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Whatever
Happened...

An update on past news

Wednesday, August 18, 1999

Amnesia victim recovered
partially and moved away

Question: Whatever happened to the amnesia victim who was found at Kailua Beach in 1996?

Answer: Philip Charles Cutajar was 37 when he was discovered on Kailua Beach with no recollection of who he was or why he was in Hawaii. At that time his memories lasted for only four hours, so he relied on a logbook to recall what had happened since being discovered.

He still hasn't recovered the memories from his past, but now he's able to retain memories up to two years old.

Eventually, Cutajar's family was located along with details from his life, such as his former occupation as a U.S. State Department diplomat.

Cutajar's brother came to Hawaii to take him to Florida, where he still resides, according to Catherine Chinn, a medical social worker who handled Cutajar's case while he was at the Castle Medical Center.

Chinn last heard from Cutajar by mail six months ago.

Cutajar no longer has memories of his stay in Hawaii, but his logbook tells him what happened while he was here, Chinn said.

Now that he keeps memories longer, he is able to hold a job, working with a Catholic charity organization doing outreach for the poor in Florida, she added.



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