Methuen Man Found Dead Under South Carolina Vacation Home

METHUEN, MA — A 60-year-old Methuen who went missing earlier this month after he was last seen leaving his Hilton Head, South Carolina vacation rental home has been found dead underneath a home in Sea Pines, according to authorities.

Stanley Kotowski left the South Sea Pines Drive vacation home on the morning of Aug. 16, while on a family trip with his wife and son, the family previously told WHDH.

Authorities found the body in a tiny crawl space underneath a home near where the family was staying after a security officer at the resort noticed a foul odor, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Kotowski is believed to have taken his own life, officials said at a news conference attended by Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eric Calendine, Sheriff P.J. Tanner, and Beaufort County Coroner David Ott.

While Kotowski was still missing, his wife Jackie told told WHDH that he had "really bad insomnia for about a month."

She added: "This is like, a brand new thing. He doesn’t have dementia. His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse. And he started to get a little paranoid. He thought someone was chasing him."

The investigation is ongoing.