Autopsy Planned on Body of Man Found in Kahikinui

File Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday on the body of a man found floating in waters off of Kahikinui on Wednesday afternoon.

Maui police have since identified the man as 70-year-old Dennis M. Roberts of Kihei.

The man was reported missing at 8:38 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 by his girlfriend, Kim Wolten, after he failed to return from a drive around the island.

Wolten told authorities that Roberts was acting abnormal and appeared to be depressed in the past few days, which caused her to be concerned.

According to police reports, Roberts was last seen at the Matson shipping company in Kahului when he picked up his 2012 White Jeep Wrangler that had arrived from Seattle, Washington.

Police say that Robert’s Jeep was found abandoned and intact in the remote Kahikinui area of Maui at around 12 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2012.  According to police, the vehicle was on the side of the Piilani Highway near mile marker 27.5 on the back road to Hana.

About an hour and a half later at around 1:30 p.m., fire rescue crews who were dispatched to the scene for an aerial search, located Robert’s body floating about 300 yards offshore in the area of mile marker 24, police said.

According to a police report Maui Police Lt. Jayson Rego said the man appeared to have suffered severe head injuries, and an autopsy was scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

The area where the search was conducted was described as a location consisting of high cliffs and rocky shorelines.