The body of a man who was reported missing after Hurricane Ian hit the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico has been recovered from a sunken sailboat, according to police.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday the remains were identified as those of 72-year-old James “Denny” Hurst, who was last known to be aboard the sailboat “Good Girl” when the Category 3 storm 4 hit the region in late September.
The boat was recovered Friday afternoon in the Matanzas Pass area of Fort Myers Beach, Police Chief Carmine Marceno said in a social media post.
Hurst had told his family that he planned to ride out the hurricane on the boat, according to authorities.
Early on Friday, the police chief announced that a debris-clearing team in the mangroves had found the remains of 82-year-old Ilonka Knes. He had been reported missing in early October.
Authorities identified Knes through dental records, the police chief said. The body of her husband, Robert Knes, 81, was found shortly after the storm.
Hurst and Knes were the two people still missing in Lee County after the hurricane, Marceno said. He added that he hopes their families now have some comfort.
Prior to the discovery, the Florida Medical Examiner Commission reported Tuesday 145 confirmed deaths in the state from Hurricane Ian. The latter will be added to that total.
There were also five deaths in North Carolina, one in Virginia and three in Cuba, according to authorities.