Millionaire’s falling death ‘is beyond sad’

Autopsy shows man died from steep fall

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The medical examiner confirmed yesterday the identity of a body found at the bottom of a windward cliff as that of a missing millionaire reportedly suffering from mental illness.

An autopsy determined that Steven Thomas' fatal injuries were consistent with a long fall.

"I think of Steve as being such a vital guy, full of life and full of energy, so full of the sense of possibility," David Moll, former chief executive officer of Webroot, a security software firm Thomas co-founded, told the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, Colo. "This is beyond sad."

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The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office said after an autopsy yesterday that 36-year-old millionaire Steven Thomas died with injuries consistent with a fall from a height.

The medical examiner has not yet determined the manner in which he died, noting the results of numerous tests are pending, including a microscopic examination, toxicology tests and others, which required being sent to the mainland. Decomposition of the body compounds the difficulty and increases the time it takes to make a final determination on whether it was an accident, suicide or homicide, officials said.

Hikers found the badly decomposed body of the Lanikai resident, who was reported to have a bipolar disorder, at 12:45 p.m. Sunday below the Pali Lookout, nearly two weeks after his disappearance.

The tattoo of an American Indian Hopi tribe's symbol of luck found on his lower left leg helped identify Thomas, according to police.

Friends and colleagues in Colorado were shocked and saddened by the news, Boulder County's Daily Camera said yesterday.

David Moll, former chief executive officer of Webroot, a security software firm Thomas co-founded, told the newspaper, "I think of Steve as being such a vital guy, full of life and full of energy, so full of the sense of possibility. This is beyond sad."

Thomas' wife, mother and brother declined to talk to the media, said Honolulu CrimeStoppers Coordinator Kim Buffett.

However, his father, Ralph Thomas, in Wisconsin, told KITV, "I'm very distraught. All I can say is my son was a wonderful individual. He was generous and kind. I'm going to miss him terribly. We loved him, and that's about all I can say."

The discovery of the corpse came the same day his wife, Candis Thomas, was in Waikiki in front of TV news cameras passing out fliers to help find her missing husband. She made a public plea to find him last week.

Police have not yet ruled out foul play, Maj. Alan Bluemke said yesterday, although he emphasized no foul play was suspected. The case remains classified as an unattended death, pending the full medical examiner's report.

According to his wife, Thomas began developing problems in April, had been arrested for running naked in his neighborhood and was diagnosed later with bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, but had refused medication.

Police had described Thomas as emotionally distraught, and his wife had said he had been displaying suicidal behavior.

Thomas had been involved in real estate and stocks after selling Webroot Software, known for its Spy Sweeper software, in 2004 for $108 million.