The body of Dr. Dean K. Thomas, who was reported missing Monday around 9:30 a.m., was found in Koke’e later that afternoon.
His truck, which was spotted by passersby, was found near Trail 2, a hunting access road between mile markers 10 and 11 on Koke’e Road, past Waimea Canyon Lookout, at around 4:30 p.m.
According to police, patrol officers found the body 30 yards away from his truck, said Cindy Mei Ozaki, county public information officer.
The preliminary finding on the cause of death was asphyxiation, said Ozaki, but officials will wait until after the toxicology screen is finished for confirmation.
She added that there was no evidence of foul play.
Thomas was a Kalaheo resident and pediatrician at Kauai Medical Clinic in Lihu’e. He was reported missing by a friend at 9:27 a.m. Monday. He was reportedly last seen at Lihu’e Missionary Church on Rice Street on Sunday morning.
“He will be greatly missed by his patients, staff and colleagues,” said Lani Yukimura, marketing manager at Wilcox Health, in a statement.
“No words can express the sadness felt by the medical community and his patients about his passing,” said Dr. Lee Evslin, president and chief executive officer of Wilcox Health, in a statement.
“He was only on Kaua’i for four years, but in that short time, he became well known as a wonderful, positive person, and an active leader in his church and in the medical community,” Evslin said.
“He was a rock-solid clinician,” said D.Q. Jackson, RN, of Wilcox Memorial Hospital, “a physician who always had a pleasant demeanor and worked well with his staff in caring for his patients. He was a very valuable member of the medical team.”
Jackson added that Thomas was a friend of Rotary.
“He assisted the Rotary clubs of Hawai’i and Kaua’i by participating in two ‘Rotaplast’ (Rotary plastic surgery) medical missions to Cebu City in the southern Philippines, in October of 2002 and recently in October 2003,” Jackson said.
“His assistance with the surgical repair of facial defects, mainly cleft lips and palates, helped 200 kids over the past two missions,” he said.
“Dr. Thomas really cared about our community,” Jackson wrote. “He was the founding president and medical director of the Diabetes Association of Kaua’i, which was incorporated in May of last year, for the purpose of providing continuing education for health professionals, as well as providing screenings for the early detection of diabetes.”
As a member of the medical staff of Wilcox Memorial Hospital, Thomas was chairman of the pediatrics division, and served on the Medical Education and Medical Executive committees.
Thomas graduated from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and completed his residency at the University of California at Irvine. He was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Yukimura.
He joined Kauai Medical Clinic in 1999 after relocating from a 10-year practice in Oceanside, Calif. He specialized in complete pediatric care, from infants to adolescents, and had special interests in sports medicine, asthma, trauma, and adolescent medicine, she added.
“We are left remembering Dr. Thomas as a wonderful human being, positively glowing from his last medical mission and the remarkable changes brought to those young lives,” said Evslin. “He was a very caring pediatrician who loved his work. We are lessened by his passing, and he will be truly missed.”
He will be remembered at an informal memorial tribute in the courtyard of Wilcox Memorial Hospital today, Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 12:30 p.m., where employees can share their thoughts and memories, said Yukimura.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
