Toccoa Man Found Safe After Disappearing From Toccoa Golf Course

Man found safe after disappearing while playing golf

A missing Toccoa man is found safe after getting lost while playing golf.

According to Toccoa Police Chief Jimmy Mize, on Friday, October 4, the Police Department was contacted by the workers at the Links of Lake Toccoa golf course regarding a missing golfer.

An all-out search was launched to find 54-year-old Stanley Wilbanks of Toccoa, who seemed to have just vanished while playing on the 18-hole course.

The Toccoa Fire Department along with the Lee Arrendale K-9 Unit was called in to help locate the Wilbanks.

The Stephens County Rescue Unit was also called in to assist.

After no contact was made with Wilbanks by the K-9 Unit, Georgia State Patrol Air Support was called in with a helicopter and Flair Unit.

After several hours, Wilbanks was located about a mile from the golf course by the helicopter and the Rescue Unit was given a GPS coordinate.

The rescue unit accompanied by an Air Sniffing Dog from the Cornelia Fire Department found Wilbanks, stuck waist deep, in a marsh in the woods.

Chief Mize said Wilbanks told rescue crews and officers he had left the golf course to chase some wild hogs he had seen, became disoriented and got lost.

Wilbanks was reportedly shaken, but otherwise not injured by the ordeal.