The body of Dr. Kenneth Litwack, a Newport Beach internal medicine physician and infectious disease specialist who checked himself in to the Sierra Tucson Rehabilitation Center earlier this month, has reportedly been discovered on the grounds of the 30-acre facility, according to a news report.
Dr. Litwak, 71, went missing from the mental health and rehabilitation center near Tucson on Aug. 16, four days after checking himself in for treatment of neurological problems. Family members reported that he suffered from bouts of confusion and had a propensity for “wandering off.”
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office conducted an air and ground search for Dr. Litwak in the desert surrounding the facility, using a helicopter and ground trackers with search dogs, but were unable to find him.
Early this morning, authorities reported finding a body that matched Dr. Litwack’s description under a tree on the grounds of the mental health and rehabilitation facility in an area used for horseback riding. Sheriff’s officials said they did not search for him on the facility grounds because they were told by hospital officials that the grounds had already been searched.
“We didn’t find him, because he never left the grounds,” said Elias Johnson, a spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities estimated that the temperature in the Arizona desert reached 110 degrees in the days following Dr. Litwak’s disappearance, and believe he may have been looking for shade in the rugged, brush-covered landscape. Johnson said there was no evidence of foul play, and that the body has been taken to the medical examiner’s office for identification.
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