Stanley Kotowski’s remains have been found ten days after he went missing from his family’s rental property on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Sea Pines home regarding suspicious activity at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 26.
According to a press release from the department, upon their arrival, officers conducted an investigation that led to the discovery of the body of a deceased male underneath the residence.
Stanley Kotowski.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
“It is believed that the deceased male is 60-year-old Stanley Kotowski of Massachusetts,” the press release states.
The body is scheduled to undergo an autopsy by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday, Aug. 27, to “determine the manner of death, as well as positively identify the decedent.”
Kotowski’s family, however, has confirmed to WJCL that the remains are his and were found beneath a home “four houses down” from their rental unit.
The Massachusetts native was last seen in the South Sea Pines Drive area on Friday, August 16, around 10:30 a.m.
A previous press release explained that Kotowski exited the rental home without personal belongings, such as his cell phone or wallet.
“Since Kotowski was reported missing the Sheriff’s Office has continued search efforts. BCSO, along with other agencies and Sea Pines Security, have been using multiple resources to search for Kotowski to, include K9s, helicopters, drones, boats, and foot patrol,” the press release said.
Stanley Kotowski exiting his rental home.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
To aid in the search, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office released ring doorbell footage from the property that showed Kotowsk exiting the home barefoot in a dark-colored Coors Light T-shirt and shorts. He then stopped in the middle of the street and looked at the area around him before slowly walking out of the frame.
“He just walked out the door. He had really bad insomnia for about a month,” his wife, Jackie Kotowski, recalled at the time to WJCL. “He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse, and he started to get a little paranoid.”
