Miami man drowned, body found in Fort Meyers

Nick Potts wouldn’t give up until the body of his older brother, Gary, who drowned Sunday in the Caloosahatchee River, was found.

On Wednesday morning, his determination was sadly rewarded. He and a cousin found Gary Potts’ body in mangroves on the north shore of the river about 2 miles from where he disappeared.

“It was a miracle that we found him. Now we have closure,” said Potts, 50, of North Fort Myers.

Although he’s satisfied his brother was found, he is still in shock over his death, Potts said. “I’m still numb. I’m going to miss him dearly,” he said.

Potts and his cousin, Keith Hartzell, 50, of Cape Coral, did what sheriff’s patrol boats, helicopters, and divers failed to do since Gary Potts, 54, of Punta Gorda, climbed down the ladder of their boat and into the river to cool off near Bay Pointe Yacht and Racquet Club in North Fort Myers on Sunday afternoon. Potts said he tried to save his brother but couldn’t.

Divers called off their efforts Monday afternoon after searching the river bottom in the area of the yacht club all day. Sheriff’s marine patrol boats found nothing Tuesday.

Potts said he then asked sheriff’s officials if the family could continue the search and was given the go-ahead by detectives.

Potts said he and Hartzell got on personal watercraft and began searching the river banks.

Around 10:45 a.m., Hartzell said he saw something in the mangroves on the north shore of the river just west of Interstate 75. He said he moved closer with the personal watercraft.

“It was Gary,” he said.

Hartzell called 911 and family and friends, who called Potts, who was at another point on the river.

A sheriff’s patrol boat took the body to shore. The medical examiner’s office has not made an identification or determined the cause of death, said Sgt. Stephanie Eller, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

Potts said Gary died doing what he loved to do: boating and swimming.

“We had so much fun boating. We swam in the river, in canals, in my pool. We’ve been playing on the water for more than 30 years,” Potts said.

He believes Gary’s injuries from a car accident a year ago contributed to the drowning.

“He never fully recovered. His body wasn’t strong enough to do what he thought it could,” Potts said.