Cause Of Death Released For Man Found Dead In Allatoona Lake

ACWORTH, GA -- Authorities have released the cause of death for a 22-year-old man found deceased in Lake Allatoona on Monday. Gerardo Soto Jr. went missing Sunday after swimming in the lake, authorities said.

Bartow County officials were notified just after 1 p.m. Sunday about a man who had not emerged from the water, authorities said. (SIGN UP: For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Recovery efforts began at the Red Top Mountain swimming beach area around 2 p.m. that same day, said Bartow EMS spokesman Brad Cothran. A GoFundMe account set up by Soto's family says that "we are all hurting" over his loss.

"There is no proper way to describe how hurt we are to hear of our beloved son, cousin, friend has passed away," the page says. "We cannot express how deeply he was loved by us and everyone around him. We are truly and deeply saddened by his loss. We all are hurting and handling things the best way we can. Some go to facebook to pay their respects in pictures and kind words. Some sit quietly trying to process their loss. We all are grieving his loss. We are trying to raise funds to help his family with the funeral expenses. Any amount is greatly appreciated. "

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Image via GoFundMe