John Jefferson
A Massachusetts father who disappeared from a vacation home on Hilton Head Island more than a week ago has been found dead.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, was last seen August 16 around 10:30 a.m. leaving the rental home where he had been staying with his family. He was shoeless and without his phone or wallet.
A massive search effort was launched in the South Carolina coastal town, with officials deploying canines, drones and helicopters to try to locate Kotowski.
On Monday afternoon, Kotowski’s wife, Jackie, confirmed the heartbreaking news on her Facebook page that his body had been found underneath a home, just four houses down from their rental.
“It is with deep sorrow that I share the heartbreaking news that Stan has been found. Sadly, he is no longer with us. Our hearts are heavy with grief as we begin to process this unimaginable loss,” she wrote.
The couple were on vacation with their two sons. After Kotowski went missing, they told local news outlets that they would not go back home to Massachusetts until he was found.
“Zak, Ryan and I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who offered their support, shared information, and helped in the search efforts,” his wife continued in her post. “Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us during this incredibly difficult time.”
When deputies responded to the vacation rental nearly two weeks ago, Jackie Kotowski told them her husband had been struggling with anxiety and may have been suffering from a mental health crisis when he walked out of the house.
She added that Kotowski had alarmingly suggested Sea Pines was a “set up” and had a conspiracy that the people there were out to get him.
“He had, like, really bad insomnia for about a month,” she explained at the time. “His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And he started to get a little paranoid. He thought someone was chasing him.”
An image from Ring camera footage released by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office showed Kotowski barefoot and wearing the same clothes he was last seen in when he vanished.
Before he left, Jackie said her husband told her: “Promise me you will go on without me.”
Jackie thanked the community for their support during this difficult time.
“As we take the time to come to terms with this news, we ask for your continued thoughts and prayers,” she wrote on Facebook. “We have not yet made arrangements, but we will share more information when we are able. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office confirmed to WJCL on Monday that it will conduct an autopsy on August 27 to determine Kotowski’s manner of death.
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