Three people remain missing after Hurricane Ian, according to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports

Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press
·4 min read

More than three weeks after Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida, Lee County Sheriff's Office is investigating three missing persons cases related to the storm.

Two men, one aboard a sailboat during the storm and one who stormed off after a fight, and a woman whose husband's body was recovered near their Fort Myers home have still been unheard from since Ian's Sept. 28 hit.

Sheriff Carmine Marceno confirmed the cases this week, as well as updated post-Hurricane Ian statistics.

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The office opened up well-being checks to allow family and friends who hadn't heard from their missing loved ones since the storm, with deputies responding to 4,866 checks in the past few weeks.

Marceno said all of the well-being checks have been since been closed out, confirming the residents were either dead or alive following the storm's wrath. Marceno reported that 61 people county residents died in the storm.

Here are the facts on each of the case as of Friday.

Gary Luke of North Fort Myers

Gary Luke, 72, was reported missing by his wife after he drove off in his Black Honda CRV towards Lehigh during the storm to escape potential storm surge.
Gary Luke, 72, was reported missing by his wife after he drove off in his Black Honda CRV towards Lehigh during the storm to escape potential storm surge.

Candice May Luke reported her husband, Gary Luke, 72, missing on Sept. 30.

According to LCSO's report, his wife last spoke to Luke hours before Ian's landfall, stating they were "fighting about whether to evacuate their home due to expected storm surge." Gary decided leave last minute in their 2007 Black Honda CRV toward Lehigh Acres.

Candice Luke told deputies the last time she spoke to him was when he said he was crossing a bridge. It's currently unknown what bridge he was crossing.

Deputies have searched the area, as well as his residence, and have come up with no results. Luke's phone also goes straight to voicemail.

Luke was last seen wearing pajama pants with a long-sleeved navy shirt.

James "Denny" Hurst of Fort Myers Beach

James "Denny" Hurst, 72, was reported missing by his daughter, Shannon Hurst, after he didn't answer phone calls following Hurricane Ian's landfall.
James "Denny" Hurst, 72, was reported missing by his daughter, Shannon Hurst, after he didn't answer phone calls following Hurricane Ian's landfall.

Shannon Hurst reported her father, James Hurst, 72, missing Oct. 6 after he braved Ian on his sailboat in Fort Myers Beach.

During the storm, Hurst lost contact with his family and they since not heard from him since 10:30 a.m. Sept. 28. The storm hit the beach about 3 p.m. that day.

He is described as 6-feet, 2-inches tall, white with gray hair, a goatee and blue eyes, with a scorpion tattoo on his arm. He also known to wear an anchor necklace.

The name of his boat was Good Girl Sailboat, usually docked at 290 Pearl Street, Fort Myers Beach. The condition or location of his boat following the storm is still unknown to the public.

Ilonka Knes of Fort Myers Beach

Ilonka Knes, 82, was reported missing after her family reported not hearing from her since the hurricane hit, according to Lee County Sheriffs Office.
Ilonka Knes, 82, was reported missing after her family reported not hearing from her since the hurricane hit, according to Lee County Sheriffs Office.

Carol Zilic reported her sister-in-law, Ilonka Knes, 82, missing on Oct. 15. Searchers found Knes' husband, Robert, 81, close to their Fort Myers Beach home, but Ilonka Knes remains missing.

Carol said she believed Ilonka was with her husband the night of the hurricane and if he was swept away, there's a good chance she was as well.

According to LCSO's report, deputies searched the residence and found it substantially damaged, with all of the windows and doors blown out and the inside gutted.

A large amount of debris was strewn about in the front yard, including what looked like someone's roof with shingles attached, reports indicate. Deputies reported smelling decay, but it was unclear what it was from. There was rotting food and trash around the residence.

Deputies, as well as members of the Fort Myers Beach Fire Rescue and the U.S.  Army Reserve, searched the debris field, but found nothing.

Prior to Ian's landfall, a neighbor saw a gold Jeep outside their home, which later confirmed by Zilic to be the Knes' handyman known as "Minnesota Rich."

Minnesota Rich stated he visited Knes' the day of the hurricane and asked them to evacuate, however, they refused. He gave Robert and Ilonka life jackets for the storm.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: 3 Lee County locals remain missing