Remains of last missing person from Hurricane Ian found in sunken sailboat

Jan. 16 (UPI) -- The remains of the last known missing person in Lee County, Fla., related to September's Hurricane Ian were found near Fort Myers over the weekend, officials said.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office confirmed the body of 72-year-old James "Denny" Hurst was found in a sunken sailboat on Matanzas Pass near Salty Sam's Marina in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Friday.

The boat, named "Good Girl," belonged to Hurst. It was discovered and reported by a worker at the marina on Thursday.

"We all know it's him," Hurst's daughter, Shannon Vaughan, told WBBH-TV. "There's absolutely no doubt. Like I said, he lived on the boat."

Hurst was last seen alive on his boat at the Island Bay Marina in Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 28. Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast that day, bringing sustained winds of 155 mph.

On Thursday, the sheriff's office announced it had identified human remains found along the coast as 82-year-old Ilonka Knes, who had been missing since the hurricane destroyed her home. Her husband, 81-year-old Robert Knes, was found dead not long after the storm passed.

Hurricane Ian was one of the deadliest storms in recent history with a death toll of nearly 150 people.