By Joe Johnson
A body that was found in the Middle Oconee River two weeks ago has been determined to be that of an Athens man who was reported missing last month.
The badly decomposed remains of 27-year-old Quavian Culver were identified after being examined at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation State Crime Lab in Decatur, according to Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson.
Culver, whose last known address on file was on Spring Valley Road, county police said, was reported missing on Dec. 18, four days after he was last seen on security camera footage in the area of Sycamore Drive, which backs up to the river. Prior to that witnesses saw him leaving University Oaks apartments off of West Broad Street. His body was removed from the river by emergency responders on Jan. 14 after being seen caught in a logjam near Macon Highway. There were no obvious signs of foul play, according to Wilson.
“Detectives are still trying to determine the circumstances that led him to being in the river,” said Lt. Shaun Barnett, public information officer for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.