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Who was James Denny Hurst? Body of final missing victim from Hurricane Ian found aboard sunken sailboat

The body of James Denny Hurst, 72, was recovered from the boat near Fort Myers Beach

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA: James "Denny" Hurst, who had been missing since Hurricane Ian, was discovered on a submerged sailboat in Fort Myers. Hurst, 72, was last seen on the boat named Good Girl when the region was hit by the category 4 hurricane in late September, which resulted in at least 145 fatalities.

On Sunday, January 15, the Lee County Sheriff's Office announced that Hurst's remains had been found. Sheriff Carmine Marceno reported that the boat was found on January 13 in Fort Myers Beach's Matanzas Pass neighborhood. Officials claimed Hurst had told his family he intended to wait out the storm on the boat. Marceno stated that Hurst was the only person remaining unaccounted for in Lee County, Florida following the hurricane catastrophe. He said that he hoped this would provide some closure for their families.

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On Monday, January 16, Marceno tweeted, "Update to the human remains found on the 'Good Girl' sailboat behind Salty Sams on Fort Myers Beach on Friday: The remains have been positively identified as James Denny Hurst. Mr. Hurst's family has been notified. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Hurst's daughter Shannon Vaughan revealed to WBBH that her father had resided on the boat and she expressed gratitude for the resolution. She stated, "It's finally done. You know? It's just finally done. We're glad that you're finally found and you're home. I love you. I miss you. We all do."

Hurst was known to have mobility issues and relied on a walker to move around, according to WBBH. On September 28, the day Hurricane Ian made landfall, he was last seen on his boat docked at Island Bay Marina.

Hurst was located with the assistance of crew members from Sea Hag Marina in Fort Myers who have been aiding with the hurricane's clean-up efforts. The crew members stated that the sailboat was spotted in 18 feet of water with "just enough visibility to see a piece of the boat."

The Sea Hag Marina posted a statement on Facebook that read, "Our guys were able to assist the dive team in lifting the boat out of the water and onto land. The Sheriff's Office was able to locate human remains aboard the vessel, 'Good Girl' which we believe to be Denny Hurst."

"Had the water not of been clear today, we are not sure how much longer it would have been for the boat to be seen. The definition of divine timing is the belief that everything in your life happens at exactly the right moment and we truly believe that today was one of those days for everyone involved," the statement concluded.