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Candlelight vigil planned for Sunday
A week later, men remain missing
Cox-Wood Mugshots

Anyone with information is asked to call Dawson County Sheriff's Investigator Christopher Murphy at (706) 344-3636.

A candlelight vigil is planned Sunday for the two Dawson County men missing since Jan. 2.

The prayer service begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at North Georgia Church, located at 74 Dill Lane, near Ga. 400 in Dawsonville.

Organizers said the community is invited and encouraged to attend in support of the men's family and friends, who continue to hold out hope for their safe return.

It's been more than a week since Mason Cox and David Wood, both 20, seemingly vanished after a night of fishing from a dock in the area of Fredericks Cove on Lake Lanier off Ga. 400.

According to their parents, the young men said they were headed out to go fishing about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 2 and would return later to spend the day with the families.

Authorities have not ruled out foul play in the men's disappearance and continue to follow leads in the case. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Department of Natural Resources were also called in to assist in the search.

"We've used every resource that we have investigation-wise," said Dawson County Sheriff's spokesman Maj. Tony Wooten. "We meet every morning for a briefing and every night for a de-briefing. We also meet with the families every day to discuss the progress of the case.

"It's been a difficult one."

Initially, investigators had hoped security surveillance taken in the area would give details in the men's disappearance, but on Wednesday, Wooten said the footage only produced images of a garbage truck on routine pickup.

"So we're back to square one as far as video surveillance," he said.

Investigators continue to comb through cell phone records "for all phones associated with the case," while K-9 units from Dawson County Emergency Services conduct ground searches and the sheriff's dive team, with assistance from DNR, search the nearby cove.

"We've done ground searches with canines, without canines. We've done air searches. We've used cadaver dogs on the lake. We've used the dogs in the woods to try to get a scent," Wooten said. "We've just come up with nothing at this point."

Divers were unable to go into the lake until Friday due to extreme temperatures and nearly an inch of ice blanketing the cove.

"Our goal is to try to rule out the lake," Wooten said.

Ethelyn Geiger, David Wood's mom, said she is not giving up hope that her son is alive.

"It's just a mystery. It feels like they've just vanished," she said. "But in my heart ... I believe they're out there somewhere and I believe someone knows where they are and is afraid for whatever reason to share that information."

Hoping her words reach her son, Geiger pleaded to hear from him.

"Please don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of the law if you've done something you shouldn't have done," she said. "Please contact us. Please contact one your friends if you're afraid to contact me. Just reach out to us. We need to hear something."