(Miami) The body of an 82-year-old woman missing after the passage of the hurricane Ian late September was discovered this week in a mangrove near Fort Myers Beach, Florida, authorities said.
Ilonka Knes was one of the last two people missing in the wake of the devastation wrought by Ianand his remains were found on Tuesday “in the heart of the mangroves,” Carmine Marceno, the sheriff of Lee County, which includes Fort Myers Beach, said at a press conference Thursday.
This discovery brings the toll of the hurricane Ian in this county, the most affected, to 74 dead, he said.
“Most of us felt like we were back to normal. For some, still without news of their loved ones, every day since the storm has been difficult, ”commented Carmine Marceno, who assured that his services continued to tirelessly search for the last missing person.
Ilonka Knes’ body was identified through dental records, he said. The medical examiner determined that she had drowned.
Her husband, Robert Knes, 81, also died in the hurricane.
Iana category 4 hurricane when it hit the coast of Florida, had first devastated Cuba, and continued its path over North Carolina.
It killed more than a hundred people, according to American media.