Cause of death of Massachusetts man Stanley Kotowski in Hilton Head, South Carolina – NBC Boston

A Massachusetts man who was found dead beneath a home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on Monday committed suicide, authorities said Tuesday, providing more information about how his body was discovered.

Stanley Kotowski's body was found in a crawl space about 100 to 150 yards from where the 60-year-old was last seen alive, Beaufort County officials said Tuesday. He died of asphyxiation.

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Sheriff PJ Tanner stressed that the situation was “very unusual” and that he could understand why the days-long search for Kotowski, whose family said he was suffering from a mental health crisis, did not result in him being found so close to the villa where he had lived with his wife and two family friends.

“The idea that this is an entry point for the crawl space would probably be overlooked,” Tanner said.

Kotowski was last seen on August 16 when he left the building on South Sea Pines Drive wearing a gray T-shirt and dark shorts, but no shoes.

Police in South Carolina believe the body discovered during a search of a Hilton Head home is that of 60-year-old Stanley Kotowski, a Massachusetts man who disappeared while vacationing in the area. Follow NBC10 Boston:

His body was eventually discovered by a Sea Pines community safety officer who smelled a foul odor and saw flies but was unable to locate them, officials said. Searchers eventually found a hatch next to a townhouse's outdoor shower that led to the small crawl space where his body was found.

Authorities released few specific details about Kotowski's death. Tanner did not answer a reporter's question about whether the man's death was intentional or accidental.

“There was a device that reduced the amount of oxygen you could actually take in,” Tanner said.

Authorities pointed out that the community had been very cooperative in the search for Kotowski.