A Missouri emergency room doctor was found dead Tuesday in Arkansas about 60 miles southwest from where he disappeared more than a week ago, according to police.
Dr. John Forsyth, 49, was last seen the morning of May 21 and then did not show up for work at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, a town of 3,100 in the Missouri Ozarks, according to the Cassville Police Department.
On Tuesday, the Benton County Sheriff’s Department in Arkansas notified Cassville police that a body was found in their county, according to a statement. Police said official identification and an autopsy are pending, but Forsyth’s brother, Richard, told the Associated Press that officials notified their family that Forsyth’s body had been found Tuesday night.
Benton County Arkansas Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Richard Forsyth said his brother last spoke to his fiancée as he was leaving the hospital, The Daily Beast reported. Concern grew when he failed to return for his afternoon shift, according to the outlet.
“He wouldn’t miss a shift even if his eyeballs were hanging out of their sockets,” Richard Forsyth told The Daily Beast last week. “It was an immediate red flag.”
Forsyth’s vehicle was later found at an aquatic park in Cassville. It was unlocked with items including his wallet, two phones and a laptop inside.
“It doesn’t seem like a person who left with a plan,” Forsyth told the Associated Press earlier Tuesday.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, used dogs and drones to search a nearly 9-mile radius around the park. Meanwhile, Forsyth’s family sought information and shared articles about his disappearance on Facebook.
Richard Forsyth told the Associated Press his family is still waiting on more details from detectives. The Missouri State Highway Patrol directed questions to Cassville police.
Contributing: The Associated Press
