," Padgett said.

Members of the Prince family have said they are overwhelmed by the community's response to the tragedy. More than 100 people attended a weekend vigil for the boys. Friends and neighbors lit candles as they released floating lanterns into the sky of the Windsor at Lanier subdivision. The family's bishop led the group in a prayer and offered words of hope.

"This is a family that has a beautiful past together and they have a beautiful future together," Bishop Mark Bradford said.

Among the survivors of the crash is the eldest Griffin brother, who is 15. He is responsible for pulling the body of his brother, Jake, from the water.

A memorial fund has been set up for the Prince children. If you would like to help, you can make a donation to the Jake & Griffin Prince Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank location. The account number for the fund is 7581668121.

A memorial Facebook page has also been set up in honor of the two boys.