The body of an 82-year-old woman who went missing after Hurricane Ian hit in late September was discovered this week in a mangrove forest near Fort Myers Beach, Florida, authorities said.
Ilonka Knes was one of the last two people missing in the wake of the devastation brought by Ian, and her remains were found on Tuesday "
in the heart of the mangroves
", Carmine told a press conference on Thursday January 12. Marceno, the sheriff of Lee County, which includes Fort Myers Beach.
This discovery brings the toll of Hurricane Ian in this county, the most affected, to 74 dead, he said.
“Every day since the storm has been difficult”
“
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.
Read alsoIn Cuba, Hurricane Ian only completed an already moribund electricity network
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.
Ian, a category 4 hurricane when it hit the coast of Florida, had first devastated Cuba, and continued its trajectory over North Carolina.
It killed more than a hundred people, according to American media.
