Public’s help still needed to find missing Hilton Head visitor as search enters 7th day
As of Wednesday evening, Stanley Kotowski, the Hilton Head visitor who left his vacation rental in Sea Pines on Friday morning and never returned, had still not been located, according to Master Sgt. Danny Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The search enters its seventh day on Thursday.
Despite dozens of tips from community members via phone and email and intensified search efforts, there are no new leads to where Kotowski is located or any clues about the circumstances leading to his disappearance.
The condo the Methuen, Massachusetts resident and his family were renting is on South Sea Pines Drive, a lightly wooded area within the gated community of Sea Pines. The 5,000 acre area is near the shores of the Calibogue Sound and Braddock Cove. There are also are handful of lagoons in the area.
Kotowski’s wife Jackie and other family members have been active on social media asking the public to pass along any information they may have or report possible sightings. The words from the family members’ postings all echo the same sentiments to Kotowski, please come back.
“My husband is still missing and we are still here. I’m not leaving until he is found,” his wife, Jackie, wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
When he left Friday morning he was without shoes, a wallet or a phone.
Today marks the sixth day of the search led by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Search efforts over the last several days have included “land, water, and air,” said Allen, including canine units, boats, drones and on-foot patrol. The department also is utilizing a helicopter to search over waterways and more heavily-wooded areas.
In recent days, the department has been in the process of contacting property managers and landlords in other communities to search vacant homes, outbuildings and unoccupied spaces to look for any signs of Kotowski. Homes within the immediate neighborhood have also been searched. Allen said that until he is found, the department can not rule out any area. The other concern Allen raised is Kotowski may be changing locations.
“A space could be occupied today and unoccupied tomorrow,” Allen said.
The Sheriff’s office continues to ask that community members call the department’s non-emergency dispatch line, 843-524-2777, if they have any information about Kotowski’s whereabouts.
This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 4:59 PM.
