Missing Runner Arielle Valdes’ Body Found 5 Days After Disappearance

Authorities believe the body of Arielle Valdes, a 21-year-old woman who disappeared while running near her home in Florida, has been located.

Valdes vanished on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after leaving her home to go on a run at the 90th block of Mariana Avenue in North Fort Myers around 6:30 p.m. local time, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).

Footage captured by a Department of Transportation camera, shared by the LCSO, showed the woman running southbound on U.S. Route 41 around 6:45 p.m. that same evening. Cameras also captured her going southbound toward the Edison Bridge just after 6:50 p.m.

On Monday, Sept. 2, five days after Valdes disappeared, a body was found while crews searched for her along the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers, according to the LCSO. Authorities believe the remains belonged to Valdes.

Authorities said preliminary evidence does not indicate that foul play was involved in Valdes’ death, according to the LCSO. Her cause of death has not been released.

“We are heartbroken about Arielle’s passing,” said Joseph Sowels, who organized a GoFundMe campaign started after Valdes’ disappearance. 

Loved ones are holding off on determining what to use the funds for after Valdes’ body was found. Originally, the funds were raised as a reward for “the person who provides information to the family or police that lead directly to finding Arielle.”

Ultimately, Sowels said, the funds will go “directly to Isabella Hergert,” who was identified by Fort Myers News-Press as Valdes’ sister.

Hergert paid tribute to her sister in several posts on her Facebook page. In the first post, she wrote, “Ari you were too good for this world. I love you and I will see you again in every lifetime. You are a piece of my soul that I will always look for.” 

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Valdes’ sister then added, “Thank you so much for the love we have received from the community. Please give us privacy while we grieve our angel.”

In another post, Hergert shared a photo of a journal entry presumably written by her sister, and promised to “work on publishing some of her spiritual scriptures.”

“My sister was a real life angel,” Hergert captioned the post. “I know this is all for a greater purpose.”

Valdes’ death was also mourned in a post shared on a Facebook Page dedicated to finding the missing woman, titled “Finding Arielle Valdes.” She was described as a “vibrant personality and gentle soul” who “brought so much light into the lives of those who knew her.”

“Arielle’s presence was a gift, and her memory will forever be cherished by all who were fortunate enough to know her,” the post read.

Valdes was training for a marathon prior to her disappearance, Hegert shared on Facebook.

Crews searched “both land and sea over the last five days in search of Valdes, according to the sheriff’s office.

On the “Finding Arielle Valdes” Facebook page, members of the community were thanked for stepping up to help with the search for Valdes, as well as those who offered emotional support to the woman’s family.

“The efforts we made together were widespread and unforgettable, showing just how powerful we can be when we unite for a common cause,” the post read. “In the face of this tragedy, we’ve proven that we are more than just neighbors — we are a true community, bound by our care and commitment to one another.”