Hurricane Ian, Ilonka Knes remains recovered on sunken sailboat

PC: Lee County Sheriff's Office
Ilonka Knes Death – On Friday, human remains were discovered on a sunken sailboat in the area of Fort Myers Beach. According to authorities, the remains belong to a man who vanished during Hurricane Ian. The boat known as “Good Girl” was discovered by divers in Matanzas Pass, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. According to a post on Twitter made by Sheriff Carmine Marceno, the boat in question belonged to a man who was reported missing on the day that a Category 4 hurricane made landfall and was last seen on the vessel.
Information from press release
According to press release, on Thursday, a worker at Salty Sam’s Marina noticed damage from a yacht that had not been seen there before. This prompted the marina’s management to alert the local sheriff’s office. When the sheriff’s office went back to retrieve the boat, they discovered skeletal remains of a human being inside. James “Denny” Hurst was the last person who was reported missing in Lee County following the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida. “Good Girl” belonged to James “Denny” Hurst.
Victim identified
A body was recovered by a debris removal business in the mangroves at Fort Myers Beach just two days before the vessel that belonged to Hurst was located. A subsequent investigation determined that the deceased person was Ilonka Knes, age 82, who had also been reported missing during the storm. “I mean, you know, we all know it’s him,” said Hurst’s daughter, Shannon Vaughan, told the press after his boat was found. “There is not the slightest shred of a doubt. As I mentioned before, he made his home on the boat.
On Sunday, it was determined by the sheriff’s office that the bones that were discovered on the “Good Girl” were to Hurst. The vessel was discovered directly across the water from the location where it had been docked prior to the storm. “It’s finally done. You know? It’s just finally done,” Shannon Vaughan told the press. “We’re glad that you’re finally found and you’re home. I love you. I miss you. We all do.”
PC: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
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