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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

26-year-old man dead after kayaking in Dalton’s Haig Mill Lake

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The north end of the lake at Haig Mill Lake Park is seen Tuesday. A 26-year-old man drowned at the lake Saturday evening.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The north end of the lake at Haig Mill Lake Park is seen Tuesday. A 26-year-old man drowned at the lake Saturday evening.

The identity of a man who drowned in Haig Mill Lake on Saturday evening has been released by Dalton officials.

After using the lake’s rental kayaks with his brother-in-law, Ivan Gonzalez, 26, removed his life jacket and swam out into the lake, Dalton officials said in a news release. The Calhoun resident was swimming near a dock on the northwest side of the lake when he began calling for help.

“He either wasn’t a good swimmer or got tired or something and went below the water,” city spokesperson Bruce Frazier said in a phone interview.

(READ MORE: July Fourth drowning marks state’s 11th boating-related fatality for 2024)

Swimming is prohibited in the lake because it’s a drinking water reservoir, he said, adding the reason Gonzalez was in the lake is unknown. Frazier said Gonzalez might have been trying to retrieve a kayak or other item that had drifted away.