Webroot Founder Dies in Hawaii

Two weeks after going missing Webroot Software founder Steven Thomas has been found dead in Hawaii.

His body was found Sunday by hikers at the Pali Lookout, a popular tourist destination at Oahu's Nuuanu Pali State Park. Firefighters hiked down the hill and retrieved the body late Sunday afternoon, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Thomas, 36, died Sunday, according to a spokeswoman with the Honolulu medical examiner's office. She could not say the cause of death. He had been missing since June 30.

His wife, Candis Burton Thomas, told local media that her husband had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in April and had been anxious in the days leading up to his disappearance. He was reportedly arrested on April 27 and taken to a hospital after running naked into a race in Lanikai, Hawaii.

Thomas and business partner Kristen Talley founded Webroot, a vendor of computer security products, in 1997. The Boulder, Colorado, company is best known as the seller of Spy Sweeper, an antispyware product.

Webroot was sold to venture capital investors for a reported US$108 million in 2004, and Thomas had not been involved in the company for more than four years.

In a statement, released Monday, Webroot said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of his death. "He has many friends here and we will always be grateful for having been a part of his life while he was creating Webroot," the statement said.