Sheriff: Body found in Kissimmee identified as 73-year-old man missing since Thanksgiving

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez announced Friday that deputies have identified a body that was found in Kissimmee last month as 73-year-old Herman McClenton.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

McClenton, who had dementia, was reported missing after he left Emerald Island Resort around 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day to go for a walk. He was last seen on video walking through an adjacent neighborhood the following Friday.

READ: US court rejects maintaining COVID-19 asylum restrictions

Late last month, deputies found a body in a swampy area near State Road 429 about a mile from where McClenton was last seen. They also found items of clothing matching what McClenton was last seen wearing.

Sheriff Lopez said at the time they were “fairly certain” they’d found McClenton there but would have to wait for confirmation from the Osceola County Medical Examiner.

Relatives said McClenton had been visiting from Eustis for the Thanksgiving holiday.

READ: Community searches for solutions to homelessness in Orange County

“Thank you to the members of the Osceola and Brevard County Sheriff’s Offices for their continued and tireless search for Mr. McClenton,” Sheriff Lopez said in a statement. “The family of Mr. McClenton has been notified, and we extend our condolences for their loss.”

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.