Incidents

Founder of Security Software Company Goes Missing

Webroot founder Steven Thomas is nowhere to be found

By George Craciun, Security News Editor

10th of July 2008, 10:23 GMT

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Founder of Webroot has been missing for a week

Webroot, a company that specializes in providing antivirus and antispyware security solutions, was co-founded by Steven Thomas back in 1997. It seems that the 36 year old millionaire has gone missing from a hotel in Hawaii, last week. While the local authorities are trying to find him, his family prays that he is safe and sound.

The last time anyone has seen Steven was on the 30th of June, at approximately 5 o'clock in the afternoon, at the Sheridan Princess Kaiulani Hotel. This is when the said he needed to use the bathroom, but never returned. At the time he was wearing a light-green T-shirt, shorts and slippers.

In April this year Steven Thomas found out that he had bipolar disorder and since then has refused treatment and has shown suicidal behavior. The National Institute of Mental Health says that the condition, better known under the name of manic-depression, causes a person's mood, energy and ability to function to fluctuate violently.

Candis Thomas, Steven Thomas' wife, comments: "He thinks everyone on the island is out to get him. He thinks the military is involved, he thinks that aliens are involved, and he's just been in a real delusion state of being fearful. He may be really hiding because he's just afraid of everyone."

The company that Steven has founded made a name for itself a decade ago by providing antispiware in a period when hackers all over the world were taking advantage of spyware in order to make money. The company was eventually sold to a group of investors 4 years ago, for a staggering $108 million. Ever since, Steven has not re-entered the IT security industry, preferring to stick to the stock market and real estate.

Webroot issued this statement: "The entire Webroot community is concerned about the news of our founder and former owner, Steve Thomas." "Even though Steve has not been involved with Webroot since 2004, all of us at the company will support Steve and his family in any way we can."

Due to the lack of any lead, the police are still looking for Thomas. "One thing about Hawaii is that we're a small island city, and people care about each other. We take every missing person seriously," says Maj. Frank Fuji from the Honolulu PD.

TAGS:

Webroot | Hawaii | security

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