The remains of the Cordova man, 34-year-old Erman"Tony" Fonzi, who had been missing since October 5, have been located and the next of kin have been notified according to Alaska State troopers.

Fonzie’s remains were discovered by a volunteer diver out of Cordova in about 20 feet of water at approximately 12:30 PM on Wednesday.

It was on the evening of October 5 that Fonzie and another Cordova man, 28-year-old Matthew Ward decided to go fishing while staying in a cabin with three other individuals at Deep Bay on Hawkins Island near Cordova. They went out on the water in a small, 5 foot boat. It was while out on the water, that they suffered a mishap when one of the men stood up in the small craft and it capsized.

Ward successfully swam to shore after the capsizing that occurred 50 yards from shore. After arriving onshore, Ward looked back to see Fonzie go under approximately 40 yards from the beach. Ward would contact authorities via channel 16 on the VHF and apprised them of the accident.

The Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Command Center immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information broadcast and Air Station Kodiak launched a Jayhawk helicopter to the scene to search for Fonzie. The Coast Guard suspended their search for Fonzie on Sunday evening after an unsuccessful search. The Alaska State troopers continued to search during periods of low tide in the hopes of finding Fonzie’s body.

Troopers say that the efforts and assistance of a volunteer Cordova diver was crucial in the investigation and his efforts helped to bring closure to the family.

Fonzie’s remains have been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage at their request.

The investigation into Fonzie’s drowning is continuing.