CORDELE, Ga. (WALB) — Darian Taylor was a 2026 graduate of Turner County High School.

Last month, he celebrated his 19th birthday and he had plans to become a Marine.

“My first reaction was ‘I know he didn’t jump in the water.’ My son don’t like water,” Monteya Lang, mother said. “Even if I took him to the beach or anywhere around water, he wouldn’t even get close to the water. So I knew that couldn’t have been my child, not jumping in no water,”

Darian leaves behind four younger brothers, who his mother says looked up to him. She describes him as a quiet loner, who enjoyed being on his phone and spending time with his family watching movies.

“He was getting himself prepared. He wanted to build a foundation not only for himself but for his brothers, his mother, his family,” she said. “He wanted to see himself, his family with something, and we will never get that because of a playful or whatever situation went on and my child is not here.”

According to Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, Saturday, Aug. 1, around 3 p.m. they received reports of a possible drowning. Witnesses told authorities that the man jumped from a floating dock and failed to resurface.

After the sheriff’s office says bystanders were unsuccessful in trying locate him under water, the Sumter County Dive Team was able to recover Darian around 4:20 p.m.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NEW DETAILS: Man drowns at Lake Blackshear after jumping from floating dock <<

Darian’s family says that they didn’t know the people Darian went to Lake Blackshear with, that’s what is making them question what happened.

“I did talk to a witness who says he and his son were out on jet skis. When he saw the three of them, he did not see Darian jump in. He says all that they saw is the young lady running back and forth and she yells out ‘we can’t find him, we can’t find him,’ and by the time they get there to try to rescue him they said they couldn’t find him but his body was found in the exact location they said he went in,” Darian’s uncle, Pastor G.D. Jones said. “And they said that the young man was saying, the witness says he came up and said ‘he told me he could swim, he told me he could swim,’ but we know that’s not true because Darian could not swim, he didn’t even like water.”

Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock released a statement on Facebook, Sunday, Aug. 2 that reads in part:

“On August 1st, our community experienced a tragedy that has weighed heavily on my heart. While witness statements are still being gathered and the investigation continues, it was important to pause and recognize the people who responded with courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to help.”

But the call from Darian’s family is for the truth.

“Darian was terrified of water, let alone to go and jump in water when he could not swim,” Pastor G.D. Jones said.

The family is requesting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) conduct an autopsy and toxicology report in order to get answers to the many questions that they have.

Crisp County Sheriff’s Office is actively to investigating. If you have any information that could help law enforcement and Taylor’s family get answers contact the sheriff’s office at 229-276-2600.

This Saturday, Aug. 8, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Cuthbert will be having a water balloon fight from 3 to 6 p.m. in Darian’s honor. Pastor Jones says this will now be an annual event to honor him and educate the community.

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