On the day after Hurricane Ian decimated Fort Meyers, FL, City of Fort Myers Firefighter Chris Tyler was clearing debris from Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevard near Brookhill Drive when he spotted something rather unusual... an urn that was virtually untouched, sealed inside of an orange five-gallon bucket from Home Depot.
“Figured it was just a bucket,” Tyler told NBC 2. “I didn’t think it was going to be heavy, so when it was heavy, it was different. It popped open when I was moving it. I popped it open the rest of the way, and that’s when I found the urn inside.”
According to the engraving on the urn, the remains inside are those of Donald J. Salvatore, who died at the age of 68 on April 30, 2019.
“It was just sitting there like nothing happened, like somebody placed it on the side of the road almost,” he said. “It could’ve been meant for us to be there to take care of that situation so we could end up finding it and locate the family members.”
But, finding the family members has proved to be quite a challenge.
"Every single lead that I’ve found has just ended up being a dead end," Tyler told reporters.
"I’ve been looking since probably two days after the hurricane. I called the funeral home and the funeral home just told me information that I already found out.”
Now he’s turning to the public for help.
If you know the Salvatores or have any information that could help Tyler reunite the family with Donald’s remains, please call the Fort Myers Fire Department at 239-321-7311.
