Massachusetts man's cause of death in Hilton Head revealed by South Carolina authorities.
For 10 days, Stanley Kotowski was unaccounted for until he was discovered in a crawl space beneath a Hilton Head home.
On Tuesday, South Carolina authorities disclosed the reason behind the demise of Stanley Kotowski, a man from Massachusetts who went missing during a family vacation in Hilton Head on August 16.
On August 16th, 60-year-old Kotowski went missing from his family's Hilton Head vacation rental while suffering from insomnia and anxiety. He was found 10 days later, dead, beneath a Sea Pines residence.
On Tuesday, Beaufort County Coroner David Ott determined that the cause of death of the deceased, later identified as Kotowski, was asphyxiation by hanging and his manner of death as suicide.
During a Tuesday evening press conference, Lt. Eric Calendine stated that on the day of the incident, Sea Pine security and the sheriff's office were conducting their daily patrol of the area. A Sea Pine security officer walked the neighborhood again and detected a foul odor and flies in the area. As a result, he contacted the sheriff's office.
It was difficult to locate a spot that granted access to the crawl space beneath the house, as authorities searched the area.
Calendine explained how they found a hatch near the outdoor shower on the deck, removed it, and the officer went down to investigate. However, they didn't see anything and had to crawl through the crawl space to locate the body.
Over the weekend, footage of Kotowski leaving his family's rental residence in Hilton Head, South Carolina was released, which was the same day he disappeared.
The video released by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office shows Kotowski exiting the South Sea Pines Drive rental barefoot and looking bewildered as he stops in the middle of the street and looks around before continuing on.
Jackie Kotowski, wife of Kotowski, informed WJCL that "[h]e just walked out the door."
For a month, he suffered from severe insomnia. Despite not having dementia, his anxiety worsened and he became increasingly paranoid.
According to a BCSO report obtained by WJCL, Jackie claimed that her husband believes Sea Pines is a "set up" and has a conspiracy that the people there are out to get him. She also stated that Stanley has made several statements about people watching him at this location.
According to the report, Stanley allegedly said to Jackie before leaving their rental, "I want you to promise that you'll continue without me."
"Jackie Kotowski shared the devastating news on Monday that Stan has passed away. Our hearts are heavy with grief as we begin to process this unimaginable loss."
She expressed gratitude to all those who provided assistance, imparted information, and aided in the search process.
During the Tuesday press conference, Beaufort County authorities stated that the entire community was cooperative with search efforts. Additionally, out-of-state property owners contacted Hilton Head officials to grant permission to search their homes for any evidence related to Kotowski.
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