Human remains were found Tuesday in a mangrove area off Fort Myers Beach, which after investigation determined they were those of a Florida woman who had been reported missing after Hurricane Ian last September.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it is Ilonka Knes, an 82-year-old woman, who they managed to identify through dental records. Authorities determined her cause of death to be accidental drowning.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno held a press conference Thursday morning and confirmed that Knes had been reported missing during Hurricane Ian, which made landfall with the devastating Category 4 storm on September 28, wreaking havoc. in the Fort Myers area.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Marceno said.
Knes had not been seen since Ian made landfall in southwest Florida and after search and rescue operations she had been placed on the missing persons list on October 15.
Marceno said the area where Knes’s remains were found was not accessible by boat and was not visible from the air.
According to the sheriff, Knes was one of the people classified as missing after the cyclone struck, which killed at least 139 people in Florida.