Medical examiner reports give glimpse into hurricane dead in Lee, Collier

With 49 deaths confirmed by the state’s Medical Examiners Commission in Lee and Collier counties, the tragic conditions behind them paint a picture of terror and sorrow.

The statewide 68-death list is certain to grow, officials predict.

Rescue and recovery efforts continue in areas battered by the Category 4 storm and the flooding it spawned after it made landfall last Wednesday near Cayo Costa, slamming Lee County's barrier islands of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva and Pine Island.

The bulk of Hurricane Ian’s local dead — 45 people — listed in the medical examiners’ report, were in Lee County. Lee Sheriff Carmine Marceno reported Tuesday the toll was 55. The numbers are different now because medical examiners must examine a body to officially list it as related to the storm.

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Collier County has four deaths on the official report.

The reports do not necessarily say where in each county they were found or their names.

Most of those who died in Southwest Florida drowned. Other causes of death were medical conditions exacerbated by the storm, blunt force trauma, falls and one suicide.

One of the first recorded Lee County deaths occurred the day Ian arrived, when a witness saw a 75-year-old man with cardiac disease collapse. Emergency medical services were delayed getting to him, the report said.

Collier County's dead include a 63-year-old woman. The report says she and her husband were evacuating on Sept. 28 when she fell in a puddle. Her husband helped her up and they fled to his office for shelter.

"In less than an hour, the husband noticed the decedent was unresponsive and called EMS, who transported her to the hospital where she was pronounced," the report noted.

Three other Collier women, ages 64, 73 and 73 drowned. One of them was found by her husband floating in their home. Another hadn't evacuated and her roommate returned to find her.

In Lee County, the youngest victim on the list was 51, the oldest 95.

A 51-year-old man suffered from asthma, the report indicated. He called his girlfriend on Thursday, looking for a generator because the heat made it difficult for him to breathe. Workers found him dead on Friday.

A 95-year-old man who had cardiac disease complained of chest pains and rescue workers couldn't reach him on Saturday.

The medical examiners' report included these details about storm-related deaths:

► A 70-year-old man was found Saturday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head after losing belongings in the hurricane.

► An unidentified man in his 60s was found Saturday beneath debris in the backyard of a demolished residence on Fort Myers Beach. The medical examiner ruled he drowned.

► A 62-year-old woman was home when a tree fell on her manufactured home. "The decedent had contusions on the torso," the report said, listing drowning as the cause of death.

► An 85-year-old woman found "in a tree" on Fort Myers Beach had blunt trauma injuries to her hands and a dislocated wrist. She drowned, the report indicated.

► An 88-year-old man was found on Fort Myers Beach "with wet clothes and dirt. Sand and white foamy material in airway."

► A 65-year-old man died Friday when he was crushed by a sliding glass door and pool cage.

► A 54-year-old man attempted to get out of window during the hurricane and became trapped.

► A female of unknown age was found tangled in water under a home tangled in wires.

► A male of unknown age was found lying prone on a neighbor's deck, with wet clothes.

► An 82-year-old man who had a history of natural causes was found unresponsive.

► A 63-year-old man drowned and was found by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

► An 87-year-old man was found with blunt force injuries in a submerged car.

► A 61-year-old man was found draped over a bench after drowning.

► A 92-year-old man was found under 3 feet of water.

► A woman was found floating in 7 feet of water inside a residence.

► A 50- to 60-year-old woman was found in debris in a cul de sac, clutching debris.

► A 68-year-old man was found unresponsive by a neighbor after being seen cleaning yard of debris.

► A 73-year-old man was found by a neighbor after the hurricane; storm surge in the area was at least 8 feet.

► An 80-year-old man went outside during the storm and was found the next day floating in water.

► An 84-year-old woman with a history of hyperlipidemia (too many lipids, or fats, in one's blood) was found on the floor of a bedroom. She was last known to be alive the evening of the hurricane. Her husband found her unresponsive and contacted 911, but emergency workers could not respond, due to the storm. Her husband and a neighbor attempted CPR for 30 minutes.

► A 71-year-old man who was oxygen-dependent was found in a residence after a delayed response.

► A 71-year-old man in a residence reportedly subject to surge contacted his daughter early the day after the hurricane and complained of anxiety and chest pain. The next day, she went to check on him and noticed the residence appeared to have water damage but that waters had receded. The water was noted to be 3 feet deep at the time first responders arrived. It's unknown whether the cause of death was drowning or natural.

► An 89-year-old man who was oxygen-dependent, lost power and had generator failure.

► A 72-year-old man was found in a home with more than 8 feet of storm surge.

► A 68-year-old man was found in vehicle submerged in storm water.

► A woman was found floating in a canal in Matlacha.

► An 87-year-old man had two ground-level falls the day before the hurricane and the day it arrived and became unresponsive after falling asleep.

► A man was found floating in a canal in Matlacha.

► A man in his 60s was submerged in floodwaters behind a residence.

► A 59-year-old woman was found submerged in floodwaters in a home.

► A 62-year-old man was found submerged in floodwaters in a home.

► An unknown male was found under storm debris on Fort Myers Beach.

► A 68-year-old man with a history of hypertension and diabetes became short of breath while clearing a yard of hurricane debris and was found unresponsive.

► A 75-year-old woman was found in water after the storm and was taken to a hospital.

► A 70-year-old woman died from delayed medical access; she was found in floodwaters up to her chest and was taken to a hospital.

► An 86-year-old man with a history of hypertension was found inside a house after the storm. His bracelet sent an alert, but EMS was delayed and he died at a hospital.

► An unknown female was found under a pile of brush in front of a residence that burned during Hurricane Ian in Sanibel.

► An 80-year-old woman was found in storm debris on Fort Myers Beach.

► A 79-year-old man was found in a pile of rubble outside a home on Fort Myers Beach.

► An unknown man in his 60s was found beneath debris in the backyard of a demolished residence on Fort Myers Beach.

► An 89-year-old man was found in a car after residence was destroyed.

► An 80-year-old man fell into water in his flooded garage after being struck on the head by debris during Hurricane Ian.

Stacey Henson is the breaking news and visuals editor for the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press. Readers can reach her at shenson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Official report shows how people died in storm