A Georgia man who went missing in early January and was discovered dead in a lake a month later suffered a gunshot wound and drowned, it has been revealed.
Kelly Nash, 25, was last seen alive in the early hours of January 5 when he woke up coughing and sneezing, and told his girlfriend, Jessica Sexton, he was not feeling well.
By the time Sexton got up at 7.30am, the man was gone. He left the house without his wallet, ID card or the keys to his truck.
Sad end: Kelly Nash (left), 25, went missing from his Georgia home January 5. Following an exhaustive search, he was found drowned in a lake a month later
Last sighting: Nash's girlfriend, Jessica Sexton (right), last spoke to him hours before he went missing when he awakened in the middle of the night coughing and sneezing
Grisly find: A fisherman came upon Kelly Nash's decomposed body in Lake Lanier in early February
WSB-TV reported the only thing missing from Nash's home was a 9mm handgun with a single clip.
On February 8, a man fishing at Lake Lanier discovered Kelly Nash's badly decomposed.
The gruesome find came after a month-long exhaustive search conducted by the missing man's family and friends accompanied by cadaver dogs. A $50,000 reward was being offered for information on Nash's whereabouts.
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ShareNash was discovered in the water wearing the same pajama pants and dark shirt he had on when he stopped by a convenience store to pick up some items just hours before he went missing.
Sexton, his girlfriend of three years, said she had seen the 25-year-old play video games before they turned in. At 4am, he awakened suffering from cold or flu symptoms, and sometime before 7.30am he walked out of his home on Jimmy Dodd Road, never to return, reported 11Alive.
'Cause of death': The 25-year-old suffered a gunshot wound and drowned, according to officials
What went wrong? Nash, pictured left with his husky dog and right with his girlfriend, left the house without his wallet, car keys or ID. The only thing missing from Nash's home was a 9mm handgun
Results pending: Officials are awaiting he official report from the medical examiner before releasing the cause and manner of death
The tattoos on the body of the 6-foot-2 former college basketball player helped police positively identify the victim as Nash, but because of the deteriorated state of the corpse officials did not immediately observe any signs of trauma.
Hall County sheriff's officials declined to comment on whether foul play is now suspected in the case. They're awaiting the official report from the medical examiner before releasing the cause and manner of death.
‘We do feel that he went into the water in close proximity to where he was found,' said Hall County Sheriff's Deputy Nicole Bailes.
According to his family, Nash was about to graduate with a degree in accounting from Georgia Gwinnett College, and he was also employed at his father Alan's construction company, reported NBC News.
So much to live for: Nash was about to graduate with a degree in accounting from Georgia Gwinnett College
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