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(BEAUFORD, SC) — A Massachusetts man who was vacationing with his family in South Carolina has been missing since Friday and is in danger, authorities said.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, was last seen Friday morning leaving his family’s vacation home on Hilton Head Island, his family said. He was believed to be barefoot and did not take any personal items such as his phone or wallet, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Kotowski had been suffering from anxiety recently, his family told ABC affiliate WJCL in Savannah, Georgia.
“He suffered from severe insomnia for about a month. This is something completely new for him,” his wife, Jackie Kotowski, told WJCL. “He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just got worse and worse and he became a little paranoid and thought someone was following him.”
His son, Zak Kotowski, told WJCL that his father was otherwise healthy.
“He is a strong person, he is athletic. He could even overtake a few towns barefoot in a state of delirium,” Zak Kotowski told the broadcaster.
Kotowski was reported missing by his family about two hours after he was last seen, according to Master Sergeant Daniel Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He was considered endangered because of his mental state, the length of time he had been missing and because he was last seen on a Ring camera without shoes, Allen said.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office continued to search for Kotowski on Tuesday.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for missing and endangered 60-year-old Stanley Kotowski. https://t.co/iKCirBWxl1
— Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, SC (@bcsopio) 20 August 2024
The search effort included dogs, helicopters, drones, boats and foot patrols, the sheriff’s office said. There were some leads, but none yielded results, Allen said.
“Unfortunately, despite all of their efforts, literally from the air, land and sea, we have not been able to make contact with him to date,” Allen told ABC News on Tuesday.
The information on Kotowski was entered into national databases and distributed to authorities across the state, the sheriff’s office said.
His family said they would not leave Hilton Head Island without him and asked people for help.
“We just want him to come home,” Jackie Kotowski told WJCL. “We need the help of anyone who can help us find him.”
Zak Kotowski also had a message for his father: “We love you. Come home, we just want you home.”
Kotowski was last seen wearing a gray Coors Light T-shirt, dark shorts and no shoes, according to a Ring camera footage shared by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds, with short brown hair and brown eyes and a strong Boston accent.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has asked residents to check their cameras and inspect their property for any signs of Kotowski. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 843-524-2777.
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