I had something similar with Halsin. I do think the game only has a knockout status in a few predefined situations, and at all other times, KO is the same as dead.
I was in the ACT 1 goblin camp worg pens and somehow I was too late to communicate to Halsin I wanted to help. So he broke out of the cage and attacked both our party and the goblins.
I knocked him out, killed the goblins and then left him there. Hoping he would show up at the grove after we defended it agains Minthara, like he does when we leave him in the pen consciously.
He didn't show up at the grove, but did show up in my camp, in his usual place, but still knocked out.
Every long rest he was there. I healed him completely, but he stayed KO.
Going to Act 2, still a KO Halsin in our camp.
Finally, when we woke Art Cullagh and he asked about Halsin, my Tav told him Halsin was dead.
After that, Halsin was removed from the camp also.
So this is patch 8/hotfix 32.
