Early Saturday, Natasha Cato started posting pictures of her missing cousin on Facebook and local news sites.
Joey Holloway, 27, of Waleska, had not been seen since Friday, the day he left his campsite near Dahlonega to go fishing.
"Search efforts by police, k9's, helicopters and crews have not been successful," she wrote on her Facebook page at 8:19 a.m. Saturday. "Hopefully, the daylight will help all efforts."
Later that afternoon, she posted another update: "Joey's body was found in the creek near the campsite. Many prayers needed for our family."
An official with the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office referred all questions to the agency's public information officer, who wasn't expected in the office until Monday. And an email to Cato was not returned.
In the months before that now ill-fated fishing excursion at Camp Merrill, Holloway's life took a downward spiral.
On April 20, Holloway was the . He drove off Highway 108 near James White Trail in Waleska and slammed into a tree.
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His 2-year-old daughter was taken to with a skull fracture, then flown to 's Intensive Care Unit. She was released after just five days in the hospital. Two stepdaughters, a 4- and a 7-year-old, . The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office has yet to release the cause of the accident.
And in mid-May, Holloway was .
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A suspect in two of the eight crimes, he was charged with two counts of burglary, Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the , said at the time.
He and his wife, 26-year-old Sylvia Holloway, had just been released from the after they were arrested and charged with theft by receiving stolen property, Baker said.
The pair allegedly sold stolen jewelry from Cherokee County to a precious metal dealer in Cartersville, he said.
Jewelry was one of the primary targets in the Clayton community burglaries. Electronics and three guns were also taken. Burglars gained access to the homes by kicking in the doors, Baker said.
The nearly two dozen mourners who offered messages of condolence on Cato's Facebook page didn't dwell on Holloway's troubles. Instead, they offered up prayers and remembered a guy with an infectious smile.
"Thanks everyone for all the love, prayers and support for our family," Cato wrote. "It means more to the family than you'll ever know."
Arrangements have not yet been released.
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My condolence to this family.
Romans 2:3 NLT Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and not judge you when you do them, too? Speaks for itself.