The cause of death of a man who was found under a property near a vacation rental his family had stayed at has been revealed.
Stanley Kotowski, 60, had been missing for 11 days after leaving the rental property he'd been staying in on Hilton Head Island on August 16.
Ring camera footage showed him leaving the front door of the house barefoot, before walking down the street.
He was seen appearing to be confused, stopping at one point to look around in the middle of the street before continuing to walk.
Tragically, despite an extensive search, the Massachusetts dad was found dead on Monday, in the crawl space underneath a home near the one he and his family had rented for their vacation.
Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said at a press conference on Tuesday that Kotowski had tragically died by suicide following a mental health crisis.
He added: "We estimate the day of death is the day he went missing."
Police officials did not reveal details on Kotowski's death, except to say that he'd used an "apparatus" to stop his flow of oxygen.
Ott explained: "It’s definitely asphyxiation, but there’s no other word other than hanging. Unfortunately, people believe that hanging means you rope up to a ceiling and you drop. It’s definitely not like that."
Police revealed that Kotowski had experienced paranoia in the days leading up to his disappearance and had sought medical help in the days before and during the family's vacation.
His wife, Jackie, wrote on Facebook: "Over the last month, he has been struggling with severe insomnia and has become increasingly anxious.
"Stan became paranoid, thinking that people, including authorities, were pursuing him."
She added that Kotowski reportedly became anxious about the ocean during their trip because of "exposure to the sun, jellyfish and sharks."
His body was found on Monday near their Sea Pines rental, and police explained why it had taken so long to locate him despite him being near to where he was last seen.
Police had undertaken an intensive search using dogs, drones, and canvassing door-to-door, before he was finally located under a neighboring villa.
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They revealed that Kotowski had apparently discovered a small hatch near to an outdoor shower at the property, which opened onto a crawl space.
Search and rescue crews had attempted to enter the crawl space earlier in the hunt, but couldn't make it through, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said.
Tanner added: "Once I had an opportunity to review where the body was recovered, I completely understand why he was not found [sooner], until there was some evidence that led us in that direction."
Our thoughts remain with Kotowski's family and loved ones at this heartbreaking time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org..jpg_CFVqvz?tr=h-40)
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