- Stanley Kotowski, 60, of Boston, was last seen on August 16 around 10:30 a.m.
- On Monday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a call to the residence.
- They said they found Kotowski’s body underneath the building.
A beloved Massachusetts father was found dead near his family’s vacation property after disappearing during a trip to the luxurious Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, of Boston, was last seen on August 16 around 10:30 a.m. leaving a condominium the family had paid for with friends. The Island Packet reports.
On Monday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a call to the residence around 11:30 a.m.
They said they found Kotowski’s body underneath the building and recovered it around 3:30 p.m.
Kotowski was last seen 10 days earlier, caught on camera without shoes and without a phone, further worrying his family as search efforts expanded across the island.
Stanley Kotowski (pictured, centre, right), 60, was found dead near his family’s holiday property after disappearing during a trip to the luxurious Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Kotowski mysteriously disappeared while on vacation on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina on August 16.
“He just walked out the door,” said Kotowski’s wife, Jackie. He told Boston 25 Newsadding that she was already worried about his mental state before he disappeared.
“He had very bad insomnia for a month,” she said. “This is something new. He doesn’t have dementia.
But, according to Jackie, “his anxiety got worse and he started to get a little paranoid. He thought someone was after him.”
He added that he began to believe that Sea Pines was some kind of “trap” and made multiple statements claiming that people in the area were “watching” him, according to Juvenile Justice League.
Before leaving, Jackie said her husband told her, “Promise me you’ll go on without me.”
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office eventually expanded its search efforts to include helicopters, boats, drones and dogs.
Officials were searching wood lines and unoccupied buildings and entered Kotowski’s information into a national database of missing persons as they increased their presence across the island.
His family said they feared he might be hiding in a vacant residence or pool shed in the Sea Pines area.
He was caught on camera without shoes or a phone, further worrying his family as search efforts spread across the island.
Local authorities found Kotowski’s body underneath the building and recovered it around 3:30 p.m.
His wife, Jackie, said she was already concerned about his mental state before he disappeared.
But his son Zak said he could be anywhere in the area.
“He’s a strong person,” Zak said. “He’s athletic. Even in a delirious state, without shoes, he could walk through several towns, especially in 72 hours.”
They hoped someone would see it on their security camera and be able to help with the search.
The family has yet to comment publicly since Kotowski’s body was found, but confirmed the death Monday afternoon.
