UPDATE (February 10th, 2015):
Authorities have confirmed a body found in Lake Lanier over the weekend is that of missing man Kelly Nash, who disappeared on January 5th from his home in Buford, Georgia.
Investigators said a fisherman discovered the body Sunday evening. NBC affiliate 11Alive reports that officials do not suspect foul play, but they are not saying what the cause of death was. However, investigators told 11Alive they may be able to figure out in a few days exactly what led to Nash's disappearance and death.
"We do feel that he went into the water in close proximity to where he was found," Hall County Sheriff's Deputy Nicole Bailes told 11Alive.
Nash was last seen at his Buford home the morning of January 5th. His girlfriend told police Nash woke up in the early that morning coughing and sneezing, saying he wasn’t feeling well. She said when she woke up again a few hours later in their home in Buford, Georgia, he was gone. Nash's cellphone wallet, and truck were all left behind.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (January 26th, 2015):
On the morning of January 5th, 2015, Kelly Nash disappeared.
His girlfriend told police Nash woke up in the early that morning coughing and sneezing, saying he wasn’t feeling well. She said when she woke up again a few hours later in their home in Buford, Georgia, he was gone.
“Something wasn’t right. You could tell right away something wasn’t right,” Alan Nash, Kelly’s father, told Dateline. “We just want our son back, we want him back.”
Nash’s truck, wallet, ID, and cell phone were all left behind.
Family and friends insist Kelly wasn’t the type to simply disappear, and Gwinnett County Police are investigating the case. Officials said they are trying to piece together a timeline of exactly what Nash was doing in the hours before he went missing. There is surveillance video of Kelly at a gas station around the corner from his house at 9pm night before he went missing; picking up items while on the phone with his girlfriend, but nothing in the footage is out of the ordinary, and Nash returned home shortly thereafter.
Nash was about to earn his degree in accounting from Georgia Gwinnett College, and had been working with his father’s construction company for more than a year while attending school full time. He and his girlfriend of more than three years had just moved into a new house which Alan Nash said was only two miles away from his own.
“He saw what he wanted in life,” Alan Nash said. “He had figured it out and was working to get there. Strong relationships were what he wanted in life. Kelly wasn’t driven by money, but by doing things the right way.”
On Monday the family announced that the reward for information leading to finding Nash had been increased to $50,000. The reward is offered by Kelly’s family, friends, several local businesses, and donations. The family continues to push for answers, hoping someone from the public saw something that could provide the information police need. They’ve created the Facebook Page ‘Kelly Nash Missing’ as well as the website, kellynashmissing.com.
“There has been nothing yet to discourage me,” Alan told Dateline. “But, there hasn’t been anything to encourage me either. We’re just looking for some leads, so if anyone knows anything, please get it to us.”
Nash is described as 6’2” tall, weighing 230 lbs, with brown hair and blue eyes. If you have any information that could help in Nash’s case, please call the Gwinnett County Police Department at (770) 513-5300. The Nash family has also set up an anonymous tip line at (404) 433-6323.